I'm writing from the South Beach Wine & Food Festival, where it seems impossible to leave hungry -- or thirsty.
For buyers of a $187.50 ticket to the Grand Tasting Village on Sunday, the adventure begins at check-in.
The ticket is scanned and you're directed to Delta Air Line's check-in desk, where silver clocks on the wall tell the time in Miami, Stockholm, Shanghai and Cape Town. They hand you a wine glass that, thanks to a nifty red lanyard, hangs gracefully around your neck.
Then you head to the beach, armed and ready.
Barrels of water sit in the sand, five on each side of the beach entrance. Good thing, too. Under the thick Florida sun, between merlots, pinot noirs and pomegranate martinis, the hydration stations are popular.
Before you reach the Village, there are quite a few sights to see and nibbles to take along the sandy stretch.
Cadillac sculpted a pyramid that stands about four-feet tall -- from sand. About a six-hour endeavor. The Viva Paper Towel booth has white and dark chocolate fountains.
Tents line the alley as well, hosting cook-offs and chef demonstrations. Two chefs prepared four-plus course meals in less than 30 minutes. Each has to use chicken, frozen rice, chocolate bars, Tex-Mex snack mix and jalapeño chips. And I thought cooking pasta was tough!
The chefs were in beach fashion, one wearing black sunglasses over his black baseball hat. The other chef had a red and yellow beach towel tied around her waist, swaying between dishes in sandals.
Once arriving at the Grand Village, it's hard to hear over the hum of voices and music. About 40 restaurants line the inside of the Village's two tents, and more than 100 exhibitors pour wine and serve cocktails. The rows of ruby reds, tinted rosés, clear whites and colorful bottles blend together.
One fun spot is an elevated bar in the middle of the first tent. Walking up the black platform, the last thing I expect is to feel the crunch of grass beneath my feet. Moet Hennessy brought in more than 3,000 pounds of grass to cover the floor.
Save room next year for the food. Upscale restaurants from luxury hotels offered everything from crab cakes to octopus in a Parmesan cup to ostrich with sweet potato brulee. Other stands handed out barbecue, ceviche, and crepes. One vendor served steak tartare.
After samples of each and a little conch chowder, I'm sad to say I have to walk past the Godiva stand.
Note to self: Pacing is key.
The festival ends at 6 p.m. on Sunday, but the taste of the wine and finger food will linger well past then.
Making Memories in Miami,
Sarah Tompkins
