CureDuchenne’s Second Annual “Napa in Miami” Wine Tasting and Auction Raises More Than $1.2 Million to Help Find a Cure for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy 

Premier Wine Series Brought Together Acclaimed Napa Valley Vintners Under One Roof in Miami 

to Benefit Global Nonprofit CureDuchenne 

NEWPORT BEACH Calif., March 10, 2023 – CureDuchenne, a global nonprofit committed to finding and funding a cure for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and Event Chair Susan Finazzo hosted the second annual “Napa in Miami” Wine Tasting and Auction on March 4 at The Ritz-Carlton, South Beach. The event raised over $1.2 million to help find and fund a cure for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The premiere wine event brought 20 of the most acclaimed Napa Valley vintners together under one roof to serve their finest vintages and offer their best wine experiences to Miami’s top business leaders, influencers, entrepreneurs, philanthropists and wine connoisseurs. 

Napa in Miami featured a Grand Tasting, vintner-hosted dining tables, an exquisite dinner and spectacular auction lots – all to benefit CureDuchenne. Guests enjoyed handcrafted luxury wines made by the top producers of Napa Valley, one of the most desirable wine-growing regions in the world. These wines are only offered exclusively through the winery’s limited allocation lists, making it a rare treat to taste so many of these wines together in one evening. 

In two short years, Napa in Miami has raised over $2 million to help find and fund a cure for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Duchenne muscular dystrophy is a degenerative neuromuscular disease that is 100% fatal. It is the most common and severe form of muscular dystrophy, mainly found in young boys, affecting 300,000 children worldwide. 

“We are so pleased with the turnout of our second annual Napa in Miami and moved by the support of the Miami community to help us save a generation of children facing Duchenne muscular dystrophy,” said CureDuchenne Founder and CEO Debra Miller. “We’ve made tremendous progress in research toward a cure, and every dollar makes a difference.” 

In 2020, Chris and Susan Finazzo discovered that both of their sons, Chase, age 8, and Dylan, age 5, were in the earliest stages of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. They were devastated but knew they must start advocating for the boys to get the best care and to help find a cure. After being connected with CureDuchenne, together they manifested the idea of “Napa in Miami” to try and save their boys and the nearly 300,000 children and young adults living with the disease around the world. 

“We were devastated the day we found out both our sons were diagnosed with Duchenne. As a parent, you can’t help but wonder if they’ll have enough time to fall in love, to get married or ever get the joy of being a parent themselves,” said Napa in Miami Chair Susan Finazzo.” But CureDuchenne has given us hope. CureDuchenne is on the forefront of the most promising research and with the help of fundraisers like Napa in Miami, we are that much closer to a cure.” 

Founded 20 years ago by parents of a son living with Duchenne, CureDuchenne employs an innovative venture philanthropy model to fund groundbreaking research for a cure and support programs for those living with the disease, while advocating for early diagnosis and better access to treatments. To date, the organization has funded 17 research projects that have advanced to human clinical trials and invested $25 million in research projects. For more information, please visit cureduchenne.org. 

For more information about the Napa Wine Series, please visit thenapawineseries.com. 

About CureDuchenne Twenty years ago, CureDuchenne was created with one goal: to find and fund a cure for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, the leading genetic killer of young boys. Today, CureDuchenne is recognized as a global leader in research, patient care, and innovation for improving and extending the lives of those with Duchenne. CureDuchenne’s innovative venture philanthropy model has advanced transformative treatments for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, including 17 projects that advanced to human clinical trials and multiple projects to overcome the limitations of exon-skipping and gene therapy. In addition, CureDuchenne contributed early funding to the first FDA-approved Duchenne drug, pioneered the first and only Duchenne physical and occupational therapist certification program and created an innovative biobank and data registry, accelerating research toward a cure. For more information on how to help raise awareness and funds needed for research, please visit cureduchenne.org. 

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