Wines of the New World, Miami Beach, FL

Masterson Gurr Johns hosts an exclusive, invitation-only wine tasting party, limited to one hundred specifically invited guests. To preserve their privacy, they hold their tastings at the hotel next door, the Eden-Roc (Elizabeth Taylor used to come to this hotel all the time). MGJ is a private international firm based in London and New York which does art consulting and appraisals. Every year, they bring in their expert wine consultant and specialist, Alfredo Saurini, to conduct a series of wine tastings. As we approached the terrace of the tasting site, we were discreetly checked off the invitations list and ushered into the tasting room.

Upon entering, we were handed a flute of a Mionetto Prosecco Brut Spumante, actually an Italian wine (Old World??), but one which we were told was quite popular in Argentina. As we were sipping our prosecco, we were guided to a large round table laden with fruits, cheeses, and pates. These were the good cheeses, too—no cubes of cheddar or swiss!—and included several soft goat cheeses such as herbed chevre, a big wheel of fontina, three different types of French bleus, and several other wheels I couldn't quite identify due to the way they were cut and garnished. There were also at least two different types of pates, including a small plate of pate de fois gras neatly hidden up towards the top of the display. And, of course, there were water crackers and rounds of toast.

In the main tasting room, the tables were set with each seat having a large printed placemat with circles numbered from one to six and a large burgundy-style wine glass in each circle, each filled about one-third to one-half full of each of the featured wines. Each place setting also had a list of the wines with space for tasting notes, a map of each wine region featured, a corkscrew, and MGJ promotional literature, pens, pencils, and mousepad. I might also mention now that as we left the tasting, we were given _Food and Wine Magazine's Wine Guide 2005_ book, something which retails in bookstores for $11.95. And now for the wines.

The first wine was a Jacob's Creek Riesling Reserve, from the Barossa Valley area of southeastern Australia. It was actually quite good for a riesling, and not as sweet as most. I was particularly surprised at its pleasantness, since Australia is mostly known for its sturdy red shirazes, and rieslings generally come from the higher, mountainous regions of Europe. I should think this to be a good cocktail and hors d'oevres wine, since it had medium acidity and would be drinkable both by itself or with food. The most amusing thing about this wine is that it comes in a screw-top bottle! More and more fine wines are starting to come with screw-tops, though, since it's considered to be the most superior "corkage," allowing in just the right amount of oxygen to an aging wine without the problems of corks, which can dry out or degrade over time.

Next we moved to the Willamette Valley of Oregon for the Sokol Blosser Evolution #9, a blend of nine different white varietals. This was a much sweeter and fruitier wine, much sweeter than I prefer. Of course, if someone were serving really really spicy foods, such as Thai or Indian dishes, this might be a good foil for the heat. Meanwhile, when I drink wines from Oregons, I think I'll stick to their pinot noirs.

The first red was actually my favorite wine of the night. From Argentina, we had a 2003 Terrazas de los Andes Malbec. Malbecs, of course, are one of the five great grapes from the Bordeaux region of France, and this one has done particularly well in the high, dry wine growing area of Argentina. It was nicely round with hints of plum on the tongue, fairly low tannin, and enough acidity to be able to stand up to foods. It was a little on the oaky side, though, and I think it's a wine approaching its peak right now. It's definitely a "drink now" wine that would be popular with most dinner party crowds.

Tasted side by side with the malbec was Baron Phillipe de Rothschild Carmenere Reserva from the Maipo Valley of Chile. This was my least favorite wine (for some reason, I never like Rothschild wines, even the expensive Chateau Lafite French ones), and it evoked strong opinions, pro and con, from the tasters. The wine has an earthy, almost coffee-like smell to it, and a smoky taste with a hint of what I'd have to call green bell pepper. It is considerably more acidic than the malbec, and the tannins are beginning to be obviously present in this wine. I think perhaps because of the smokiness of this wine, one might pair it up with charbroiled steaks or something.

The final wine came from the Mendocino Valley of northern California. The Fife Petite Syrah 2000 is one of those wines which definitely must be corked well in advance of drinking. The wine expert said that he had corked and poured the petite syrah about an hour before the tasting, and yet two hours later, there were still many unusual smells emanating from the wine and the high tannin content was still mellowing. The limestone soil of Mendocino gives the wine a bit of a chalky feel, so it really should be drunk with some substantial food. It was actually quite a nice wine for what it was, though I do think that it needs to age for several more years before it's ready to drink.

And that was the tasting.

I've been invited to a wine tasting tomorrow night featuring big wines of the Italian Piedmont, but I don't know if I'll get to go or not, since the University of Miami Alumni reception is tomorrow night, and I anticipate running into a few old friends who'll no doubt want to brag about their accomplishments, and I'll hopefully be able to turn their braggadoccio into an invitation to Joe's Stone Crabs. ;-)