Super Tuscan comes to Naples

Naples is buzzing with news that Marchese Piero Antinori, the man credited with propelling Super Tuscan wines to the forefront of Italian winemaking, will be the featured vintner for the 2015 Naples Winter Wine Festival.

Tickets to the event, which cost $8,500 per couple, draw vintners from all over the world. The list of vintners attending the event at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort in Naples in late January includes Paul Pontallier of Chateau Margaux, Olivier Krug of Krug Champagne and Tim Mondavi of Continuum in Napa Valley, Calif.

The festival's over-the-top auction lots such as racecars and exotic vacations draw bidders who spend lavishly, raising money for children's charities in Collier County. In 2014, the festival raised $13.5 million, a 59% increase over 2013.