2025 Naples Winter Wine Festival announce Honored Vintners

2025 Naples Winter Wine Festival to Celebrate Count Louis-Michel and Countess Constance Liger-Belair of Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair as Honored Vintners

The Naples Children & Education Foundation (NCEF), founders of the Naples Winter Wine Festival, announced that Count Louis-Michel and Countess Constance Liger-Belair, owners of the legendary Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair wine estate in Burgundy, France, will be saluted as Honored Vintners at the 25thannual Naples Winter Wine Festival. This year’s Festival is set to take place on January 24-26, 2025 at The Ritz-Carlton Naples, Tiburón.

Louis-Michel Liger-Belair et sa femme Constance (copyright Justin Creedy Smith) Chateau de Vosne-Romanée

Louis-Michel Liger-Belair is an agricultural engineer and oenologist who created Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair in 2000, taking on some of the most revered family-owned vineyards dating back over 200 years. In fact, the Counts Liger-Belair settled in Vosne-Romanée when Louis Liger-Belair, a Napoleonic general, acquired the Château de Vosne in 1815 and grew the estate.

Unfortunately, the entire wine estate had to be sold at auction following a complicated succession in 1933. Liger-Belair’s grandfather and great-uncle were able to buy back some of his family’s former holdings eventually amassing 12 vineyards, including La Romanée, a small production site that is regarded by collectors for producing some of the most sought-after wines in the world.

“We are thrilled to announce that Count Louis-Michel and Countess Constance Liger-Belair are this year’s Honored Vintners for the 25thNaples Winter Wine Festival,” expressed Scott Lutgert, 2025Vintner Committee member. “Domaine du Comte Liger-Belairis celebrated for producing some of the most sought-after wines in the world. Their presence at our Silver Anniversary Festival guarantees yet another extraordinary weekend filled with exceptional wine and food.”

Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair has a long-documented history of wine production with many generations of family operation. After the sale of the estate in 1933, Count Michel, the grandfather of Louis-Michel, and his brother Just, a young priest, joined together to buy back La Romanée, les Reignots and les Chaumes, whose management was then entrusted to local winegrowers.

When he was eight years old, Louis-Michel told his parents of his intention to settle later in Vosne-Romanée. His father informed him that he could only take over the Domaine if he became an engineer. Louis-Michel then pursued scientific studies, graduated as an agricultural engineer, and earned a Master’s Degree in wine business and a degree in oenology from the University of Dijon.

Liger-Belair took over control of all aspects of production, from the vine to the bottle, in 2000 bringing to all the vines and wines the same care from Villages to Grands Crus appellations.

Today, with his wife, Constance, and their three children, Liger-Belair grows 14.5 hectares (25.9461 acres) of vines in Vosne-Romanée, Nuits-Saint-Georges, Flagley-Echezeaux and Vougeot. They produce Grand Cru and Premier Cru wines from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes which are known for their complexity, roundness and depth. Many of their wines are consistently rated 96 points and above, including the highly regarded La Romanée Grand Cru. All vines are managed using certified organic and biodynamic viticultural methods.

“I am pleased to be named as this year’s Honored Vintner for the Naples Winter Wine Festival which has built a reputation over the past 25 years as one of the world’s most prestigious charity wine auctions, all the more so because, over the same 25-year period, Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair, created at the same time as the Festival, has joined the ranks of the world’s greatest wine estates,” said Liger-Belair. “What is even more gratifying to me, though, is the lasting impact that this event has on improving the lives of at-risk and underprivileged children in the community.”

The 25th annual NWWF comes following the record-breaking event in January 2024 during which over $33 million was raised. Funds are distributed by NCEF via grants to individual nonprofits and multi-partner, multi-year strategic initiatives focusing on the well-being of the whole child, including early learning, healthcare, hunger, mental health, oral health, out-of-school time and vision.

Festival guests will once again join in this charitable mission in 2025 as they bid on incredible, one-of-a-kind experiences during the famed live auction, part of a weekend that will also feature intimate dinners in elegant, private homes and settings showcasing world-class food and wine.

The weekend will pay homage to the past while looking forward to the future. As a nod to the 25th anniversary, this year’s Festival will be led by a team of several NCEF Trustees, all of whom have previously chaired the NWWF, including some who were involved in the very first Festival in 2001.

Ticket packages for the 2025 Naples Winter Wine Festival start at $17,500 per couple for a Double Magnum package and $40,000 for two couples to experience a Jeroboam Package. For additional information, please visit: napleswinefestival.com/about-the-festival.

About Naples Winter Wine Festival
The Naples Winter Wine Festival (NWWF), one of the world’s most prestigious charity wine auctions, offers a weekend of unforgettable memories. Guests enjoy world-class food and wine during intimate dinners in elegant, private homes and other landmark settings throughout Naples and are invited to bid on once-in-a-lifetime travel and wine experiences during an electrifying live auction. Since its inaugural event in 2001, the NWWF has raised almost $302 million, making a profound difference in the lives of hundreds of thousands of children in Collier County.

About Naples Children & Education Foundation
The Naples Children & Education Foundation (NCEF), the founding organization of the Naples Winter Wine Festival, is improving the educational, emotional and health outcomes of underprivileged and at-risk children. Through its annual grants and strategic initiatives, NCEF has impacted close to 90 of the most effective nonprofits in the local community, providing 350,000 children with the services and resources they need to excel. NCEF’s unique approach, which emphasizes collaboration between organizations and bridges public and private resources, has become a blueprint for how to transform a community, one issue at a time.

For additional information on the Naples Children & Education Foundation or the Naples Winter Wine Festival, contact Lisa Juliano at lisa@napleswinefestival.com or 239-514-2239.