All photos by Laine Doss

People enjoying some music and wine at the Downtown Miami Wine and Food Festival.

​The clouds overhead threatened rain for a while, but drops never materialized as thousands of people ate, drank, and danced at the first annual Downtown Miami Wine and Food Festival, held yesterday at Brickell's Central Park Miami space.

Local Miami restaurants offered food in exchange for tickets ($10 worth of food tickets were included with admission and more were available for purchase) -- most charging reasonable rates for small plates of  ceviche, sliders, paella, sashimi, and more (The Oceanaire's tuna ceviche, for example, was only $2).
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Drink wine until the sun goes down at the Downtown Miami Wine and Food Festival.

​The first annual Downtown Miami Wine and Food Festival is this Sunday, January 22nd, and event promoters are keeping it as local as they can.

The festival starts at 1 p.m. at Brickell's Central Park Miami. VIP ticket holders will enjoy an additional hour of tastings at noon.  The event features wine tastings (available until 4 p.m.), cooking demonstrations by Johnson and Wales University faculty members and live musical performances by Performance Arts Exchange.
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All photos by Laine Doss

Schnebly's figured out what to do with all those darned lychees.

​When you come to think about it, a Saturday afternoon in Miami consists of the same few choices. But how many times can you either meet your friends for lunch or worship the sun by beach or pool?

If you're looking for something a little different, might we suggest heading down south to Homestead for a little wine and beer tasting at Schnebly Redland's Winery and Brewery?
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Gulfstream via Facebook

There is only one place you'll be able to enjoy a little vino, a little food, and a thoroughbred or three. Gulftstream Park and The Village at Gulfstream Park are hosting Wine Walk for Retired Thoroughbreds tomorrow, beginning at 6 p.m. ​Says David Joseph, Wine Walk rep, "We're hoping to make this an annual event." Why not?

At $10 bucks a pop (kids are welcome and free!) anyone can enjoy the charitable festivities. Guests are invited to sample from five different wine tasting stations and seven food areas peppered throughout the Village in Hallandale.
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Jennifer pours sparkling wines at Total Wine in North Miami.

​You have the turkey, the stuffing, cranberry sauce and sweet potatoes -- but what about the wine? Consider this a break-down of tasty selections that will please your picky friends and that will satisfy those who only indulge on special occasions, like this Thursday.

The Bubbly

Conde de Caralt, Cava Brut NV, Spain, $8.99

This Spanish gem boasts flavors of green apple with a finishing touch of very light sweetness. If sparkling isn't your thing, add a splash of orange juice to create a mimosa, but this unique and medium-bodied flavor is best left unmasked; salud to its amicable bubbly personality.

Mailly, Brut Reserve, Grand Cru, Champagne, France, $34.99

Who says real champagne has to dent your paycheck? You'll be the star of the night when you introduce this elegant Grand Cru to your guests. Wine Spectator, which gave it 89 points, says, " A broad attack signals red berry, honey and underlying citrus flavors, then gathers itself with firm acidity and a chalky texture. This finishes on the dry side, with a lingering honey accent."
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Photo by Marguerite Gil

Beaujolais gets a kiss from Tara Salomon.

​There aren't too many wines that come in roaring like a lion each year, but Beaujolais Nouveau fits that description perfectly.

According to French law, Beaujolais Nouveau, a red wine made from 100 percent Gamay grapes, is released one minute past midnight the third Thursday in November each year. That was yesterday. This longtime tradition is celebrated worldwide with a hyped-up promotional cry of "Le Beaujolais Nouveau est arrive!"

In years past, thousands of cases of the fruity, fun wine have come to the States in planes, helicopters, ships, and -- who knows? -- maybe this year some clever publicist will have the bottles make an entrance in Lady Gaga's red-carpet Grammy egg. Any gimmick is worthy if it gets some good press.
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All photos by Laine Doss

Kork's wine cellar offers a hideaway from the world.

​Walking out of the blinding sun into Kork in downtown Miami is a little like walking into a teleportation device. Suddenly, you've been transported into a 1920s speakeasy in Chicago or New Orleans. Guy, the barkeep, welcomes you to pull up an ebony bar stool or hide out in the downstairs wine cellar, as the strains of jazz waft into your soul.

General manager Maria Munoz-Bastos tells Short Order that Kork's goal is to become a local hangout. The wine lounge-speakeasy plans to have more than 500 different wines when all their shipments have been delivered. Right now, they're at 200 to 300 different bottles -- enough to make exploration worthwhile.
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Lieb Family Cellars

Lieb Family Cellars 9/11 Memorial Wine: Would you buy it?

​When the World Trade Center was hit by terrorist attacks, I was living in New York City. I remember the horror and mass confusion of that beautiful summer morning that turned so terribly wrong.

Like so many others, I had friends and colleagues who perished that day (and some who, luckily, missed their train or were otherwise spared by fate or intuition). Living across the East River from the Twin Towers, I witnessed the burning, smoking rubble firsthand for days afterward. Like the rest of us, I volunteered, attended vigils, cried, and basically felt pretty helpless.

When I saw the first souvenir of that day, I was livid. It was wrong on so many levels to sell baseball caps and coffee mugs that commemorated September 11th. And though I suspect there a lot of people who made money selling American flag lapel pins and New York Fire Department T-shirts, at least they didn't say, "I survived 9/11."

The tenth anniversary of September 11th is upon us, and with time comes healing. For most of us, 9/11 is no longer an open wound, though the scars remain, even after a decade.

With the imminent opening of the 9/11 Memorial and the anniversary, I expected an onslaught of media attention where the burning, the chaos, and the death are all replayed over and over again. What I didn't expect was wine.
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All photos by Laine Doss

Barry Alberts and Maribel Mazariegos toast to one of the longest running wine tastings.

​Every Friday evening for almost 20 years, wine educator Barry Alberts has been hosting a weekly wine tasting series, making it one of the longest ongoing wine tastings in the country. Is this weekly gathering of wine and the people who love it in Napa? Paris? New York? Nah, it's in Coconut Grove!

Every Friday, Panorama Restaurant and Sky Lounge, on the eighth floor of the Sonesta Bayfront Hotel Coconut Grove, hosts Albert's weekly wine tasting. Starting at 7 p.m., wine lovers will enjoy a tasting of ten different wines and complimentary fruit and cheese, while Alberts explains each pour.

Each week boasts a different theme, which could be based on grape type, region, or country of origin. Last week's Wines of Chile featured ten wines, ranging from delicate Sauvignon Blancs to a rich Carmenere.
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It's wine time at Capital Grille

​The Capital Grille's Generous Pour promotion, which runs through September 4th, offers patrons the opportunity to sample up to nine wines picked by master sommelier, George Miliotes, especially for the event They include the Tarima Hill Monastrell, which is only available at Capital Grille restaurants before its September, 2011 release to the public.

For $25, Capital Grille guests can choose to sample the entire nine-wine flight or can pick out a few for a larger pour of each. The value is in the choice of wines, which include wines that retail up to $200 a bottle. The key is the generous pour aspect, meaning that guests can feel free to ask for an additional tasting or pour at no additional charge.

The wines are perfect foils for Capital Grille's porterhouses and sirloins, but there are a few whites and lighter reds that pair well with the restaurant's seafood selections, as well.

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