We had a blast at Red, White and Zin at the Gardens Mall last night. It was great to meet so many other local wine lovers and to share some of our favorite wines. We came prepared with a nice selection donated by Total Wine, PRP Wines International and Sabor Havana Wine & Cigar Connoisseur Club. Let us know your favorite, and check out some great photos from this event.

2008 Urban Diva Riesling: $25.90 at Sabor Havana: call direct to 252-8160

2006 Courtney Benham Pinot Noir: $15.99 at Total Wine

2007 Chevalier de Bayard: Sold by case (about $230/case) at PRP Wines International

2003 Chateau Lilian Ladouys Saint Estéphe (Bordeaux): $34.99 at Total Wine

See photos from this event.

One of the great things about being a Swirl Girl is that it gives me the excuse to do all kinds of wine-related things. On Wednesday, I decided to check out one of Total Wine’s consumer education classes called “Romanced by the Rhone Valley.” This was purely for the sake of research, of course.

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We swirled so many great wines at our last Winettes tasting of Bordeaux, I couldn’t fit them all into one Swirl Girls entry. Last week I gave you my favorite dry white and a few tasty reds from the Right Bank. This week, we head to the Left Bank, pick our favorite wine of the night, and finish off with a fantastic dessert wine. Read on for the hightlights: Read the full story

If you’ve been to the ABC Fine Wine & Spirits store on Northlake Boulevard in Palm Beach Gardens, then you know it’s large and spacious. That makes it a good place for a wine tasting. (Read: A lot of space for setting up a lot of tasting tables and room to circulate.)

Tasters gather around the table where wines from Argentina were presented.

“Dry” Gwen and I set out for a Wednesday night tasting, which is one of more than 25 throughout the month of June the chain offers in locations across the state. (Find a store near you here.)

We arrived about 45 minutes after the tasting started and found plenty of wine aficionados were well ahead of us on the circuit. And there was good reason. With 14 different tables featuring a plethora of wines, we had some work to do! Read the full story

If you take a group of journalists just starting to learn about wine (the Winettes), you probably wouldn’t be that surprised to know that eventually, we start describing wine as a storyteller or wordsmith would. We know we’ve gotten to the good part of the night when we start describing wine as clothes or actresses.

One of the Winettes, Tiff, is particularly good at descriptions.

“It’s like a slinky dress that you’d wear with out to the opera.” Or: “It’s like a velour scarf.” She’s got a great palate and even better way with words. We’re kind of jealous of her.

I like to throw these games into the Winettes because it makes the wines more identifiable then just “aromatic, dark fruits with a hint of oak and spice and a medium finish.”

But when you say: “this wine is Marilyn Monroe just starting her evening…” well, you get the idea. Read the full story

More than 200 showed up May 9 to try PRP Wine International’s first Spring BBQ and Wine Tasting. Since PRP felt this was a success, they’re planning to host more events at their West Palm Beach office on Florida Mango Road. The tasting cost $10 and featured more than 30 different wines. Some great food was prepared by competitive BBQ chef, Chris George.

PRP had a great variety of wines to try, so there was definitely something to please every taste. I was surprised to be wooed by a few of the sweeter wines in addition to my old-world reds. Here are some of the highlights: Read the full story

It seems starting at the beginning is the way to go, especially when a dinner had five parts to it, the surroundings were luxurious, the service exemplary, and… but I digress.

My husband and I were lucky enough to attend (yes, at our own expense!) the recent Cafe Boulud wine dinner featuring Steve Miles, noted expert on Spanish wines, and CB’s sommeliere Jenny Benzie’s terrific pairing of food and wine. The restaurant is in the Brazilian Court hotel on Palm Beach, so you know the setting is beautiful.

Steve, of Steve Miles Selections, was the perfect host, personable, knowledgeable and funny. He related each wine to the group by pointing out facts that meant something to everyone, whether you knew a lot about wine or not. Exactly the right attitude to take.
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Join Sweet and Dry at the Spring BBQ and wine tasting this Saturday (May 9) hosted by PRP Wine International Inc. The tasting will be held at their West Palm Beach office, Suite 408 at 1750 N. Florida Mango Rd from noon to 5 pm and will feature 30 different wines, live music, and a great lunch cooked up by competitive BBQ chef, Chris George. Who said BBQ was just for beer-lovers?

PRP has been in wine retail for more than 30 years. They specialize in small boutique wines, emphasizing quality over quantity. The company holds exclusive agreements with wineries around the world, from France and Italy, to Australia, Hungary and South Africa. Many of the bottles they’ll pour on Saturday are not available through any other retailer.

“It’s a chance to try something different,” said West Palm Beach Branch manager, Darrell Sanford, “Sometimes, if we find a wine we like, we’ll buy the whole vintage.”

The event costs $10, cash only. Call 561-835-WINE to reserve a spot. Thirty wines for $10? I’ll certainly raise my glass to that one!

~ J Gwen (dry)

Where: 1750 N Florida Mango Rd. Ste. 408
When: Saturday, May 9th, 2009, 12 – 5
Cost: $10 cash
Reservations required: 561-835-WINE

Sweet and Dry sat down with the Jenny Benzie, Sommeliére at Café Boulud at the Brazilian Court in Palm Beach recently. She graced us with her presence on a great video and talked to us about her background in wine.

In our first video tutorial ever, we’ll share with you Wine Tasting 101 – the very basics you need to know now. But first, a bit on Jenny Benzie, a Swirl Girls special. Read the full story

I was super excited to attend Legacy Place’s Food and Wine Experience held on April 23. Hosting a price tag of $50 for tickets at the door, I had high expectations. And as far as the food goes, my expectations were completely met.

Seriously though, how can you go wrong when you have such restaurants as Bice, Café Chardonnay, Entre Nous, Legal Seafood, Taverna Opa and Seasons 52 urging you to try their nummies? And the food was wonderful! Read the full story