Naples WineFest brings in $12M

NAPLES — The Naples Winter Wine Festival raised $12.2 million at its live charity auction this weekend, bringing its total monies raised since 2001 to $106.7 million.

All funds raised through the Winter Wine Festival benefit the Naples Children & Education Foundation, which supports underprivileged and at-risk youth.

Event organizers say 580 attendees placed bids on 67 auction lots. The highest priced item: a private performance from LeAnn Rimes, which netted $1.2 million for the Naples charity. A custom-built 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster went for $450,000. And the most expensive wine lot — two identical bundles featuring eight rare bottles of Château Haut-Brion -- netted a total of $1.1 million.

Planning for the 2013 event is already under way. It will begin on Jan. 25. Additional information about this and next year's events is available at the organization's website.