Hello, again.

A quiet return after a little time away

Greetings wine loving friends!

It’s been a minute. I started this newsletter five years ago, back in September 2019 (!) I’d recently won Jancis Robinson’s wine writing competition for an article about Miami’s wine world, and felt inspired to keep the ball rolling. You can find that first newsletter here.

Given how much has happened – and changed – since then, that feels like a lifetime ago. I (mostly) took a break from writing over the past year, but this five-year anniversary feels like a good time to make a quiet comeback. In this updated newsletter, you can expect to find tales from the world of wine – in Miami, and beyond – as well as updates on events and openings that I am excited about.

My article for Meininger’s earlier this year explored broad trends in the Florida wine market, which has gone through an exciting couple of years. In a recent Wine Talks Miami event, expert panelists discussed whether the boom is sustainable, with consensus on the side of cautious optimism. As this newsletter progresses, I plan to share news & updates of a similar nature from this corner of the world.

I also recently launched my new website, which better explains what I do with my time as a ‘freelance wine person’, as some friends say…

For now, I’m simply sharing a two events that are taking place in Miami’s wine world this week. Please stay tuned for more!

And if you’d like to chat anything Miami & wine, you know where to find me: sarah@winebysarah.net.

Sarah x

Tuesday: Vinya wine bar takeover

First, Tuesday. Allegra has bravely invited me to Vinya Table (Coral Gables) for a wine bar takeover. I’ll be pouring wines from the Crescendo Wines portfolio, an import book by my friend Nick Jackson MW that I’ve been working with in Miami for the past two years. We’ll have some tasty wines from across Europe - Portugal, Italy, Germany, Burgundy… and one surprise wine that is nearly as old as I am.

Also, after reading the event description for the first time about ten minutes ago, I learned that I’m actually being put to work… (“For this month's wine bar takeover, we've called on our friend, Sarah Phillips McCartan, a Miami-based wine writer and educator, to hang with us and work the floor - shh!”)

Come keep me busy! No booking needed (unless you’d like to reserve a table - info here).

Thursday: Wine & Waves @ Ruka

After a bit of a break, Leandro and I are bringing back wine tasting nights in the Ruka garden, kicking off with WINE + WAVES this Thursday. I’ll be talking all things oceanic wines - from Atlantic Alvarinho to Pacific Pinot - as we tour three seas to explore the influence of the ocean on wine styles. 

These zippy fresh wines will also be perfect for pairing with sushi from Ruka’s new resident, Sushi Mia, who will have bites available for purchase (and I’m sure some samples will find their to our tables…), and DJ Franco Balastegui will take over when I finish talking all things wine.

Tickets are here and I’d love to see you there!