Aperture Cellars’ founder and the Festival’s featured winemaker, Jesse Katz helped raise $720,000 through two Extraordinary Auction Experiences Merging Wine, Luxury Travel, and Purpose
February 3, 2026 (Naples, FL) — The 26th annual Naples Winter Wine Festival (NWWF) “Picture This” culminated this weekend following an exhilarating live auction, raising over $30 million to benefit the most vulnerable children in Collier County. This incredible support brings the total amount raised by the NWWF to more than $366 million since its inception in 2001. Aperture Cellars founder and first-generation winemaker Jesse Katz, who served as the festival’s featured winemaker this year, played a significant role contributing to two exclusive live auction lots that together raised $720,000 in support of the Naples Children Foundation (NCF). One of the world’s most prestigious charity wine events, the Festival unites celebrated vintners, culinary leaders, and philanthropists to benefit vulnerable children across Collier County.
Festival attendees once again came together under the big tent just outside The Ritz-Carlton Naples, Tiburón to bid on 51 unique, one-of-a-kind wine, travel and culinary live auction lots, many of which included wines from some of the world’s most revered vineyards. All proceeds will support some of the most effective nonprofit organizations in the local community that have provided 385,000 children with the significant services and resources they need to excel.
Among the live auction offerings was Sonoma’s Finest with Aperture and Chef Valette, Colorado High-Life with Cuvée Luxury Villas, a dual-destination, nine-day immersion which will be centered around Aperture Cellars and the personal hospitality of Jesse Katz. The journey will begin with five nights in Beaver Creek, Colorado, including roundtrip private air travel from Naples, Florida to Eagle, Colorado, and accommodations in Cuvée Luxury Villas’ West Wing Penthouse atop The Ritz-Carlton, Bachelor Gulch. Spanning nearly 4,500 square feet across two floors, the penthouse will offer three king bedrooms with ensuites and an additional bedroom with two twin beds, an expansive kitchen, a private wine cave, ski-in
ski-out access, and panoramic views of Beaver Creek’s peaks and valleys. The Colorado stay will include welcome refreshments, a private multi-course in-residence dinner prepared by a Cuvée chef and paired with Aperture Cellars wines, season-based activities such as a private guided fly-fishing experience with chef-prepared bites in summer or Cuvée après and signature cocktails by the fire in winter, full access to The Ritz-Carlton, Bachelor Gulch amenities, personalized concierge service from an onsite Cuvée Curator, and three sets of custom Meier Skis, handcrafted in Colorado. From there, the winner will travel to Sonoma, California to experience the depth of its winemaking and culinary excellence. This portion of the lot will include a private blending session, VIP tasting, and vineyard lunch at the Aperture Estate in Healdsburg hosted by Katz, alongside an immersive culinary journey curated by Chef Dustin Valette, who served as the festival’s Chef de Cuisine. Guests will also enjoy a guided farmers market tour, hands-on cooking class, and private dinners at Valette and The Matheson. The lot will also showcase private tastings at Vérité and Stonestreet, a round of golf at Mayacama Golf Club, and a collection of personalized keepsakes and award-winning Aperture wines. The Sonoma Experience raised $400,000, with all proceeds benefiting the Naples Children Foundation and its mission to fund life-changing education, healthcare, and social service programs for children in need.
In addition, Katz was also featured in a second live auction offering, Magic in Music City, which will celebrate the intersection of fine wine, travel, and music in Nashville, Tennessee. The two-night exclusive experience for four couples will include four 1.5-liter bottles of 2021 The Setting Wines Rockpile Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon, roundtrip private air travel from Naples, Florida to Nashville aboard a Northern Jet Bombardier Challenger 300 or 350, luxury hotel accommodations, and private ground transfers. The lot will also feature a private multi-course dinner at the home of The Setting Wines proprietor Noah McMahon, prepared by acclaimed Nashville chef Selim Ülker and paired with an exceptional lineup of wines, followed by an intimate acoustic performance by multi-platinum recording artist Mat Kearney. Guests will also enjoy a multi-course tasting menu with select wine pairings at Yolan, further highlighting the region’s celebrated culinary scene. The Magic in Music City lot raised $320,000, and when combined with Sonoma’s Finest with Aperture and Chef Valette, Colorado High-Life with Cuvée Luxury Villas lot proceeds, realized a total of $720,000 during the festival’s live auction.
“Being part of the Naples Winter Wine Festival is incredibly meaningful, not only because of the caliber of vintners, chefs, and supporters involved, but because of the tangible impact the
funds raised have on children and families,” said Jesse Katz, founder of Aperture Cellars. “It is an honor to share these experiences and contribute to a cause that truly changes lives.”
Festival attendees also generously participated in a heart-felt call to action with on-the-spot donations supporting this year’s Fund a Need, “The Picture of Health.” These contributions totaled more than $7 million to support the Naples Children Foundation’s (NCF’s) healthcare initiatives for children, specifically addressing critical gaps in access to mental health, oral health, vision and primary healthcare services.
On Friday, Festival attendees got the opportunity to witness first-hand the life-changing impact of the NWWF during the annual “Meet the Kids Day.” The morning culminated in heartfelt presentations showcasing remarkable success stories that NCF’s grants have made possible, followed by a delicious luncheon highlighting fabulous wines presented by acclaimed vintners.
The night before Saturday’s Live Auction, 18 all-star celebrity chefs, 21 world-renowned vintners and 17 of the world’s elite featured sommeliers paired off to prepare exquisite, intimate dinners at the elegant, private homes of Festival Trustees and other exclusive locations across Naples. On Friday, Jesse Katz and Chef Dustin Valette teamed up on a special Vintner Dinner, “Picture The Future”.
Although this weekend marked the final days of the 2026 NWWF, Festival enthusiasts still have the opportunity to bid for a number of remarkable auction lot items through the 12th annual NWWF online auction as well as to donate to the Fund a Need at nwwfonlineauction.com.
Using the funds raised from this year’s auction, NCF will award grants to nonprofit organizations and fund strategic initiatives supporting Collier County children in need on March 16, 2026.
For more information, please contact Sarah Gargano at sarah@sarahgargano.com.
ABOUT APERTURE CELLARS
Aperture Cellars, founded in 2009 by first-generation winemaker Jesse Katz, is dedicated to crafting a range of expressive, world-class Bordeaux-style wines from Sonoma County’s premier cool-climate vineyard sites. Working with over 200 vineyard acres, including the Aperture Estate, located in Healdsburg, California, and home to a 24,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art winery and a 4,000 sq. ft. hospitality space with art gallery, Aperture serves as an incubator for artistic and vinous expression.
Rooted in his early adventures to legendary vineyards and wineries around the world with his father, celebrated photographer Andy Katz, Jesse cultivated an enviable international wine education and was inspired by the terroir, balance, and creativity of wine making that has set him on a path he has pursued ever since. Each wine label features an original Andy Katz photograph demonstrating every Aperture wine as an expression of art both inside and out. With inspiration driven from the physical aperture of a camera, an ode to Jesse’s father, the estate’s buildings showcase dramatic angles, clean lines and a focus on natural light. The estate translates the global experience and vision of father and son into architecture.
Aperture meticulously oversees every aspect of farming across their Sonoma County properties, including their winery estate in Healdsburg’s Russian River Valley appellation and their Alexander Valley estate property of Farrow Ranch. The winery has set numerous records from consumers and wine critics, earning dozens of 100-point scores, including the first perfect score ever for Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec in the Alexander Valley appellation. In addition to hosting daily wine tasting experiences (by appointment), Aperture Estate is available to host custom events and private experiences. For more information, please visit https://aperture-cellars.com.
