Grape Expectations

In a perfect world, great friendships, like fine wine, get better with age. And in that same perfect world, great fund-raising events, also like fine wine, become more valuable over time. So, it seems, the Naples Winter Wine Fest is living in the best of all possible worlds.

The story of the Naples Winter Wine Festival extends from Newport, R.I., to Napa, Calif., from Palm Beach to the Piedmont in Italy. Who hasn't heard of the festival's dazzling freshman success, raising $2.7 million in 2001, and more than $7 million in 2004? No sophomore slump here. The festival just keeps getting better. The wine lots are more exclusive, the non-wine auction items more fabulous, the guest list more luminous. It's enough to make other worthy fund-raising events-those that have traditionally raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for a variety of worthy causes-feel like underachievers.

So just how does the Naples Winter Wine Festival do it?

Like any classic tale, it's best to start at the beginning. Once upon a time there was a group of friends. These friends-four couples-had already tasted success many times. They'd been captains of industry, entrepreneurs, innovators. They'd worked hard, and life had been very good to them. All were active philanthropists involved in a number of different charitable efforts, in Naples, across the nation or worldwide. These friends would often get together at one another's homes, where they celebrated food, friendship and their mutual love of fine wine.

That love of wine-all were serious collectors-led the friends to thinking: What if they could combine their commitment to philanthropy with their love of wine, and launch an event that celebrated both passions? What if they invited top vintners and celebrity chefs from around the world, and hosted private wine dinners in their homes in the days and weeks surrounding the event? What if they found a top venue-say, the Ritz-Carlton-charged a premium, limited the number of tickets available, and auctioned off one-of-a-kind lots of wine and other exclusive packages? And what if the proceeds went to a variety of children's charities throughout Collier County? Thus, in an evening, with friends gathered around, cooking a communal meal and sipping wine, the Naples Winter Wine Festival was born.

Soon the group of four couples grew to 18. Founding members and media moguls Brian and Denise Cobb-he is CEO of Cobb Corp, and handles acquisitions and mergers of media properties; she's a veteran news anchor; and together they own two television stations in major markets-chair various committiees. Brian Cobb remembers the genesis of the event. "We felt if we did everything perfect, first class, if we were careful to limit the sponsors, had private vintner dinners with the best wine, then got world-class chefs, then we'd really have something," he says.

The A-list of guests and talent and the fabulous auction items arrive in abundance each year thanks to the influence of organizers.

"It's the business acumen of people involved-they know how to do those things," says Denise Cobb. "All of us are used to working in business and getting things done. We came into this event thinking on a much larger scale business-wise."

After breaking all local records for a first-time fund-raising event-and exceeding the organizers' wildest expectations-the Naples Winter Wine Festival has continued to leave similar events in the dust, in 2004 eclipsing even the legendary Napa Valley Wine Festival as the single biggest wine fund raiser in the world.

But at the heart of the festival, behind the glitter and fanfare, better than the coverage in Town & Country, more important than the celebrity guests, is the dual nature of the event: friendship and purpose.

"Not by design, but what has resulted," explains J.D. Clinton, CEO of Insouth Bank and chairman of

Summit America, a television holding company, "is that the group of trustees for the wine festival has become somewhat of a fraternity or social club." Clinton and his wife, Mary Susan, (who founded her own documentary film production company and a skincare line) were one of the festival's founding couples.

The group, which now numbers around 60, has become very close, and considers other members among their core group of friends. "That's probably one of the secrets to our success," says Clinton. "It's fun to work with friends."

Wine Festival trustee Lee Anderson divides his time between Naples and St. Paul, Minn., where he's chairman and CEO of a conglomerate of construction, manufacturing and fire-protection companies. Anderson, who serves alongside wife, Penny, echoes that sentiment. "We all seem to be very social," he says. "And this isn't a group you'd want to belong to if you were painfully shy-you'd get lost in the dust! We've all known one another for a long time; we enjoy one another's company. We've been getting together long before this great idea, and we'll continue to long after we're no longer involved. It's fun to be part of this group."

Scott Lutgert, this year's festival chairperson, has long been an active philanthropist in Naples, along with his wife, Simone. He believes having husbands and wives working together adds energy to the event. "Our board is unique," he says, "in that it is made up of couples, not individuals. That helps all of us be involved and share the event with our partners." Lutgert is president of the Lutgert Companies and Premier Properties of Southwest Florida Realtors. The Lutgert Companies is known for developing Naples' Park Shore and many other commercial and residential projects in Southwest Florida. Of course, knowing they're a part of something big-really big-keeps festival trustees motivated as well. To hear the organizers tell it, no one dreamed-at least not at first-that the event would be such a huge success. "We wanted to net $250,000 our first year," says Brian Cobb. "But even months before the first event, we knew we'd get a million just from patrons' fees alone. We were stunned, and so delighted."

"We thought if we could make a million dollars we'd be doing a big thing," adds J.D. Clinton. "Then we raised $2.7 million, and looked at each other and said, 'How did we do it?'"

Lutgert remembers the moment with the same breathless intensity. "As we got closer and closer to the festival the first year, we could feel the excitement. Originally we hoped to raise $500,000; as we got closer we whispered '$1 million.' But we never dreamed we would raise over $2 million the first year."

"There has to be some magic in the formula," says Clinton. And perhaps magic is the right word (this does read like something of a fairy tale, after all). While friendship and service are at the core of the Wine Festival's success, the event has a few other factors working in its favor. "Naples is a great place to be in winter," says Lutgert. Match that climate with a board of trustees of highly influential people, and the result is pretty heady. These people can deliver the vintners and the celebrity chefs. They can ask for outrageous favors and get a "yes." They can host fabulous dinners in their houses. Plus, each trustee couple makes a significant contribution of time and money to the event's success. Anderson named a rough estimate of each couples' contribution and asked that the figure not be quoted. But suffice it to say that it's enough to buy a modest home in Naples. And that's their average contribution-per year.

The success of the naples winter wine festival begs another question: When you're at the top of your game, where is there left to go? Just how much bigger can the event get?

"Bigger is not necessarily the goal," explains Lutgert. "We want to be the best, not the biggest. By being the best, we can keep our focus on quality."

Cobb agrees. "We don't break what's not broken; instead, we try to do better with what works," he says. But Clinton betrays a little of that competitive spirit that no doubt drives the event-at least in part. "Outwardly, there's no pressure to outdo the year before," he says. "Inwardly? Absolutely. When you raise the bar, you don't want the bar to go down. When you're successful, you want to continue to be successful."

By all accounts, Clinton needn't worry about the festival's success anytime soon. Anderson says that the 2005 wine lots are better than ever. Plus, he adds, "We're bringing in several new big hitters [as guests]. I can't even guess where the money will be."

Lutgert and Cobb agree that keeping the event exclusive is key to its continued success. "We're committed to not more than 500 people at the auction," says Lutgert. "That lends an intimacy and scale to our event that results in excitement and ultimately, success."

"Our list is getting more exclusive," adds Brian Cobb. "It's very possible we'll be turning people away-we've had to do that in the past. We always have top vintners, and vintners and chefs are clamoring for an invite. It allows us the luxury of picking who we want."