Pair Essentials - Exploring the Art of Wine and Food. The Savory Grape & Grape Ideas Wine Education will hold the class "Pair Essentials - Exploring the Art of Food and Wine" on Monday, March 12 from 7 to 9:30 pm.The class, designed to explore many types of wine and how their facets - sweetness, acidity, tannins, and body - give clues to their preferred food partners, is $45 per person and will be held at Trattoria del Corso Restaurant at 223 Main Street in EG. Space is limited so please contact The Savory Grape to make your reservations. Reservations are required by Friday, March 9.

L'Ecole Winery Tasting. Save the date for a special wine tasting with Washington's L'Ecole Winery on Wednesday, March 21. L'Ecole General Manager Debbie Frol will be at The Savory Grape from 4:30 pm-6:30 pm to discuss and taste some of the vineyard's exquisite wines that are receiving national recognition. These wines are of small production and are available in limited quantities. There then will be an evening with L'Ecole at Gracie's Restaurant in Providence. We hope you stop in for a special experience.

Italian Wine Tasting. Main Street Coffee and The Savory Grape continue its wine tasting series on Wednesday, March 28 at 7 pm. During the series' third tasting, we will delve into the various wines and regions of Italy. Tickets are $18 per person, which includes sampling 5-6 wines and appetizers, and should be purchased in advance. Space is limited, so please contact The Savory Grape (886-9463) or Main Street Coffee (885-8787) for tickets.

The Savory Grape One-Year Anniversary. It is hard for us here to believe that it has been almost a year since we opened. Without your support and patronage, The Savory Grape would not be thriving. As a thank you, we will hold a one-year anniversary celebration in April, so please stay tuned for further details.

As some of you know I spent much of last week at the Wine and Food Festival held in Miami’s renowned, and at times infamous, South Beach. This four-day event was filled with dinners, seminars and a grand wine tasting. The beach was filled with knowledgeable guests, hungry "foodies" and many celebrity chefs. Hundreds of restaurants, caterers and wineries were represented, as it is the second largest food and wine festival in the world. As I walked up the sandy path, I was handed a gift bag filled with marketing materials, (surprise, surprise!) and a wine glass that’s harnessed and hangs around your neck for easy tasting! “This is the best day of my life” I thought.

Alton Brown, Giada, Paula Dean, Rachel Ray and Emeril were all there, to name a few chefs. My first sampling of the day began with a renowned Chateauneuf-du-Pape, as I watched Alton Brown conduct a demonstration on smoking meats. With his hysterical anecdotes and brilliant food science knowledge he wrapped up his demonstration with samples for which I unfortunately was too impatient to wait. I walked by Giada’s book signing, and sauntered passed Paula Dean as she demonstrated her Southern Cookin’. I hadn’t even entered the first tent yet! Caribbean cuisine was the most popular of the event. I ate prime cuts of meat and fish and drank exceptionally fine wine. The food was fresh and samples were quite large. I found myself stuffed within the first hour, and there were still 5 hours of eating left! The most influential food I tasted was Ceviche, - raw pieces of fish that are prepared in an acid, such as lemon or lime juice - which was actually new to me. This gastronomical dish was unlike anything I had ever tasted. I was skeptical at first, but the many plates of shrimp, tuna and octopus Ceviche won me over.

The amount of vineyards represented was overwhelming, and it was impossible to try them all. But I managed to taste a variety of new and familiar wines. From New Zealand, to Argentina, and South Africa to California, I tasted and enjoyed more than my share of Reserves and Specialty wines. Many are offered here at The Savory Grape so if you want recommendations please let us know.

The festival was the perfect way to spend my vacation, and I am still recovering from all the sun! If anyone ever has the opportunity to go to a large food and wine event, I truly recommend it. There is so much to learn and the best way to learn is to try it.

2006 Saint Peyre Picpoul de Pinet, Languedoc, France. What a fine white selection from Southern France's Languedoc that exudes loads of citrus fruit flavors and minerality. Tasting this for the first time on Monday, we were quite pleased with its quality and price. Made from the Picpoul grape grown near the Mediterranean in the Languedoc, not far from the Bassin de Thau, an expanse of water separated from the Mediterranean by a narrow stretch of sand. The wine is a greenish yellow in color, with a most appealing fresh bouquet of floral aromas and citrus. On the palate, this wine is light-to-medium in body with notes of lemon and grapefruit and a well balanced acidity and finish. This is a perfect seafood wine and has an affinity for oysters, other shellfish and grilled fish. So let's welcome spring, when it comes, with this white selection. ($10.49)

2001 Gerard Bertrand Minervois, France. A forerunner in the Languedoc, Bertrand understands the need towards expressive, well-balanced and elegant wines. This red blend of Syrah, Grenache, Carignan and Mourvedre is exactly that. Deep red in color, it displays rich aromas of blackberry, black currant, coffee and black olives. Due to maturation in oak barrels, slight toasty and vanilla flavors are detected. Perfect alone on cold nights as of late, or with game dishes. ($15.99)

2005 Havens Bourriquot. The Havens name immediately brings to mind quality. Bourriquot is unique and is a wine based on Cabernet Franc and Merlot that attempts to celebrate those grapes’ native characters. Because of the higher than normal sugar levels that developed in the wine during the 2002 growing season, this selection shows a richness and forward fruit flavor that is characteristic of Napa Valley wines. Bourriquot features fine-grained tannins, opening with lively tobacco flower and cherry aromas that explode in the mouth. The mid-palate is refined, though full, and is followed by an expanding, long finish that repeats the ripe cherries and adds dark chocolate notes. ($41.99)

2002 Domaine Zind Humbrecht Gewurztraminer, Alsace, France. Since 1620, the Humbrecht vineyards in Alsace have been passed down through successive generations of the family. The success of Zind Humbrecht wines lies in the attention they pay to the vineyards. The vintners never let winemaking override the character of the vineyard, which is attributed to its soil type, slope, exposition and drainage potential. They also are fanatics about restricting yields. The result is a Gewurztraminer that's complex and exotic, offering dried lychee, orange and white pepper notes. It's powerful, yet smooth, with a firm, dry finish. ($21.49)

2004 Mitolo Serpico Cabernet Sauvignon, Australia. Another fine selection by Mitolo. This opulent, rich and powerful Cabernet displays lush red and black berry fruits complexed by chocolate and mocha. The fragrant nose has black currant and mulberry aromas with a touch of spice. The mid-palate shows immense power and concentration which are followed by pillars of ripe, silky tannins. The wine has a seamless integration of oak, tannin and fruit. ($59.99)

Friday, March 9 (5 pm to 8 pm) The French Unknown

• 2006 Saint Peyre Picpoul de Pinet. Please see our tasting notes in the Savory Selections above. ($10.49)

• 2001 Gerard Bertrand Minervois. Please see our tasting notes in the Savory Selections above. ($15.99)

• 1998 Frank Phelan St Estephe, France. If you want a red Bordeaux for immediate consumption you have one. This particular red Bordeaux of Cabernet and Merlot is the second label to Chateau Phelan Segur, and the 1998 vintage is a great find. Its aromas and flavors of blackberry and cherry are evident, smooth and silky. Due to the age, any tannic nature and harshness has diminished leaving you an exceptionally smooth wine with a fantastic finish. ($16.99)

Saturday, March 10 (3 pm to 7 pm) Around Argentina

• 2005 Crios Torrontes. Torrontes is a grape variety transplanted from Spain many generations ago, helping to create a wine that is dry, light, and flavorful. Its fragrance is spicy and floral with lovely hints of peach pit, flowers, and orange citrus fruit. On the palate, it has mouthwatering acidity that keeps you coming back for another sip and plenty of body for a wine that shows such delicate aromas and flavors. Fruity, floral and yet still quite dry, this wine has to be tasted to be believed. Best enjoyed in its youth either by itself, or as a partner with smoked meats, mild to medium-strong cheeses and seafood. ($16.49)

• 2005 Alamos Malbec. Sourced from Bodega Catena Zapata's high-altitude vineyards in Mendoza, the Alamos line is consistent in quality and value year after year. From the vineyard to the winery, Alamos wines are made to emphasize varietal fruit character with the most gentle and minimal handling of the grapes. Black cherry aromas followed by light floral notes and some toast are evident on the nose. A soft mouthfeel with sweet black raspberry and cassis fruit flavors layered with hints of coffee, chocolate and spice are notable on the palate that then concludes with a lingering finish with ripe velvety tannins. ($9.99)

• 2002 Alamos Bonarda. Italian in origin, the Bonarda grape presents soft fruit forward wines. Alamos’ Bonarda has intense aromas of ripe cherries and raspberries along with light floral notes. In the mouth, there are loads of bright berry fruit with hints of black licorice, vanilla and toast. The finish is long with persistent smooth tannins. This would be perfect with tomato based Italian dishes. ($9.99)

email: jessica@thesavorygrape.com

phone: 401.886.9463

web: http://www.thesavorygrape.com