Far from any real wine region in the country, Miami has long been a city associated with alcoholic cocktails such as Daiquiris, Mojitos, and Rum Runners. With year-round sticky hot weather and miles of oceanfront property, Miami has never really been known as the town to visit and taste wine. This all is changing, largely due to an influx of wine education coming into the city by one institution: Florida Wine Academy.
Champagne and Wine Conferences
Started in 2016 by Alessandra Esteves and her husband, Guilherme de Macedo, Florida Wine Academy has grown to be a premier wine education institution in just a few years. Students at the Academy can enjoy opportunities to expand their wine credentials through WSET certifications, French Wine Scholar designations, and many other masterclasses, labs, and tasting events. Each year, Florida Wine Academy also hosts a weeklong celebration of Champagne with Miami Champagne Week, and a rapidly growing wine conference, the only in the Southeast, called Vinosummit.
305Wines to the Rescue
In addition to her educational endeavors, Alessandra has also created 305Wines, an online wine shop that makes it easy for wine lovers in Miami to order harder-to-find bottles of wine and have them delivered right to their door (in certain parts of the city). 305Wines also has one of the largest retail selections of Sake in the United States.
There is still a long way to go for Miami to be considered a “wine city,” but there is a big movement pushing in that direction. Florida Wine Academy, Alessandra, her team, and other wine lovers and students are working hard to bring wine education and opportunities to taste to consumers in South Florida.
Read more about Florida Wine Academy and its wine education offerings in my article for Winetraveler.
History & Wine 
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