Food festivals are a fairly commonplace thing these days, but the Food Network South Beach Wine and Food Festival is no average “taste of” event.  This is an all-out assault on the senses with some of the most vibrant, beautiful, and best of all, tasty wines and dishes that you can find under one roof, or tent, as the case may be.  We kicked it off by attending the ‘taste wine like a master sommelier” seminar, which may make you want to keep your snob stamp handy, but actually turned out to be quite the worthwhile experience.   Nine glasses in, and these were nearly full ones I might add, I did not feel like a master sommelier , but I was getting closer to pinpointing grapes and regions with the best of them, or at least that is the way I remember it.

Next up was the aptly title “Best of the Best” event in the gorgeously remodeled Fountainbleu Hilton in Miami Beach.  Food was first on the agenda, and we were lucky to taste some savory pasta from Tyler Florence and creamy Gnocchi from John Besh. Another noteable dish was a trio of moles by Chef Roberto Santibanez made with almond, pistachio, and hazelnut.  Speaking of nuts, I have to mention our friends at Argyle Winery’s Nuthouse 2005 Pinot Noir out of Oregon.  This pinot packs a punch with black fruit flavors and a strong finish which live up to its memorable name. We also enjoyed the Box Car Syrah made by Red Car wines out of Culver City, Ca.  This powerful wine is actually pretty affordable and doesn’t disappoint with its smooth finish and hints of blackberry and espresso.  

If you can only make one event at the South beach wine and food festival, the Grand Tasting, which is held on the beach on both Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 5, is a must do.  Four hours may seem like a long time, but you’d be hard pressed to taste everything this event has to offer in that amount of time.  A favorite dish from day one was the lobster and mushroom ravioli combo from Tiramisu Restaurant on Lincoln Road, South beach.  We washed that down with the surprisingly fabulous Zisola wine from Italy made with Nero D’Avola grapes.  For a fear factor-esque moment, we sampled chocolate ice cream lollipops laced with Jalapenos.  That was definitely a one-off.  

We expected much of the same from day 2, but luckily the area restaurants and traveling chefs provided a different fare to satisfy us repeat tasters.  Highlights include some very fresh sushi from Ra  in Miami, and for a short-lived departure from wine, a sampling of Lucid Absinthe.  Their claim is that they make the only original recipe absinthe, rumored to have inspired the likes of Picasso and Poe.  It wasn’t bad, if you don’t mind the taste of licorice, and it was a welcome change from the non-stop wine buzz.  Our last glass, and best sip of the day was a white wine from Germany called Domane Wachau.  It is a Gruner Veltliner varietal and its floral quality and high concentration made it a nice way to close the event.

The biggest draw of the South Beach Wine and Food Festival is probably the celebrity chef demonstrations.  Guy Fieri gave us the rock n roll chef experience with his Sausage Steak Sandwich while Paula Deen mixed southern charm with girl power while cooking her porcupine balls made from ground beef and rice.  Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto cooked Saga Wagyu and taught us that you can’t get Japanese-quality beef in the U.S., no matter who you think you know.  Finally, the wildy-popular Bobby Flay closed the festival and braved the heavily intoxicated crowd on Sunday afternoon while cooking Stone Crab Johnny Cakes.  The only down side to the demonstrations is that you aren’t allowed to taste!

The South Beach Wine and Food Festival is not one to miss for wine and food enthusiasts alike.  We can’t wait to take you back with us next year!