Tickets Still Available For Southwest Florida Food And Wine Fest

There are two big wine festivals in Southwest Florida this winter season. The exclusive Naples Winter Wine Festival is set for the end of the month. However, this weekend is the big event in Fort Myers and there is some good news to pass on. There are tickets still available for Southwest Florida Food And Wine Fest.

This year the festival is taking place at Florida SouthWestern State College in Fort Myers. Since the festival's inception in 2009, more than $27 million has been donated to the event's three primary beneficiaries. They include Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida. In addition, scholarships for local students majoring in health sciences to Florida Gulf Coast University and Florida SouthWestern State College. The goal this year is to raise money to help build a pediatric outpatient surgery center.

One of the highlights of the event is the live auction. Attendees get to bid on some amazing packages. Many of them surround food, wine and travel. All are unique. Check these out. They are just a few things up for grabs this year. The complete list and all details can be found online.

The other highlight is tasting all of the amazing food and wine prior to the auction. Some of the best chef's from Southwest Florida put on their coats and cook unique bites of food. Winemakers, owners and representatives offer some of their best selections to taste. This year's signature vintner is Saint Helena Winery.

Tickets to get into the Grand Tasting & Live Auction on Saturday cost $1000. For another $500 you get an entire weekend experience. This includes a seat at one of the Chef Vintner dinners of your choice on Friday. The main event is Saturday at Suncoast Arena which is on the Fort Myers campus of Florida SouthWestern State College.

One more thing, this year's theme is 1960's, Peace, Love & Wine #GivingisGroovy. Finally, for tickets and more information about the festival, click here. See you Saturday at the tasting tables.

Here's an inside look at Naples Winter Wine Festival or NWWF for short. It's perfect timing for Wine Wednesday. I was fortunate enough to attend the world famous event Sunday.

But first...

It's one of the top charity wine auctions in the country and the most successful charity event in all of Southwest Florida. Tickets alone are $15,000 a couple to start. This year alone, the festival raised nearly $26 million. It is a new record.  The money raised goes to support underprivileged children in Collier County through education and medical initiatives, and more.

The festival is known to be over the top when it comes to auction items. Cars are always included. They are lined up on the lawn for would be bidders to get an up close and personal look. This year it was a beautiful white Bentley. The interior had splashes of purple.

The day begins on the lawn of the resort. The amount and the types of wines poured are insane. There are rare vintages, large formats (really big bottles), and selections you'll never find in local retailers. Checking out the giant tasting table is like going on a treasure hunt.

In addition, chef's fly in from around the country to prepare unique bites during the tasting. They also create elaborate meals at private dinners in the homes of the trustees. A drum line leads guests from the tasting tent into an even larger, air conditioned tent for the auction. The tables are covered in swag, snacks and more bottles of wine.

I love attending this festival. I always run into old friends, make new ones and get to share in the excitement of raising crazy money for the kids. Here is a short video from under the tasting tent, posted on my Instagram feed. More to come

In addition,  I posted photos of some of the cool shoes people wore. This is also a very fashionable event.  Click here and feast your eyes on the footwear fashions. Enjoy this inside look at the Naples Winter Wine Festival