Head “Wine-O” Heath Porter will go pour to pour against “Wine Wise Guy” Anthony Giglio
January 11, 2015, Miami, FL – For the first time ever, Uvaggio Wine Bar & Restaurant is honored to announce they will be participating in the world renowned Food Network & Cooking Channel South Beach Food & Wine Festival presented by FOOD & WINE (SOBEWFF®). Miami’s wine themed landmark will be hosting their wildly successful Sommelier Slam as a Bank of America Lifestyle Seminar during the Festival on February 27th at 12 PM. Uvaggio’s “Head Wine-O” Heath Porter will go against the widely recognized wine columnist known as the “wine wise guy” Anthony Giglio for a comedic, friendly showdown at The Ritz-Carlton, South Beach. Porter has still remained undefeated in the Sommelier Slam series challenging some of the best in the business like wine directors Eric Larkee of The Genuine Hospitality Group and Daniel Toral of 50 Eggs Inc.
During the event, attendees will not only get to taste the wines and dishes provided but, they will have the opportunity to choose the winning sommelier. Each pour by Giglio and Porter will be accompanied by a carefully curated dish from Chef Tanner Gil of Uvaggio. The only information the competitors will receive are the ingredients used by Chef Tanner. In addition to the friendly battle, guests will enjoy learning about the experts’ philosophies on their selections in an exhilarating entertaining environment. The seminar will be held from 12 – 1 PM at The Ritz-Carlton, South Beach located at 1 Lincoln Road in Miami Beach.
Tickets cost $85 per person and are available for purchaseat sobefest.com or by calling 877.762.3933 (phone sales open Monday – Friday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM EST). SOBEWFF® will celebrate its 15th anniversary this February, and has raised more than $22 million to date for the Wine Spectator Restaurant Management Laboratory and Southern Wine & Spirits Beverage Management Center at the Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management located on Florida International University’s Biscayne Bay campus. For more information on this event, please visitwww.SobeFest.com/Uvaggio.
*Please note guests must be at least 21 years old to attend.*
About the Food Network & Cooking Channel South Beach Wine & Food Festival presented by FOOD & WINE
All proceeds from the Festival benefit the students of the Florida International University Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management who also assist Festival organizers with sponsorship fulfillment, restaurant and exhibitor recruitment, logistics, and inventory as well as working alongside some of the world’s greatest celebrity chefs and winemakers. To date, the Festival has raised more than $22 million for the School. In September 2015, BizBash named the Festival the #1 Food & Restaurant Industry event in the United States for the third year in a row.
The Food Network & Cooking Channel South Beach Wine & Food Festival presented by FOOD & WINE is produced by Florida International University and Southern Wine & Spirits of Florida with the support of the Miami Beach Visitors & Convention Authority and the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs. For more information about the Festival, visit sobefest.com or call 877-762-3933. For more information about Florida International University visitfiu.edu, for the Chaplin School of Hospitality and Tourism Management visithospitality.fiu.edu and for more information about Southern Wine & Spirits visitsouthernwine.com.
About Uvaggio Wine Bar
With its European flare, Uvaggio Wine Bar Coral Gables is a social meeting place full of soul, for all types of people. With a comfortable vibe and chic ambience, Uvaggio is a sophisticated yet cozy wine bar – café fusion featuring carefully curated wines by sommelier Heath Porter paired with small plates prepared by Chef Tanner Gil. Uvaggio’s friendly atmosphere and unparalleled service entices guests to relax, slow down and spend quality time enjoying the finer things in life with colleagues, family and friends.
About Heath Porter
Heath has over twenty years’ experience in the food and beverage industry and brings his own unique, unpretentious and outspoken style to the world of wine, earning him the nickname the Rebel Sommelier. Starting at the age of fifteen washing dishes at a truck stop, eventually performing every job in a restaurant/resort setting, Heath’s career culminated into roles of general manager, wine and spirits director, and an advanced level sommelier in 5 Star and 5 Diamond Resorts. He has worked at The Greenbrier Resort, West Virginia, the Sea Island Resorts, Georgia, and Diamond Head Grill at the W Hotel, Hawaii. Heath brings his nonsense spirit and unique perspective of wine to Uvaggio.
About Anthony Giglio
Anthony Giglio is one of the most entertaining wine and spirits authorities on the planet. He is a writer, educator and raconteur who motivates countless imbibers to trust their own tastes and relax the rules. Giglio’s witty, unpretentious style can be discerned in the weekly “Ask the Wine Wise Guy” column he writes for Details.com’s “Food + Drinks” section. Anthony is also the Wine Director for The CenturionSM Lounge, a groundbreaking network of premium airport lounges by American Express. Giglio has written ten books, including three editions of the annual FOOD & WINE MAGAZINE Wine Guide review of 1,000+ wines; five editions of the enormously popular Mr. Boston Official Bartender’s Guide, and his highly-regarded first book, Cocktails in New York. Throughout his career Anthony has attracted countless fans and admirers nationally, all of whom appreciate his sense of humor as much as they do his insight and his perspective, which is that wine is best regarded as a pleasure, not a problem. Giglio is currently a wine reporter for CBS News Radio and Details.com, as well as the longtime “Online Sommelier” for the FOOD & WINE Magazine’s Connoisseur Club, as well as for Departures Magazine’s Reserve Wine Club. Anthony is also the “Resident Sensualist” blogger at TheImprovisedLife.com, as well as the “Official Vino Blogger” for ItalianMade.com, a commercial site for the Italian Trade Commission. Giglio has written for numerous publications, including Food & Wine, Travel + Leisure, New York, Esquire, Details, The New York Observer, Robb Report, Worth, Every Day with Rachael Ray and Parade. He has appeared on NBC’s Today Show, Food Network, CNBC, and FOX Business News. He is also an occasional guest on American Public Media’s “The Splendid Table” with Lynne Rossetto Kasper. Giglio has been invited twice to speak at The Moth, a Peabody Award-winning not-for-profit organization dedicated to the art and craft of storytelling.
