Second Center for the Arts Wine Tasting and Auction Twice as Nice as the First

His mission was clear. Scott Gilbert was being charged with taking a hugely successful inaugural event and making it even better. Turns out he was up for the challenge, as a large crowd mingled carefree between two huge tents set up in the Marco Island Center for the Art’s large parking lot Thursday night, March 31.

The dress code for the second annual Wine Tasting and Auction was informal, a perfect call as temperatures barely got below 80 over the course of the evening. Definitely not black-tie affair weather.

The west tent hosted the culinary team from Carvelli Restaurant Group and three high end wineries from Tuscany and the Napa Valley, along with a number of silent auction items. The east tent was filled with round tables arranged comfortably for the attendees to enjoy an exciting live auction.

"My promise to the Art Center was that it was going to be bigger and better,” said Scott Gilbert, chairman of the event. "I think that came about. We had a bigger venue, we had a bigger turnout, we had a bigger donation and silent auction and live auction. I think the results will be bigger as well.”

Hyla Crane, Executive Director of the Marco Island Center for the Arts, was pleased with the way the evening was unfolding.

"It was wonderful last year,” Hyla Crane recalled, "but we’re not in the middle of a pandemic anymore. We have almost double the number of people, that’s why we've expanded the tents. We probably have double the amount of live auction items. The wines that are up for auction are rare collectibles. They are coming out of people’s personal collections. They are one of a kind, they are unique. Some of them are priceless. So, if you’re a wine enthusiast this is the place to be. Of course, we have people who are here just to support the Marco Island Center for the Arts. We are so blessed to see our community turn out. To see the arts are important and they matter. That they’re not just nice, they’re necessary. We are excited to see this group support children and youth in our arts initiatives."

Crane couldn’t be prouder of the success of the Wine Tasting and Auction, an event that looks like it could become a regular part of the Marco Island winter calendar.

“This event has been the brainchild of Scott Gilbert, Jolee Farro and Linda and Bill Lee,” Crane said. "They put together a wonderful team to work with them this year. The goal was to make it bigger, better, brighter, bolder. We have three distinguished vineyards with us this year. There are wonderful wines that people can sample and buy. The food is by the remarkable Carvelli Restaurant Group, representing all four of their restaurants: Snook Inn, Marco Prime, Davinci’s and the Oyster Society."

Ada Sguazzo said she flew in from Tuscany just for the show. She is part of a woman-owned winery in Tuscany.

“We are in Bolgheri, in Tuscany,” Ada Sguazzo said, "in a famous and blessed land that has hills, bush, and sea. We are lucky to have such a beautiful temperature. And the soil that allows the cabernet sauvignon, the cabernet franc, the merlot to grow perfectly in Tuscany. We are a very young winery. We started in 2015. This is a winery driven by women. We are five females. We stick together as a family.”

Stu Lerner was in town from Napa Valley. His Lerner Project winery is located in Diamond Mountain in Napa, California. Lerner is also an avid wine collector.

"We produce very small lots of high-end cabernet and Bordeaux-style wines,” Stu Lerner said. "I’ve been collecting wine since the early 1980s. I’m not sure if it’s a sickness or a hobby. I have a 10,000-bottle wine collection. I came in just for this show. Scott Gilbert is a customer of ours and he’s the chairman of this event. He asked if we’d come out and pour our wine. The energy here is just fantastic. Everybody is here to support the Art Center. The weather is beautiful. It’s nice having everybody together. We have a lot of clients in the Naples area. A lot of them are big collectors. They’re always looking for a new boutique wine that they haven’t been able to try. We kind of cater to those types of people who are looking for something different that will blow their minds.”

Chris Zazo is the founder of Hailstone Vineyards, out of Napa, California. His original business was as a hailstone restoration contractor in Dallas.

"I started the winery 10 years ago on a whim,” Chris Zazo said. "I was a big food and wine guy over the years. I finally decided to jump in the game 10 years ago. I exited my business in Dallas. We produce five wines. All our wine names have to do with weather or hail.”

Gilbert looks at the Wine Tasting and Auction as his way of giving back to the community.

“I look at this as my community support kind of thing,” Gilbert said. "I think it’s a good cause, for sure. This is my part to try to give back to where I live. Giving back to the community. This is a good cause, our Art Center. Arts are important in our lives. It’s a vital part of our community. Hyla made a great plea for the kids and the children’s programs that the Art Center is doing. I think that’s very important.”

Gilbert feels the event was successful and sees it continuing - and growing.

"I think it went very well,” Gilbert said. "The attendance was very good. We had a good response. The live auction was very vibrant. I hope that people had a good time. It’s two years old and compared to the first time we did this a year ago, I think it is growing. A third annual wine tasting and auction will inevitably happen. And I hope that will be bigger and better."

Jim Richards, president of the board of directors at Marco Island Center for the Arts, gives the event his seal of approval.

 “It’s a fabulous event,” Jim Richards said. "It’s all about fundraising for art and for children. The turnout is great, everything fits perfectly and everybody’s having a great time."