Key West Food & Wine Festival . . . Has anyone been to it?

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Originally Posted by love2travel33

I am surprised to see the response above. If you are not experienced with fine wine, how can you judge if the wines were worth the trip? I attended last year and had a great time. The Grand Tasting had very fine wines, and the rest of the events were a mix of different styles and price points. The food was also excellent. While there is plenty of drinking in The Keys, this is a unique event in my opinion. It is also very different then South Beach. South Beach has turned into a celebrity event and is very expensive. The Key West Festival was local and much more affordable. VIP Tickets are only $395.00 With Coconut Bowling, Performances by local artists and Shrimp Boils at the old docks, I found the event to be well worth attending. I go to Food and Wine Festivals all over the country and this one really had a laid back, funky feel that I thought was unusual. I would look at the web site and judge for yourself. I moved to Key West a few months ago, but even if I still lived in NYC, I would have attended again.

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love2travel33, was it my posting that surprised you?

Did you assume I have never tasted nor have experienced fine wines, simply because I used the phrase "all that experienced" in my comment? Let me clarify. I have tasted a number of exceptional domestic and foreign wines. As a matter of fact, I am fortunate to have friends and associates who really do consider wine their libation of choice.

As such, I maintain a pretty nice selection of reds, whites and a few ports in my wine cellar (it is a cellar and contains more than 100 bottles, with one wall being nature rock) at my primary residence.

I have a fairly acceptable wine selection in both my Key Largo marina townhouse and my penthouse in Clearwater. I use Kitchenaid 46 bottle dual zone wine keepers in both properties. Having maintained residences in Clearwater and the Florida Keys for more than twelve years, I am well aware of the temperature and humidity variations which dictate some additional care in wine storage.

So, not being "all that experience with fine wines", really comes down to sharing some exceptional wines with friends when they visit; but typically limiting my consumptions to table reds, good beer and Margaritas.

Well, I stand by my posting. No excuses regarding my opinion of the 2010 Key West Festival.

Now, welcome to our community. I look forward to you participation and travel insight as well. Since you are now a resident of Key West, you can certainly start offering tips and opinions on that part of the world.

Thanks for your welcome and your clarification of your first post. Like you, I will stand by my opinion as well. For the type of people who love Key West, with the low key luxury, lack of pretension, interesting characters and emphasis on fun, I think This Festival was a great time and hope to enjoy it again next week. Maybe someone else will be attending and we can get other opinions. I will let you all know if I enjoyed it again as much as the last time.

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Originally Posted by love2travel33

Thanks for your welcome and your clarification of your first post. Like you, I will stand by my opinion as well. For the type of people who love Key West, with the low key luxury, lack of pretension, interesting characters and emphasis on fun, I think This Festival was a great time and hope to enjoy it again next week. Maybe someone else will be attending and we can get other opinions. I will let you all know if I enjoyed it again as much as the last time.

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love2travel33, I would also like to welcome you to the VIP Community. My family and I have enjoyed many visits to all of the Keys over the years. I feel Key West has probably experienced the most dramatic transformations of the region. It is still a fun place to go, although the costs associated with lodging have increased to the point it can put a strain on a family budget.

Maybe if your next report on the Key West Wine Festival is positive, we might consider attending in the future.

love2travel33, I'm headed for the SoBe in Miami this weekend. I like the variety of parties and seminars, but have grown a little tired of the Grand Tastings and will likely only attend Saturday's day on the beach under the tents.

-O-, are you attending this year?

j-s-2....yes, for sure....but only for a few of the events and seminars....the two days of Grand Tastings on the beach are too crowded for our interests.

In case you have an iPhone, you might find the following app worth downloading and using during the weekend....the maps are helpful, if you are not familiar with some of the event locations (also, the locations of parking garages can be most helpful, if you arriving by automobile).

Food Network South Beach Wine and Food 2011 for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad on the iTunes App Store

Look for us, we'll be wearing our Luxury Link caps!

jsattapr2 and O, have a great time at the festival!

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Originally Posted by thepiranha

jsattapr2 and O, have a great time at the festival!

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Wow, it's 3:00 am here in Miami and I'm just checking my emails and LL before turning in. So far, the South Beach Wine & Food Festival has been fabulous. Yes, the Grand Tasting on the beach was extremely crowded (yesterday - Saturday), but my girlfriend and I had such a great time, tasting, sipping and people watching. I thought Guy Fieri from TV Food Network was totally over the top in his cooking demonstration at the end of the day. We loved every minute of it. We just finished up at the BBQ & Blues hosted by Tyler Florence at the Raleigh Hotel and a little after-party celebrations.

This is one of my big blow outs for the year, so I don't mind spending the money.

I need to get some sleep, since I have more to do in about four or five hours!