- April 25, 2024
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It’s the perfect storm for any food-and-wine aficionado: 1,500 attendees, 85 wineries and 46 restaurants all at one event.
The Forks & Corks Grand Tasting takes place Jan. 29, and it’s time for anyone lucky enough to snag a ticket to start preparing. The Sarasota-Manatee Originals event sold out in just two minutes this year, and organizers have been working for nearly nine months to ensure the 10th anniversary of this highly anticipated food and wine festival lives up to the hype.
Michael Klauber, event founder and co-chairman, took some time to share his advice for first-timers and veterans alike. From where to start, to how to pair your drink with your dish, here are a few tips to help you Fork and Cork like a pro.
Klauber’s No. 1 piece of advice is to do your homework — and don’t overlook the medal winners.
Every December, the Originals hosts a panel of 16 professional wine judges who review all the wines that will be featured at the upcoming festival and then give out Best in Show, bronze, silver and gold medals. Klauber notes that it’s impossible to taste every wine at the event, so one plan of attack is to seek out the medal winners. However, there are 98 of them, so maybe stick to “Best in Show” and “Gold.”
If you’re not as interested in award winners, Klauber suggests sampling by region. With winemakers attending from California, Oregon, Washington, Argentina, Italy, South Africa, Hungary and France, there’s no shortage of variety, so decide which area of the world you want to teleport your tastebuds and get moving.
Klauber says the biggest aspect of wine tasting that attendees miss out on is the bouquet — or the smell of the chemical reaction that results from fermentation of grapes in the winemaking process. He says it’s not possible to fully smell the wine unless the bridge of your nose is touching the top of the glass, so go ahead, it’s socially acceptable to stick your face in there.
He encourages attendees to smell their wine and pay attention to how long the taste lingers to get the full tasting experience.
“You’re going to taste sweetness on the tip of your tongue and acidity on the sides, and really what you do is think about how long the flavor lasts,” he says. “The better the wine, the longer the finish is going to be.”
Klauber notes that because there is limited seating in the courtyard of the museum, guests who want a table should get there early to stake their claim. He also recommends stocking up with multiple plates to bring back to your coveted spot so you don’t have to go back and forth.
If you’re OK standing and want to miss the rush, Klauber says that about 45 minutes after the event starts, the entrance is less crowded, so plan to get there either before noon or around 12:45 p.m.
This is a tasting and a retail event, so the setup is meant for both. Therefore, Klauber says to remember that when tasting, the spit bucket on every table is your friend, and there’s always a pitcher of water to rinse your glass before you move on to your next winemaker booth.
If you like what you taste, he reminds attendees that they can go to the retail tent, buy some of their favorite bottles, and valet attendants will then load their purchases into their car. Don’t put wine in the trunk, however, because Klauber says the heat can hurt the taste. Opt for the back seat.
The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art is one of the most beloved symbols of Sarasota — and you get to drink in it. Bring the party inside (but not your glass) and enjoy the museum for free with your Grand Tasting ticket. You’ll feel cultured and less guilty for those last few glasses.
White Wines
The Grand Tasting comprises about 2/3 red and 1/3 white wines, Klauber says, and he recommends sticking to whites first. His reasoning is that white wines are lighter, therefore best paired with light foods that won’t fill you up early on. His go-to food pairing for whites are any sort of seafood dish, so grab your glass and head to Mar Vista, Ophelia's on the Bay, Sandbar Restaurant, Siesta Key Oyster Bar, Lobster Pot or any other food station with fresh catches.
Looking for a white to start with? The 2014 Rombauer Vineyards Chardonnay from the Napa Valley area of California won best in show for the white wine group this year, so you can’t go wrong.
Red Wines
Klauber notes there is a strong group of red wines offered this year, especially from France and Italy. If you bleed red, white and blue and want to stick to domestics, grab a glass of Best in Show red winner 2012 Alexander Valley Vineyards Bordeaux blend Cyrus from the Alexander Valley in California. Glass in hand, head to Primo! Ristorante, Stottlemyer’s Smokehouse, Amore Restaurant, Miguel’s Restaurant or any other steakhouse or Italian food station to get a hearty bite to perfectly complement the red.
Klauber says that even within the red wine category there is a large variety of wines that will pair best with very different types of food.
