Robert W. Tolf | 2/1/2005

The fourth annual South Beach Wine & Food Festival (www.sobewineandfoodfest.com) will be held Feb. 25-27 with a couple of dozen top toques leading the charge, including Florida's Allen Susser, Norman Van Aken, Jonathan Eisemann, Mark Militello, Douglas Rodriguez and Daniel Boulud. Tickets have been on sale since October, and in order to avoid the "sardining" of last year's oversold confusion when the Grand Tasting ran out of food and space, this year's climax event will be held three days instead of two and in two tents instead of one. Prices have also been kicked up -- to $100 for Grand Tastings and $300 for the all-day wine seminars. Profits go to Florida International University's School of Hospitality and Tourism Management. Three months after South Beach's blowout is the eighth annual Biltmore International Food & Wine Weekend (www.biltmorewineweekend.com) to benefit the University of Miami Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center April 29-May 1. The Grand Wine & Food Tasting features 30 wineries and 25 restaurants, and there's a Winemaker Dinner with live music while six "Kitchen Divas," including Melissa Kelly from Orlando's Primo and Main, and Carmen Gonzalez from Carmen the Restaurant in Coral Gables, work their wonders.

Tags: Dining & Travel, Miami-Dade