SWF Wine Fest featured vintner announced
SPECIAL TO FLORIDA WEEKLY

COURTESY PHOTO Clarke Swanson of Swanson Vineyards & Winery with his pet Harvey.

The Southwest Florida Wine Fest Committee announced that Swanson Vineyards & Winery's Vintner Clarke Swanson, of Naples and Napa Valley, Calif., will be present at this year's Northern Trust Southwest Florida Wine Fest Gala on Saturday night Nov. 10 as a special guest with an array of wines to taste and enjoy.

"We are so pleased to have Clarke Swanson and Swanson Vineyards as part of this 4th Annual Southwest Florida Wine Fest," said Wine Fest Chairman Dr. Steve Machiz. "As we continue to raise the bar on the quality of this event, the addition of the Swansons means so much."

A featured vintner at the Naples Winter Wine Fest, Swanson will be on hand at the Southwest Florida Wine Fest event to discuss his wine production as well as offer the wines for this special tasting, according to Machiz.

One of Swanson's specialties is "Alexis," a Cabernet Sauvignon-based proprietary blend. Swanson is well known internationally as well as locally among wine aficionados. Swanson Vineyards of Oakville in Napa Valley has been featured

in Wine Spectator, Wine & Spirits,

Wine Enthusiast, and other publications in addition to their unique tasting salon and products that have been reviewed

in Town and Country Magazine, Bon

Appetit, In Style and many other international magazines and lifestyle news media.

The Northern Trust Southwest Florida Wine Fest Gala will be hosted at the Bonita Bay Club on Saturday night, Nov. 10, with Chef Vintner Dinners hosted in private homes throughout Lee and Collier counties on Friday, Nov. 9.

Tickets for the Chef Vintner Dinners are limited, and no more than 500 tickets will be available for the Saturday night Wine Fest Gala.

This fundraising event will benefit The Children's Hospital of Southwest Florida and Child and Teen Programs at Hope Hospice.

For tickets or more information on Wine Fest, please go to http://www. SouthwestFloridaWineFest.org, or call the Rotary Office at 239-332-8158