ORLANDO – The Orlando Wine Festival and Auction benefiting the Orlando Magic Youth Foundation (OMYF) will take place on Saturday, March 2, 2024 at the Four Seasons Resort Orlando*. The annual event raises funds to assist at-risk youth in Central Florida. Since the debut year in 2019, the Orlando Wine Festival & Auction has raised more than $2 million for the Magic’s foundation (the event wasn’t held in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic).
The Magic’s signature fundraiser for the OMYF includes vintner dinners, a wine festival, live and e-auctions (open Feb. 25 – Mar. 4) and culminates with an Orlando Magic game on March 3 vs. the Detroit Pistons. The outdoor festival will feature live music, live auction displays, local and celebrity chefs, wineries, and food pavilions, along with Magic players, coaches and legends.
Wineries attending include: Knights Bridge Winery (featured winery); Adobe Road Winery, Archery Summit Winery, Banfi, Brewer-Clifton, Bricoleur Vineyards, Caymus, Chateau Palmer, Cliff Lede Winery, Clos Solene Winery, Constellation Brands, Delicato, Duckhorn, Enriquez Estate Wines, Fulldraw Vineyard, Heitz Cellar
Hope Family Wines, Jackson Family Wines, Kobrand, Maze Row, Michael David Winery, Moet Hennessey, Opici Wines, Pahlmeyer, Palm Bay, Peter Michael Winery, Rudd Estate, Santa Margherita USA, The Estates Group, TOR, VGS Chateau Potelle, Vintus Wines, and Vokel Cellars.
The featured sommelier for the wine festival will be Orlando’s own, Master Sommelier George Miliotes, owner and operator of Wine Bar George located at The Landing in Disney Springs.
Chefs/restaurants featured include: Chef Malyna Si, Capa (featured chef); Chef Rick Bayless, Frontera Cocina Mexicana; Chef Ray Cominsky, Seasons 52; Chef Fabrizio, Four Seasons; Chef Matthew Gallagher, Yard House; Chef Scott Hunnel, Disney Culinary Director; Chef Michael LaDuke, Eddie V’s and The Capital Grille; Chef Lordfer Lalicon, Kaya; Chef Jamie McFadden, Cuisiniers; Chef Brandon McGlamery, Prato; Chef Greg Richie, SoCo; Chef Renauld Washington, Hawkers
In addition, that evening, the DeVos Community Enrichment Award winner will be announced following the auction at the dinner. The award honors a Magic player who has dedicated his efforts off the court for the purpose of enhancing other’s lives. The player will be granted $20,000 from the DeVos Family Foundation to be donated to the charity of his choice.
The Orlando Magic and the DeVos family are committed to making a difference in Central Florida. Each year, the Magic gives more than $2 million to Central Florida by way of sponsorships of events, donated tickets, autographed merchandise and grants. At the heart of the Magic’s charitable efforts is the work done by the Orlando Magic Youth Foundation.
The OMYF is committed to helping children in Central Florida realize their full potential, especially those most at-risk, by supporting nonprofit organizations offering youth-based programs in the areas of education, housing/homelessness, the arts and health and wellness programs.
Over the last 34 years more than $29 million has been distributed to local nonprofit community organizations through the Orlando Magic Youth Foundation. The OMYF raises community dollars annually through donations, auctions and events such as the OMYF Open Golf Tournament and its signature fundraiser, the Orlando Wine Festival and Auction.
In August 2023, the OMYF announced $1 million in grants would be distributed through the OMYF in three ways – a summer grant cycle, a winter grant cycle and microgrants. Thus far, the summer grant cycle and the first set of microgrants have been announced (microgrants are distributed quarterly). The winter grant cycle will be announced at the end of February. This marks the 16th time the OMYF has distributed $1 million to the Central Florida community since OMYF’s inception in 1990.
For more information on the OMYF, please visit www.omyf.org; and for more information on the Orlando Wine Festival and Auction, please visit wine.omyf.org.
