Top seminar picks at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival

Valerie Nahmad Schimel1/29/2012

Burger Bash and The Q may grab the biggest headlines, but seminars offer some of the Festival’s best value, chef mingling and bang for your buck. A ticket averages less than $100 and if you plan your day right, you can hit two or three without leaving the building. Fewer crowds, more intimacy and a whole lot of food and drink. Here are our top seminar picks…

Matador! An Introduction to Anta Banderas Winery with Anotnio Banderas
Friday, Feb 24, 4:30-5:30pm; $100; Gansevoort Miami Beach
Zorro arrives in the Magic City and brings his Spanish wines with him. Rumor has it a certain misses might be along for the ride.

Meatballs with Daniel Holzman & Mark Oldman
Sat, Feb 25, noon-1pm; $85; Miami Beach Convention Center
Daniel Holzman, the chef and co-owner of NYC’s Meatball Shop, and wine personality Mark Oldman are dishing out crab meatballs with Old Bay dipping sauce, chicken meatball sliders, lamb meatballs with wild mushrooms, spicy pork meatballs – and a hefty dose of wines to match.

Godiva Chocolate Bar
Sat, Feb 25, 2-3pm; $85; Miami Beach Convention Center
Two words – chocolate and vodka. Sip Godiva-infused vodka and the dark chocolate and raspberry truffles that inspired them. Don’t miss specialty cocktails and the well-stocked chocolate bar.

Momofuku Milk Bar Desserts with Christina Tosi and Andrea Robinson
Sat, Feb 25, 5-6pm; $110; Miami Beach Convention Center
One of Manhattan’s biggest names in dessert arrives in the Magic City and she’s bringing her celery root ganache, black pepper shortcake, chocolate chip cake and chocolate malt truffle with her. Go home with a sated sweet tooth and a copy of the Momofuku Milk Bar Cookbook.

Grilled Cheese with Laura Werlin, The Kindergarten Classic All Grown Up
Sunday, Feb 26, noon-1pm; $85; Miami Beach Convention Center
Laura Werlin, the “cognoscente of cheese” and author of The Great Grilled Cheese is talking all things cheese. Pair wines with cheese then the warm sandwich version of the same cheese – taste the magic.

Talking with My Mouth Full with Gail Simmons and Josh Wesson
Sunday, Feb 26, 1-2pm, $85; Miami Beach Convention Center
Top Chef fans can get close with Simmons as she chats about her new memoir and offers Vietnamese shrimp & scallion egg pancakes, pork belly with pickled radishes, Spanish artichoke & chickpea stew and chocolate-peanut butter & banana ice cream bars.

Mexican Foods & Tequila with Marcella Valladolid & Mark Oldman featuring Rosa Mexicano
Sunday, Feb 26, 2-3pm, $85; Miami Beach Convention Center
Discover tequila beyond the margarita and wash it down with scallop ceviche and spice rubbed quail.