Vibrant Rioja Announces First Grand Tasting Event in Miami

NEW YORK, April 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The new generation of Rioja winemakers and winery owners will be the focus during Vibrant Rioja's 4th Annual Grand Tasting on April 30 in Miami, Florida. The most comprehensive showcase of wines from Rioja in the U.S., this year's event will highlight the rising stars from the region that are not only following in their ancestors' footsteps, but are also carving a new path of their own. Press and trade guests will have the opportunity to sample more than 200 Riojas from over 50 importers at the largest Rioja tasting in the state of Florida to date.  

"While Rioja is technically an 'old world' region, it is constantly evolving while keeping a perfect balance between tradition and innovation," says Pablo Olay, the Vibrant Rioja Campaign Director. "Our 2012 Grand Tasting puts the younger generation of Rioja winemakers and winery owners and their talents in the spotlight."

The seminar, led by esteemed wine educator Marnie Old, will feature stars Raquel Perez of Bodegas Ontanon, Carlos Martinez Bujanda of Bodegas Valdemar and Javier Murua of Bodegas Muriel. Andrew McNamara, Master Sommelier and Director of Fine Wine for Premier Beverage Company, will provide a local perspective.

Benefiting the Make-A-Wish Foundation® of Southern Florida, Vibrant Rioja and Snooth Media will open the Grand Tasting to consumers from 6:30-9pm on April 30. In addition to a global food lounge, the tasting event will feature a deejay and Vibrant Rioja will donate $1 per live tweet generated during the consumer event to charity. Tickets are $25 per person and 100 percent of the proceeds will benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Southern Florida, a nonprofit organization fulfilling the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions.

A winemaker tweet chat on April 29 at 6pm EDT/3pm PDT will kick off the Grand Tasting activities. Moderated by Gregory Dal Piaz, Editor in Chief of Snooth Media, wine lovers can follow the discussion with the official hashtag #riojabuzz. Please click here for a list of wines that will be tasted during the chat.

Trade and media: Sign up for the 2012 Vibrant Rioja Grand Tasting events here.

About Rioja

Located in north central Spain, Rioja is considered one of the greatest red wine regions of the world. Rioja reds are blended predominantly with the indigenous tempranillo grape from one of the region's three subzones— Rioja Alta, Rioja Baja and Rioja Alavesa. The DOCa of Rioja administers highly sophisticated and stringent quality control in the winemaking process, from viniculture to bottling. More than 200 brands from Rioja are available for purchase in the U.S. For more information, please visit www.vibrantrioja.com.

About Make-A-Wish

The Make-A-Wish Foundation of Southern Florida grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. Whether a child chooses to go somewhere exotic, meet an adored celebrity, have a treasured gift or be a dream occupation for the day, each wish experience is tailor-made to exceed all expectations. The Southern Florida chapter grants a wish every 16 hours and has granted more than 8,000 wishes since its inception 28 years ago. With the average cost of a wish being $5,000, the Foundation relies on fundraisers, corporate support and donations from the public to bring sunshine into the lives of families when they need it most. To help share the power of a wish®, call the Make-A-Wish Foundation at 954-967-WISH or log on to www.sfla.wish.org.    

About Snooth Media

Snooth is the world's largest wine website.  It offers original, engaging editorial content and innovative social technology to help its 1MM+ registered community members and its 275K+ daily newsletter subscribers discover and navigate the world of wine. Snooth members actively engage on the site daily reviewing wines, comparing wine prices and learning about grapes, vintages and regions.  Snooth is part of Snooth Media, a collection of digital properties tailored to wine, food and cocktail enthusiasts that is headquartered in New York City. To learn more, visit www.snooth.com.

CONTACT
Cassandra Bianco, +1-646-218-6009

SOURCE Vibrant Rioja