A jam-packed wine week ahead...
How much fine wine can you handle, Miami?
Five minutes ago, I started to write a list of all the Miami wine-related things that I’d need to include in this newsletter. As the list grew longer, it occurred to me that I should send this more than once every six weeks. With that, we’ll skip a long intro and get straight to it…
Thursday: Vinous team x Wine Talks Miami
First, I am obviously quite excited to welcome four world-leading critics to the Wine Talks Miami stage at Lafayette in Brickell on Thursday (ahead of Vinous Icons - see below.)
I first met Antonio Galloni in 2018 (during my London days), when I interviewed him for two Liv-ex articles. When I heard that he’d be in Miami with his team for Vinous Icons, I couldn’t resist suggesting a WTM collaboration. Happily, he enthusiastically agreed. This will be a fascinating and fun opportunity to dive into topics around wine criticism, communication, and fine wine trends around the world with some of the most influential voices in our industry.
Although this is currently full, the Lafayette team very kindly played tetris with the room layout to maximize space, and with diaries changing, I expect spaces to open up over the coming days. Join the wait list if you’d like to come, and we’ll likely be able to accommodate you.
Friday & Saturday: Vinous Icons
As mentioned, the Vinous team is in town for two days of tastings (masterclasses & walkaround) with a stellar line-up of fine wine producers. This will take place on Friday 22nd & Saturday 23rd Nov on Jungle Island. If you have friends/customers who may be enthusiastic about attending, feel free to share the code MIAMIFRIENDS. This will make walk-around tickets half-price when two or more are purchased. If you have questions, the Vinous team will be best placed to help you out - events@vinous.com!
And FYI for those of you who are as nerdy as I am, producers will be showing different wines each day. More details on that here. So you know where I’ll be all weekend…
All week: Even more wine events…
When big events like this come to town, they bring a lot of great producers, many of whom take the opportunity to host other tastings around the city. This seems to be keeping Bernardo & Ana at Vinonueva busy. This week, they are hosting Grattamacco, Sierra Cantabria & Teso la Monja, Poderi Luigi Einaudi, and Chateau Calon Segur on consecutive evenings. Ticket info here.
Vinoteca is hosting ColleMassari, (ColleMassari, Grattamacco & Tenuta San Giorgio) on Wednesday. Vinya has Christophe Baron (Bionic Wines) in for a dinner on Tuesday. Maison Mura has a Lokoya & Cardinale vertical dinner on Thursday, and Cheval des Andes tasting on Friday…
Next week, Stefano at Wine by the Bay is hosting a tasting of back vintages (mostly 80s & 90s) from producers you’ll have met at the Vinous event - see here for info.
Phew…
Wine Finds: A little refreshment
After a big wine tasting, most people reach for a beer. I can’t stand beer. (Too much of it when I was younger, probably). With this week’s big tastings in mind, my thoughts are towards easy-drinking bubbles and rosé. On Friday, I was happy to see Domaine Serol’s Gamay Pet Nat at Magie. This fruity, pink, low-alcohol (10%) sparkling is smiles in a glass: A go-to for poolside, bbq, or end of the night drinking, even if I should be switching to water. It’s also in Vinonueva, where you can pick it up for $25.
My friend Christian Crews (of the eponymous Crews Wine, a boutique import company) introduced me to Crush by Leo & Niné last week. This Grenache-based rosé from the foothills of the Pyrenees could be easily mistaken for a bottle from Provence - dry, elegant, red-fruited - but with a bit more fruit concentration at the price point. It’s $19 at Brix in Wynwood.
Special private events
A final highlight of the month has been the opportunity to work with some amazing clients on wine tasting events. These have been made even the more special by the great wine choices that we’ve worked on together. I have learned quite quickly that Tignanello is a kind of a massive hit, and it’s also been fun to work with several great wines from around the world - The Mascot (Harlan Estate), Napanook (Dominus), Vina Tondonia (Lopez de Heredia), Angelus… to name a few. If you’re interested in running an event like this for your clients (or lucky friends!) please reach out!
Hope to see as many of you as possible over the coming weeks!
Sarah