Mixing And Mingling At The Miami International Wine Fair
Written By: Tracy Block on Fri, Sep 21st 2007
Miami is the home to beautiful beaches, a stellar party scene and a number of notable events. In keeping with my perfect attendance at large-scale wine events, I made my second appearance at the 6th Annual Miami International Wine Fair. I remember last year’s event to be enjoyable and educating, but this time around, the scene was packed with sommeliers, connoisseurs and plenty of thirsty tasters with old and new wine favorites to tantalize the taste buds.
Since a lot of my wine appreciating friends seem to have skipped town these days, I never have a problem taking my trustee wine partner, mom, to any wine-related event. Not only do we both love wine, but we come with open minds and after a few hours, we seem to make friends with the best of ‘em (which seemed to be quite a perk this year).
After making our rounds at France, tasting some great bubbly (brut and rosé) in the Cotes du Rhone area, we headed over to a small booth with two Aussies ready to pour. The amiable wine makers, James and Franc had a bunch of different labels from down under, but one in particular caught our eyes. Less than a year old, Kilroy Was Here stood out from the crowd. From the land that brought us Yellow Tail and Penfolds at first, we inquired about the new label. We were introduced to a sparkling shiraz, unfamiliar territory. Eager to find out what the new line had in store, James poured the first round of 2006 Barossa Valley Sparkling Shiraz into our glasses. After a traditional swirl and sniff, we prepared to sip. The refreshing red was colored a deep mix of purple and red velvet, bursting with notes of rich berries and chocolate with oak. The bold shiraz was balanced by the acidity and the sparkle. A new take on a sparkling rosé, the innovative combination quickly became the top favorite of the day. We paired the bubbly with chocolate for our second tasting, which was quite the suitable compliment.
“I picture myself sipping the sparkling shiraz on my back porch in Adelaide on a warm evening with the river flowing,” said James. “Minus the crocodiles,” he smirked. Although I could not relate to the picturesque moment out back in a house on an Australian river, my mom and I agreed this would be the perfect glass to wind down to on a Sunday evening by the pool at home, a highly embraced mother-daughter bonding ritual stemming from our spa trip a few months back.
In addition to the sparkling shiraz, we also favored the Karra Yerta 2006 Eden Valley Riesling, also from the Barossa Ranges in Australia. Dry and crisp, the Riesling lacked the stereotypical sweet agent, which, for me is always a preference. It’s not easy for me to find a dry Riesling that I would buy on a regular basis, which is why I find myself skipping the aisle time and time again in the wine store.
We browsed the booths, taking a short food break. We picked up some floating reading material to take with and decided to prioritize, knowing we definitely wouldn’t have enough time to hit every region. Mom and I then made our way to the Collector’s Club, tasted some A-list vino, a few fantastic Malbecs, aged for decades, and purchased some gourmet cheeses and chatted with plenty of wine reps.
Other notable tastes of the day were from the Ceja Vineyards from Napa, a family-owned operation. The choice taste was the 2004 Ceja Pinot Noir, a textured red laced with hints of cherries and tartness. Another interesting product of Ceja was the guava and gooseberry Sauvignon Blanc, which I personally didn’t love, but noted as a unique blend.
The best part of the day was definitely spent at the Aussie booth. The mix of their good nature and tasty vino brought us back for one last glass. On our way out, James and Franc insisted we sneak a few bottles of wine back home, which we did not refuse. Mom and I did get caught on the way out, so I had to smuggle the bottles in my over-sized purse, which was definitely obvious. We’re now waiting for that special occasion to crack open our sparkling shiraz, but are in no hurry, since the bubbly isn’t being distributed in the States just yet. Until then, we’ll just have to settle on one of the dozens of bottles waiting for us at home.
