Bon Vivants were out in droves at the recently concluded Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival where culinary delights — wines and spirits from around the globe dominated the landscape between 10th and 13th Street. Celebrity chefs and their sous chefs, winemakers, spirits producers and mixologists entertained and educated some 40,000 persons who participated in seminars, cooking events and grand tasting tents throughout the four days of the festival. Roughly a thousand students from the Florida International University (FIU), volunteered in managing the event’s infrastructure, greeting arriving talent, and assisting high-profile chefs who conduct seminars and prepare dinners. Several students have so impressed the “celebrity” chefs that their participation in the festival has led to offers of employment.

Major Events

Many persons asked me to share my experience. Many believe that it’s just one big wine-tasting event, but this is no longer the case; that was 10 years ago. It’s now a major culinary event that spans four days with a number of lifestyle seminars, really serious wine-tasting sessions and huge themed food parties hosted by major culinary personalities. Some of these parties were: The Amstel Light Burger Bash hosted by Rachael Ray; Shine and Swine hosted by Master BBQ Chef Adam Perry Lang; Dim Sum & Disco at the Setai hosted by Ming Tsai; Perrier-Jouët BubbleQ hosted by Bobby Flay and Friends.

Last week I told you about the Sobe’s 10th-Year Anniversary Party ‘Let Them Eat Cake’ hosted by Emeril Lagasse and Martha Stewart. And of course there was the Mega Whole Foods Market Grand Tasting Village (Culinary and Lifestyle Seminars and American Express Grand Tasting) with every major food personality you can think of. Next week I will tell you about Wine Spectator’s Best of the Best event held at South Beach’s glamorous landmark, The Fontainebleau Hotel.

Some of the seminars included: Crystal Clear: Does the Glass Make a Difference? Hosted by Maximilian Riedel; Ultimate Beginnings Wine & Cheese Party hosted by Josh Wesson and Laura Werlin; Grilled Cheese Pairing Seminar with Laura Werlin; Making Great Cocktails at Home hosted by Tony Abou-Ganim; Godiva Chocolate and Wine Pairing hosted by Andrea Robinson and David Funaro; Taste Wine Like a Master Sommelier hosted by an expert panel of master sommeliers including Eric Hemer of Southern Wine & Spirits of Florida; Laura DePasquale of Palm Bay International; Brian Koziol of Constellation Wines US; and Virginia Philip of The Breakers. As you can see there was something for everyone. My little crew and I had a blast as always.

Interesting finds

One of the really great things in the world of wine is that you never stop learning about wine and more importantly, you never stop discovering and tasting wines that you really like. Last week was no exception, as I had the opportunity to try a host of new wines, some I have only read about and others were totally unknown to me. I was able to try the entire range of world-class Rosé wines from Chateau d’Esclans; I have always read about the very highly rated Pinot Noirs from the Loring Wine Company — I finally had a chance to taste through three of them side by side — very nice. I discovered a fine Amarone from Speri. One of the most interesting products I tasted was not wine, but the once banned spirit (because it was suspected as being a dangerously addictive psychoactive drug) called Absinthe – more on this in a future article.

Keep trying new wines!

Chris Reckord – Entrepreneur & Wine Enthusiast. He and his wife Kerri-Anne are part-owners of Jamaica’s only Wine Bar – Bin26 Wine Bar in Devon House, Kingston. Send your questions and comments to creckord@gmail.com . Follow us on twitter.com/DeVineWines