News Releases

NAPA, Calif. , Feb. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- On January 31st, Rare Champagne proudly participated in the live auction at the 26th annual Naples Winter Wine Festival, held at The Ritz-Carlton Naples, Tiburón, raising more than $30 million in total. This marked the Maison's third consecutive year participating in the event which has raised more than $366 million for children in need since its inception in 2001.

Auction Lot 2, entitled "In the Footsteps of a Queen with Rare Champagne," secured a winning bid of $350,000. The experience includes:

• Six nights in France, immersed in the elegance and heritage of Paris and Champagne.
• Three nights in Paris featuring a private visit to the Palace of Versailles with access to Queen Marie Antoinette's private apartment and a visit to fine jewelry boutique Maison Mellerio, the oldest and last family-owned jewelry house in France.
• Their party will continue to Reims for three nights where guests will receive a VIP vineyard and cellar tour with Rare Champagne's Chef de Cave Émilien Boutillat followed by a special tasting.
• Their party will visit the famous Reims Cathedral and luxuriate in suites at the restored Résidence Eisenhower, including a multi-course wine-paired dinner featuring a vertical tasting of Rare Champagne from the 1985 to 2015 vintages.
• Each couple will then receive magnums of Rare Millésime 2008 and Rare Rosé Millésime 2014, allowing them to relive their luxurious French experience back home.

"At Rare Champagne, we honor the patience of time and the artistry of nature in every bottle. To see our cuvées play a part in the remarkable generosity of the Naples Winter Wine Festival is deeply rewarding. It is a privilege to support an event that celebrates excellence and champions the next generation," said Maud Rabin, Directrice Rare Champagne.

To date, Rare Champagne has raised $1,580,000 for the Naples Winter Wine Festival's charity partners.

Using the funds raised from this year's auction lot from Rare Champagne, NCEF will award grants to local organizations and fund strategic initiatives supporting Collier County children in need on March 16, 2025.

AUCTION LOT DETAILS:

• Linked HERE

IMAGES:

• Linked HERE

FIND RARE CHAMPAGNE:
Visit NobleMerchants.com to discover Rare Champagne Brut and Rosé available for purchase.

ABOUT RARE CHAMPAGNE:
Rare Champagne's noble origins date back to May 6, 1785, when Florens-Louis Heidsieck met Queen Marie Antoinette for the first time: "I wanted a cuvée worthy of a queen!" He wrote. The legend was born 200 years later with the unveiling of the very first Rare Champagne vintage, Rare Millésime 1976, presented at the Château de Versailles, in 1985. Over the past 40 years, Rare Champagne has only released 14 vintages, all in limited series: 1976, 1979, 1985, 1988, 1990, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2006, 2008, 2012, 2013, and Rare Rosé Millésime 2007, 2008, 2012, and 2014. The cellar master is committed to selecting exceptional and unique vintages, showcasing a perfect mastery over nature and an experience born of time and expertise. Rare Champagne is a line into a richly fruity generosity, a touch of elegance rounded by the sensuality of warm, tropical notes with hints of brioche. The house was the first with Piper-Heidsieck and Charles Heidsieck to achieve B Corp Certification in Champagne in 2022; and the House has just successfully renewed it in 2025. They joined the selective B Lab community, a non-profit network founded in 2006.

SOURCE Rare Champagne