Food Network South Beach Wine and Food Festival 2009

In a down economy one might have expected the crowds to be noticeably reduced at this year's Food Network South Beach Wine and Food Festival presented by Food and Wine, but this was not what we experienced at all. The crowds on the beach felt just as thick as before. What we did notice however, and which was later confirmed, was that corporate sponsorship was in fact reduced. A number of the usual gimmicks that they have had in past years, like having your own chauffeur-driven Hummer to take you around South Beach, was not there, the street signage from the other parts of the city leading up to the event was noticeably less.

Held last week from Feb 19th to 22nd, this is the 8th year of the event, and as usual it was chock-full of exciting wine and food events and tastings. I always get calls and emails from Jamaicans going to the festival for the first time asking me what events to attend. My standard answer is "It depends"; it depends if you are more into food or more into wine, it also depends on how long you are planning to stay at the event, it depends on if you came just to get drunk or if you actually want to learn something.

For the foodies, practically all the celebrity chefs from Food Network and also from Food and Wine magazine were on hand hosting dinners, tastings, interactive cooking lunches, demonstrations and much more. Rachael Ray hosted the Amstel Light Burger Bash which kicks off the festival on Thursday night.

Spanish Royalty and the 'F-word'

Lightning in a Bottle: How to Create and Sustain a Hit Restaurant seminar. The panellists (from left): Scott Conant, chef/owner Scarpetta restaurants in New York City and Miami Beach; Gail Simmons, Food and Wine Magazine; Kate Krader, restaurant editor, Food and Wine; Pavia Rosati, executive editor, DailyCandy - panel moderator; and Becca Parrish, founder, Becca PR.

The King and Queen of Spain left Jamaica and headed directly to Florida for the South Beach Wine Festival. They were guests on Thursday night at a fantastic US$1000 per plate dinner which took place at the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables where a collection of Spain's greatest chefs gathered in an unparalleled show of Iberian haute cuisine paired with some of Spain's finest wines. The evening was emceed by Mario Batali, co-author of Spain . . . A Culinary Road Trip (Ecco 2008) and co-host of Spain . . . on the road again with Gwyneth Paltrow, which airs through American Public Television on PBS stations nationwide. The buzz the next day was that the emcee got a little impatient when his guests would not be quiet so he used the F-word and asked the audience if he could have "10 seconds of your time". Batali dropped the F-bomb again while introducing chef Jose Andres. The Miami Herald reported that those seated near the royal couple said the queen blanched. Gloria Estefan chortled. And Andres kept his cool.

Friday's events began with the Spanish Royal couple going to the beach to do the official ribbon cutting for the Wines from Spain pavilion. Down the road at the convention centre a very popular seminar called "Taste Wine like a Master Sommelier" got underway; in this seminar you learned the secrets of those who taste wines for a living. Industry experts rely on the "double blind tasting" to truly judge a sample without regard to its origin, price tag or fancy label. Another seminar at this location offered a once-in-a-lifetime tasting of one of the world's most sought-after cult wines, "Screaming Eagle". Screaming Eagle came flying out of the gate with the first vintage in 1992. James Laube of Wine Spectator singled out this Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon as "the wine of the vintage" and Robert Parker called the wine "exceptionally impressive" and awarded 99 points. The 1999 was my favourite.

Members of the trade, including industry professionals representing local wine and spirits merchants, restaurants, hotels and nightclubs were specially invited to the "Wine Spectator Trade Tasting" which is the first day that the Tasting village is open, and what a great day it was with much smaller crowds than Saturday and Sunday. An interesting seminar was held at the tasting village called "Lightning in a Bottle: How to Create and Sustain a Hit Restaurant". A panel of chefs and media personnel discussed what it takes to make a restaurant a hit - and keep it going. How do you create buzz from pre-opening?

Taste Wine Like a Master Sommelier Seminar An expert panel of master sommeliers consisting of Eric Hemer (top) of Southern Wine & Spirits of Florida and Laura DePasquale of Palm Bay Imports.
And how do you sustain it five years in? How much does success depend on tangibles (location, food, service) and how much is about intangibles (reviews, bloggers)?

In the night is when the fun and sophistication get to the next level with the Perrier-Jouët BubbleQ hosted by Tom Colicchio & Friends and the Fontainebleau Miami Beach present Wine Spectator's "Best of the Best" sponsored by Bank of America. Next Thursday we conclude our journey.

Cheers! Now go forth and try a few new wines. Please send your wine stories, comments and questions to creckord@gmail.com. DeVine Wine Services is operated by Chris and Kerri-Anne Reckord and its mission is to improve wine appreciation through wine education and events. Both are members of the Society of Wine Educators and the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs.