Renowned vintners, including Darioush, to headline Naples Winter Wine Festival 2026
The 2026 Naples Winter Wine Festival, Jan. 30–Feb. 1 at The Ritz-Carlton Naples, Tiburón, will showcase an international roster of vintners led by Shahpar and Darioush Khaledi of Darioush, raising funds for Collier County children’s charities.
- When & where: Jan. 30–Feb. 1, 2026, at The Ritz-Carlton Naples, Tiburón (Gulfshore Business).
- Honored vintners: Shahpar and Darioush Khaledi of Darioush, Napa Valley (Gulfshore Business).
- Beneficiary: Naples Children & Education Foundation (NCEF), which distributes grants to children’s charities in Collier County (Life in Naples).
- Fundraising model: chef-driven dinners, high-profile live auction and premium ticket packages that help drive seven-figure charitable results (Life in Naples).
Honored vintners and the global roster
Organizers named Shahpar and Darioush Khaledi of Darioush as the 2026 Honored Vintners. The Khaledis founded Darioush in Napa Valley in 1998 after emigrating from Iran and built a boutique estate known for Bordeaux-inspired winemaking and hospitality (Gulfshore Business).
The festival’s dinner vintner roster reads like a who’s who of the wine world. Confirmed participants include:
- Michelle and Robin Baggett (Alpha Omega, California)
- Jesse Katz (Aperture Cellars, Healdsburg, California)
- André Esteves and Bernardino Sani (Argiano, Italy)
- Giampiero Bertolini (Biondi-Santi, Italy)
- Barbara Banke and Chris Carpenter (Cardinale, California)
- Laura Catena (Catena Zapata, Argentina)
- Grace Evenstad (Domaine Serene, Oregon/France)
- Candice Bernard Cathiard (Château Smith Haut Lafitte, France / Cathiard Vineyard, California)
- Aymeric de Gironde (Château Troplong Mondot, France)
- Carissa Mondavi (Continuum Estate, California)
- Dominique Arangoïts (Cos d’Estournel, France)
- Naoko and Maya Dalla Valle (Dalla Valle Vineyards, California)
- Kelley and Jim Bailey (Knights Bridge Winery, California)
- Marilisa Allegrini (Allegrini, Italy)
- Nicole and Jean Trimbach (Trimbach, France)
- Pablo Álvarez Mezquíriz (Vega Sicilia, Spain)
- and many others (Gulfshore Business).
“Their selection underscores the festival’s continuing focus on both wine excellence and personal stories that resonate with donors.”
Auction format, dinners and chefs
The festival centers on intimate, chef-driven dinners across Naples and a high-profile live auction featuring once-in-a-lifetime travel and wine experiences. Proceeds from dinners and the auction are directed to local children’s charities served by NCEF (Life in Naples).
Chef participation: Chef de Cuisine Dustin Valette of Valette and The Matheson (California) has been confirmed; additional celebrity chefs and sommeliers are expected to be announced later in the year (Life in Naples).
Ticketing and fundraising mechanics
Weekend ticket packages are premium. Early disclosures list a Double Magnum package starting at $17,500 per couple and a Jeroboam package for two couples priced at $40,000. Packages typically include dinners, seminars, events and auction participation, and represent a major source of charitable proceeds (Life in Naples).
For donors: the combination of exclusive experiences and local impact is the key attraction. For nonprofit partners, these funds form a critical portion of program budgets.
Festival reputation and charitable impact
The Naples Winter Wine Festival remains one of the world’s most prestigious charity wine auctions. It was named “Best Wine Festival” in the U.S. for 2025 by USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards, and the 2025 event set a fundraising record by raising more than $34 million for the Naples Children & Education Foundation (Life in Naples).
Since its founding in 2001, the NWWF has raised more than $336 million for programs supporting vulnerable children in Collier County. The foundation channels funds into education, health and social services — a point organizers emphasize to donors and partners (Life in Naples).
Meet the Kids Day and community engagement
A hallmark of the festival is “Meet the Kids Day,” which pairs vintners and guests with students and program participants from local schools and nonprofits. Selected luncheon vintners for 2026 include Sarah and Michael Browne (CHEV, CIRQ.), Desirée Del Dotto (Del Dotto Family Wineries), Tom Gamble (Gamble Estates), and Jeff Cova (The Setting Wines) (Gulfshore Business).
Organizers and NCEF point to long-term results and annual disclosures, but community members and watchdogs may continue to request more detailed program-level reporting on timelines, administrative costs and outcome measurement.
Implications for Sonoma, California
The festival’s lineup includes North Bay representation — notably Jesse Katz of Aperture Cellars in Healdsburg — tying Sonoma County producers into national wine philanthropy. Local implications include:
- Economic: participation can boost sales, collector interest and tasting-room traffic for Sonoma wineries.
- Political & civic: visibility on national stages can strengthen advocacy for wine-related infrastructure and marketing.
- Social: invitations to high-profile events raise questions about access and equity among small family producers.
- Cultural: the Khaledis’ immigrant-founded Darioush echoes Sonoma’s family-driven hospitality and storytelling traditions.
- Practical: wineries and operators can pitch experiences for future auctions, seek chef partnerships, and target Naples attendees for tourism business.
Who benefits — and how the money flows
The festival is produced to benefit the Naples Children & Education Foundation (NCEF). Organizers say auction proceeds are disbursed through NCEF grant cycles; the foundation and grantees handle specific program-level reporting and timelines. Donors often seek clarity on administrative costs, grant timelines and program outcomes as funding levels grow (Life in Naples).
Sources and reporting
This article draws on announcements and reporting from Gulfshore Business, Gulfshore Business (honored vintners announcement), and Life in Naples, which compiled lineup and event details.
Dateline: Naples, Florida (Times Media Service).
