As we gear up for the Las Olas Food & Wine Festival later this week we take an inside look at some of the wines that will be featured at the event. We had the honor of attending a private tasting at BreakThru Beverage in Ft. Lauderdale with Master Sommelier Andrew MacNamara.
Master Sommelier Andrew MacNamara
Andrew’s passion and knowledge make it very clear to see why he is one of only 149 master sommelier’s in the country. It’s rare to meet someone in the industry who is an open book and willing to share everything they know.
Not only did we get to taste some amazing wines but Andrew basically opened up the floor to any and all questions regarding wine. We got to hear about how champagne gets it’s bubbles, why wine grown on the valley floor in Napa is so amazing, why certain wine have different shaped bottles, what he thinks about “organic” wines, the new trend of the Chinese buying vineyards, and why Rose is so amazing.
So onto the good stuff, the wines. We got to taste and learn about 4 wines out of many that will be featured at this year’s food and wine festival. We started off with J Vineyards Brut Rose from Sonoma which was everything you want in your first glass of the night. Rose is all the rage these days and Andrew did a great job of explaining why. Basically Rose goes with everything, which I can totally get behind. The J Vineyards is a light pink hue with layered aromas of fresh strawberries, raspberries, fjui apples, rose petals and savory hazelnuts with a touch of almonds and blood orange. This sparkling rose pairs well with beet and goat cheese salad or smoked salmon.
If the J Vineyards Rose wasn’t tasty enough next we got to taste the Miraval Cotes de Provence Rose. This one was probably my personal favorite of the evening. The first thing you notice is the smell which is a tasty aroma of peach and mango, to me it smelled like a Jolly Rancher but the taste was much more subtle with hints of white cherry and strawberry. Fun fact about this delicious Rose is that the winery in Provence France is actually owned by Brad and Angelina.
Next up was the Pieropan Soave Classico from Italy. This is the kind of wine you could literally serve with anything and sip all day. It had a very fresh, fruity, but not overly sweet taste for a perfect balance.
We ended the night with a nice Cabernet Savignon from Honig. I’ve had the pleasure of tasting this Napa Valley wine before so I knew it would be good. This Cabernet boasts mocha and vanilla flavors with a hint of oat, black current, and black cherry. Andrew shared with us that the Honig family is on the vineyard everyday and that they are one of the nicest families in the wine industry.
Thank you for hosting us, Breakthru Beverage!
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Megan is a contributor for The South Florida Sage. She is a trained chef, registered dietitian and food photographer. She has a total love affair with food. You can find her on instagram @foodinfocusphoto and online at foodinfocus.photography. All images appearing in this post photographed by Megan Huard.
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