Influential Wine Critic to Moderate Exclusive Vintage Cellar Event

Influential Wine Critic Antonio Galloni of Vinous to Moderate Exclusive Vintage Cellar Event in Advance of 25^th Annual Naples Winter Wine Festival

Pre-Festival wine tasting and luncheon on Thursday, January 23, 2025 will highlight several rare and highly sought-after wines by Burgundy-based Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair

 The Naples Children & Education Foundation (NCEF), the founding organization of the Naples Winter Wine Festival (NWWF),announced that influential wine critic Antonio Galloni, the founder and CEO of Vinous, will moderate The Vintage Cellar event on Thursday, January 23, 2025, at Bleu Provence in Old Naples to kick off the 2025 Festival.

Galloni is the lead critic for Vinous, which is his vision of a modern-day wine publication. He covers the wines of Bordeaux, California, Italy and Champagne. As moderator for the exclusive, pre-festival wine tasting and luncheon, Galloni will team with featured sommeliers and the Burgundy-based owner and vintner of Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair, Count Louis-Michel Liger-Belair.

Guests will be able to participate in a vertical tasting (2017, 2018 and 2019) of each the Estate’s Vosne-Romanée “Clos du Château” – Monopole, Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair; Vosne-Romanée “La Colombière”, Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair; and Nuits-Saint-Georges, Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair. Wines will be poured by featured sommeliers who are participating throughout the weekend, enhancing appreciation for the unique and rare wines that will be tasted.

“It is an honor to moderate the 2025 Vintage Cellar tasting, which is one of the most anticipated events for collectors and connoisseurs attending the Naples Winter Wine Festival each year,” said Galloni. “This intimate event will not only give guests the chance to sample some of Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair’s greatest and most sought-after vintages, but also provide an intimate glimpse into some of the most revered family-owned vineyards dating back more than200 years.”

Since founding Vinous in 2013, Galloni led the company’s acquisitions of Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar and Delectable, which made the company unique in the wine industry in its ability to offer both professional reviews from the world’s top critics and the perspectives from hundreds of thousands of wine consumers. Galloni also leads Vinous’ pioneering efforts to map the vineyards of California with renowned cartographer Alessandro Masnaghetti.

Prior to Vinous, Galloni was the lead critic of Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate, which he joined having established himself as an influential wine writer through Piedmont Report, the first in-depth, English language journal solely focused on Italian wine. Galloni holds a Master of Business Administration from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan School of Management and received a degree in jazz composition and guitar from Boston’s Berklee College of Music.

“We are privileged to have Antonio participate in our exclusive Vintage Cellar event to kick off the 2025 Naples Winter Wine Festival,” said Scott Lutgert, NCEF Emeritus Trustee and 2025 Vintner Committee Member. “His expert knowledge of not only French wines but also rare and highly sought-after wines make him a great choice to moderate this intimate wine tasting and luncheon.”

The Vintage Cellar wine tasting and luncheon is a separate, pre-festival event and seating is limited to 40 guests. It is anticipated tickets will be available in late October for $5,000 per person.

The 2025Naples Winter Wine Festival will take place on January 24-26, 2025 at The Ritz-Carlton Naples, Tiburón. With three days of activities, the Festival will once again showcase exceptional fine wines, amazing cuisine and unique, one-of-a-kind auction lots benefiting its founding organization, the Naples Children & Education Foundation (NCEF), in support of its mission of making a profound and sustaining difference in the lives of underserved children in Collier County.

The weekend will pay homage to the past while looking forward to the future. Guests will enjoy world-class food and wine during intimate dinners in private homes and other landmark settings throughout Naples curated by award-winning chefs and world-renowned vintners. Patrons also will be invited to bid on incredible travel and wine experiences during an electrifying live auction.

Ticket packages for the 25th annual 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.