#ThankYouMiami Blind Tests Vino (Reds Edition)

A few weeks back we celebrated National Wine Day and it was glorious because our friends at Breakthru Beverage came through with a super timely wine delivery. To commemorate the occasion, we invited our wine snob friends to blind test the two red wines they gave us. We put the bottles in brown paper bags, uncorked them, and let them breathe for a few minutes.

We poured a glass of each, not knowing which wine was which, and took a slow sip from both glasses. Halfway through the process we switched the wines by accident and had to sip out of the bottles to ensure the integrity of the blind testing process. Once we cleared up the switcheroo, we carefully savored each wine's unique characteristics before engaging in an in-depth discussion about what we liked, what we did not like, and what type of wines we thought they were. Both wines turned out to be distinctively different.

#ThankYouMiami Celebrates National Wine Day

Today is National Wine Day and, as you can tell by the time at which I am writing this post, I desperately need this holiday. A huge shout out to 8 lb. 6 oz. baby Jesus for delivering it at this very opportune time. I plan to make good use of the evening by gathering my wine snob friends to indulge in our favorite Groth sauvignon blanc and our favorite Franciscan Estates cabernet sauvignon. We've rotated through numerous wines over the past few years and, with the exception of the greats (Caymus, Silver Oak, Veuve Clicquot et al.), we've narrowed down our bougie wine palates to these two go-tos.

That said, we're adventurous types so we're planning to shake things up during our celebration by engaging in a blind taste test of two red wines graciously provided by Breakthru Beverage. The best part? Like every good millennial blogger, I plan to live stream the whole thing on our Instagram. No one knows which brands or types of wine we'll be drinking except me and I plan to brown paper bag them with my eyes closed. It's going to be a riot to watch us sip, savor and comment on both wines. Follow us so you can tune in!

Are you planning to celebrate? If you're looking for Miami spots with good wine programs (and some with great National Wine Day deals!), here are my three recommendations:

1. Glass and Vine (2820 MacFarlane Road, Coconut Grove)

Come for the beautiful outdoor setting, stay for half-off wine bottles all day and half-off all wines by the glass from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

2. Meat Market (915 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach): I love them for their Veuve Clicquot happy hour on Fridays at the bar, which includes complimentary passed bites, but their wine program is excellent every day of the week.

3. Rusty Pelican (3201 Rickenbacker Causeway, Key Biscayne): The views at this waterfront restaurant are incredible, made all the better by their recently revamped wine program which now includes a world-class selection of over 300 wines. Today they'll be offering special wines by the glass in limited supply.