NWWF Announces Vintner Lineup for 2016 Festival

A star-studded lineup featuring some of the most celebrated vintners and chefs will head to Naples, Florida for the 16th annual Naples Winter Wine Festival, taking place from January 29-31, 2016.

Joining this year’s Honored Vintners, Paul and Emily Michael of the Peter Michael Winery, will be proprietors from more than 40 wineries in 13 global wine-producing regions, eight countries, and three continents. These top vintners will pour some of the most sought after and collectable wines in the world.

Guests will be able to taste wines from Old World wineries, such as Italy’s famous Marchesi de’ Frescobaldi, which dates back to the 13th century; Château de Beaucastel in France’s Rhône Valley, which traces back to the 16th century; Domaine Thibault Liger-Belair, which started as a family business in the Burgundy region in the early 18th century; and Krug Champagne, which dates back to 1843.

They can also taste fantastic wines from noted New World wineries, such as Gargiulo Vineyards, one of the most highly regarded Cabernet Sauvignon producers in Napa Valley; Vérité in Sonoma County, which recently received seven coveted 100-point scores from famed wine critic Robert Parker, Jr. and Domaine Serene, famous for its Oregon Pinot Noirs.

California vintners from Napa Valley, Sonoma County, Paso Robles, Santa Barbara and Arroyo Grande will be in attendance, as well as vintners from Virginia, Oregon, New York, Spain, Italy, France, New Zealand, Montenegro and Australia.

Kicking off the Festival will be a special tasting of wines from Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars and Chateau Montelena. The tasting will commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Judgment of Paris, one of the most momentous events in wine history, when these two American wineries bested the top châteaux and domaines of Bordeaux and Burgundy in a blind tasting, catapulting California wines onto the world stage. Ted Baseler of Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars and Bo Barrett of Chateau Montelena will be in attendance, along with Steven Spurrier, who created and hosted the original event, and George Taber, who covered the event for Time Magazine and wrote a best-selling book about it.

In addition to these terrific vintners, the Festival will feature more than 20 chefs from 17 cities across the United States who have gained critical acclaim for running some of America’s most recognized restaurants. Together, they boast a collective nine James Beard Awards and multiple James Beard Award nominations, several Michelin Stars, numerous four star reviews and many more accolades. They will be led by Rick Tramonto, who is returning to the Festival for his sixth year, this time as Chef de Cuisine.

NNWF 2016 Chefs

Colin Bedford of The Fearrington
House Restaurant in Pittsboro, NC

Brian Boitano host of Food
Network’s “What Would Brian Boitano
Make?” in San Francisco, CA

Nash Cognetti of Tra Vigne in St.
Helena, CA

Gary Danko of Restaurant Gary
Danko in San Francisco, CA

Curtis Duffy of Grace in Chicago, IL
John Folse of Restaurant R’evolution in
New Orleans, LA

Ken Frank of La Toque in Napa, CA

Sarah Grueneberg of Monteverde in
Chicago, IL

Jen Jasinski of Rioja in Denver, CO

Daniel Joly of Mirabelle in Beaver
Creek, CO