Elite Experience: MIA Wine Tasting @ W Fort Lauderdale

I can’t believe I forgot to review this event! I’m such a bad Unilocaler!
We all had a lot of fun, and we looked pretty snazzy to boot. Of course, we loved having the Capture Pod photo booth, since Unilocalers do love having their pictures taken ;) It had an awesome background too! I had never been to the W before, but what a beautiful place this is! The Living Room is a lovely, spacious place, and the view can’t be beat. We were all particularly entranced with the fact that the light above our heads was actually emanating from the pool above us. So cool.
The light bites from here were lovely. My favorite by far was the short rib in the phyllo cup… I could’ve eaten twenty of those! But I was good and just had one :) The mini grilled cheese was surprisingly sweet thanks to the apricot preserve, and it started a rather lengthy discussion on what type of cheese was in there (we were told cheddar, but it was definitely a harder cheese than that). Whatever it was, it was yummy. The chicken skewer was good as well, and spicier than anticipated. The strawberry cheesecake bites were delicious and the perfect way to end the evening.
I thought for sure that my favorite wine of the evening would be the sparkling wine, as everyone knows champagne is my beverage of choice. But surprisingly, I kept going back for refills of the rosé instead. It was refreshing and well-​balanced while not being overly sweet. Gloria from MIA wines was obviously very passionate about what she does, and I’m so glad we were given the opportunity to be one of the select groups around the country to try her wines. Thanks so much to the folks at The Living Room/​W Hotel for hosting us, Gloria and MIA Wines/​Friexenet for sharing your wines with us, and as always thanks to Blue for inviting us to such a great event!

Just pulling into the W and walking in a beautiful room with ocean views was a great night for me.
Everything else was just a Bonus!
Blue checked us in with our bar codes a much more efficient step to have at Unilocal parties.
Cute cocktail tables had fresh made floral arrangements, cards showing the Mia wine collection, very beautiful set up.
Everyone was so beautifully dressed I love dressy events.
The Mia wines were great! The White Wine was my fav of the wines. The red was fruity, Rose was sweet. The Prosecco was crisp, fresh and fruity many ladies found this to be their fav.
The light bites were fantastic!
–The chicken skewer tastes and looked like it was cooked a while ago and warming. But I appreciate a healthy bite at events.
–the fried dumpling it had a nice flavor
–the tuna tartar I don’t know but it didn’t taste very fresh like others raved.
–the cheesecake is a small cheesecake disk with a strawberry section on a small skewer. Very south beach Florida bite I loved it, the flavor not 100
–the mini Key Lime tart was so cute! Adorable and delicious! The key lime was sweet but savory and tangy, just perfect, my fav and topped with fresh berries a winner.
— Everyone was talking about the mini grilled cheese. Well I got to try half! And it was a half without any cheese! And I can tell you it was still pretty damn finger licking good.
Got a Capture Pod photo booth moment with Mia wines. I find those pics come out amazing!
Thank You Blue for being such an awesome CM who does a lot for us Unilocalers! Thank you Mia Wines I hope your unveiling of the wines around the world was successful, thank you W for a beautiful event space.

My first «Experience» and how sweet it was! Held in The Living Room at the W, this wine tasting experience presented «MIA» a Spanish wine crafted by Gloria Collell who presented her lineup to a handsome crowd of Elites and their +1s. My pick of the night, the red, was the perfect pour– warm, dry, and the least sweet of the selections. The prosecco sparkled with a sweetness that was light, fresh, and enjoyable.
The passed appetizers included a sweet and salty grilled cheese, made savory with a fruit jelly– one tasty little bite. The tuna tartare was my favorite, a delicious blend of herbs and tuna– one tasty little spoonful. The beef brisket bite was a good munchie between sips, as was the grilled chicken skewer. Desserts included a strawberry cheesecake lollipop and a key lime tart. Both were out of this world, but that limey tart was especially good.
The W is one of my favorite spots on Ft. Lauderdale beach. The ambiance is great, service is professional, and a visit here is always a memorable experience! Great seeing fellow Unilocalers on a Tuesday night by the sea. A huge THANK YOU to BLUE and of course the W and MIA Wines. Salud!

What an awesome time. Love being Elite and getting invited to these events. First the W hotel is awesome. Can’t beat the view sitting outside sipping one of the great Mia wines we had. Second, the food we had was great too (tuna tartare, mini grilled chees, dumplings), and we met some other nice Unilocalers.
Just a really nice way to spend a great Tuesday night. Ok, I’m just happy to be out on Tuesday without the kids, but seriously… :)
Looking forward to the next one!

I couldn’t imagine giving this event anything other than 5 stars.
As always, the UnilocalBPB event was stellar. First being at The W Fort Lauderdale for starters and secondly for the amazing tasting of Mia wines.
The Living Room at the W was fantastic. Large enough to fit a group, but still intimate enough that you didn’t lose track of your friends. The light bites were amazing. As I said at the event, «if you told me the grilled cheese costs $ 199, I’d still buy it. It’s worth missing a rent payment for.»
The guy from Capturepod was great. Letting us take tons of pictures and making sure everyone had a copy. When I see them at an event I know I’m going to have a good time. Who doesn’t love a photo booth? Unfortunately, I steered clear of Painting with a Twist because I was a bit twisted myself and didn’t want to knock over their paintings. Oops.
The owner of Mia wines was so friendly and gracious to the Unilocal community. I wish her much success as her wines were fantastic.
If you needed a breather you could step outside and take in the glorious view of the ocean.
I have to say, this has been my favorite event so far. It makes me realize how lucky I am to be in the community of great people and what a great city we live in. As someone who is newish to Florida, you never feel alone when you’re at at UnilocalBPB event. There is always a drinking buddy (or two dozen) beside you!
Can’t wait to see what is next!

This was my first Unilocal event, and admit I didn’t know what to expect. While waiting on line (arrived early, respecting the friendly advice in the invite about being on time!), I met Allen F., unaware that I was standing next to a Unilocal member of such notoriety… who kindly explained the difference between a Elite Unilocal event and Elite Unilocal experience. Hmm, I had/​have a lot to learn.
Having been to the W before as a hotel guest, I knew the vibe and feel of the hotel, but was still impressed with the setting of The Living Room. The unobstructed view of the ocean, the fresh flowers on the tables, and the excitement as the group grew larger all came together with the generous wine tastings and tasty bites. What a great venue! Thanks to the W, MIA wines, and of course, Blue.
CM Blue recognized this was my first Unilocal Elite experience and I was impressed when he acknowledged it. I observed him making the rounds throughout the night and thought that this guy really makes a critical difference in the success of these get togethers, from their planning through execution. Not an easy feat to achieve, and I was benefitting from it personally. Wow, I was now on the participating side, not the after-​the-​event observer.
I met Marqus whose reviews continue to amaze me, made a new friend with Howard, and to my disappointment didn’t meet Brenda P who nominated me as Elite. But I made it a point to track down and meet Jennifer S., and got into talking with her. I really appreciated the genuine sense of community which Unilocal represents, making it the unique organization it has evolved into.
I got so caught up talking to folks that I neglected to post any food pics, which is so unlike me. Thanks to all I spoke with for making me feel welcome. Hope to see a lot of you next week in Boca at Kapow!

I was presently surprised with the wines. I’m usually not a huge fan of Spanish wines, but these were all very pleasant easy going wines. The white wine and blush had a touch of sweetness but weren’t «sweet wines» per se. The white was slightly effervescent which made me care for the blush over the white. The sparkling white was definitely sweet, but I enjoyed it. The red was not overpowering. It was a medium bodied, medium dry wine. Again all very drinkable.
I loved the winemaker and her speech. It won me over to the wines even more, but maybe that’s because my mom lived in Spain for a while. :)
I didn’t get to try all the bites going around. However, I really enjoyed the tuna tartare that I tried. The tart was very flavorable with an interested medley of flavors.
The space… was fabulous!
Great event!

I love wine, when I heard there was a wine tasting event I knew I wanted to go. The venue was perfect — I love the W hotel yet never had been to The Living Room, so it was a great introduction. After seeing how beautiful the outdoor patio was (despite the wind!), I know for sure we will be coming back.
I usually prefer dry wines so I was skeptical at first that I would like any of MIA’s wines, but I was pleasantly surprised by their tempranillo. I am a big fan of tannin, and I was happy the MIA red didn’t have too much sweetness to overpower the natural flavor. MIA’s wines are simple and were really liked by anyone who likes fruity, clean and sweet flavors. I really loved how the wine-​maker, Gloria, had such passion for her brand. I think that was the biggest selling point to me on the MIA brand.
I was only able to try a couple of the hors d’oeuvres: the pork dumpling, the cheesecake pop and the key lime tart. My favorite of the three was definitely the cheesecake pop, very light and paired perfectly with a slice of fresh strawberry. I saw the grilled cheese being passed around, which looked great and I heard quite a few compliments, so I was sad I missed it!
Thank you so much Blue for inviting us to this amazing event, The Living Room/​W Hotel for being the perfect venue for our event and MIA wines/​Gloria for sharing your wines with us!

An exclusive wine tasting at the W? I’m so fan-​cay (cue Iggy Azalea).
It was great to get dressed up and enjoy an evening at my favorite hotel/​lounge in Fort Lauderdale. After hitting the photo booth, the boy and I grabbed our glasses and indulged in a superb selection of Spanish Mia wines. My personal favorites were the Rosé and the Moscato as I’m a fan of the sweet stuff.
Speaking of sweet, the best seat in the house was outside on the balcony on big brown loungers that you can just melt into. The weather was perfect and the view of the ocean spectacular. Only a handful of Unilocalers dared venture out here — probably because all the sustenance only circulated inside. Sadly none of the yummy samplers like the cheesecake lollipops and mini grilled cheeses made it outside, but I did manage to get my hands on a key lime tart or two.
BOTTOM LINE: It’s sweet to be Elite!

This event was dripping with sexy. Not the ‘caught in the rain without an umbrella” kind, but more like «multilevel, dark chocolate fountain» dripping! From the gorgeous Living Room space on the 4^th floor of the W Hotel which is testimony to what classy chic can strive to be, to the spectacular, unobstructed view of the pristine Ft. Lauderdale beach at dusk, to the red-​carpet-​dressed Unilocalers in attendance with wine glasses in hand, this was the place to be on Tuesday night.
Our very own Chairman of the Board, Blue, presided over this event that combined bite-​sized culinary morsels with the newest wines and champagnes from Mia Wines, to elevate the Unilocal social game to another level. The beautiful space was filled with Elites of old and new, talking with ease, laughing, taking pictures, sampling wines and food, posing for the Capture Pod and reveling in being part in one of the best communities around. The night was also highlighted with live paintings, passionate words by the Mia founder about the wines we were sampling and a group celebration of Katie’s birthday. Being one of the firsts to try new products or experience a new establishment are a few of the perks of being an Elite. The most important, of course, is being around great, like-​minded people and helping our stupendous CM spread the word.
As the night drew to a close and the lights dimmed, the attendees lingered, not wanting the experience to end or the company of friends to depart. As we said our thanks to the staff of the W Hotel for their hospitality and great service, as well as the wonderful representative of Mia Wines for sharing her work of passion with us, we were already looking forward to the next event when we can do it all again.
And some of us smiled slyly, knowing that another legendary after-​party awaited us in a short few minutes, where more, non-​PG stories are made and friendships forged.

Veni Vidi Vino!!! We came, we saw, we drank fine wines from the upper reaches of España!
Yes! A Unilocal wine tasting event brought to us by our tireless wonderful CM, Blue! The venue was the cool, swanky W Hotel right on Ft. Lauderdale beach!
A new company promoting their wines that are all grown with grapes from the Barcelona area in Northeastern España, at the foothills of the Pyrenees mountains and kissed by the warm breezes of the Mediterranean Sea.
They had 4 or five different varieties of those grapes compressed into vino! I tried the red and enjoy the robusto flavor that was full but not heavy! I liked the red so much I never bothered trying the others. Based on the reaction of our Unilocalers, the company should fair well!
Now for the food, as usual I saw some go by but was to busy yapping with Unilocalers to try much of the fare the silver trays brought around. I did try the bite size grilled cheese with jelly, yes grilled cheese with jelly? It was different. I also tried a spoonful of tuna tar tar with was flavorful.
Again these events aren’t about the food for me. Its about hangin with the great group of Unilocalers we have here in the BPB!!!
This was indeed a buena noche!!! :-)

What a snazzy night! The location was beautiful and we got to sample some kick ass wine by MIA. There is an outdoor patio to enjoy the view of the beach and to people watch. Forget trying to find a parking spot when you’re around the beach area. The valet parking was a nice feature as well.
There was red, white, and even pink offered for us to try. My favorite was the sparkling white moscato and I stayed with it once I had it. I had bites of the tuna tar tar, chicken skewer, dumpling, cheesecake, and key lime tart, which all were very good. The grilled cheese with jelly rocked. So different, yet so damn delicious.
The W Fort Lauderdale can’t be thanked enough for being an awesome host to all of us last night. The staff did an excellent job with presenting the food as well as Gloria introducing us to MIA wine with a passion. Thanks to Blue for having us be a part of this spectacular event and it was a pleasure to spend it with all of the fabulous Unilocalers.

The Living Room at The W is a beautiful venue, dim lights, cozy sofas, amazing ocean view, and I even saw purple pool tables.
Everyone was dressed up for the occasion, mingling, laughing, taking pictures, and, of course, sampling the Mia Wines.
I started with the Sparkling one, and must say it was my favorite of all. It a little sweet, refreshing, and one that can be enjoyed at any time. I think it would be perfect for day out on a boat, chilled and celebrating a good day/​night out.
They also had a white, a rose, and a red. Enough for everyone to taste and refill if desired.
The photo booth is always a winner at these events, and we even had Mia wine bottles as props, making our pictures even more fun.
I’m always happy to see our Unilocal events posted. The opportunity to try new things and places, with great people that have become dear friends is priceless.
Thank you The W for hosting, Gloria and Mia wines for letting sample and learn about your wines, and Blue for always putting together Such amazing events.

Great night out for all of us in our «snazzy» attire!
First of all a big thanks to Blue for allowing us to be a part of the MIA wine tasting event! Big thanks to the W for hosting us all, and of course big thanks to MIA wines themselves!
The VENUE
I’ve been to the W a handful of times for dinners, drinks at Living Room etc, but hadn’t experienced the view from up top in the day before! Absolutely stunning and the room itself came alive after the sunset. I did venture outside despite Blue’s wind warnings and nearly got blown away but it sure was pretty — hopefully I didn’t flash anyone as my dress blew around lol.
Capture Pod was on site to capture us looking festive and hopefully Katie got some good birthday pics!
The WINE
Ok so this was the point obviously. After checking in with our party passes we all grabbed our wine glasses (thankfully they were plastic as I’m sure more than one got dropped) and we headed to the wine station. Prosecco, white, rose and red were all available and I tried all four to make sure this review would be as complete as possible ;) The red and the rose were my favorite as they still had some sweetness but there was other flavors coming through as well.
The FOOD
Didn’t get to try all of the bites, but I did sample:
*The chicken skewer
*The fried dumpling
*The tuna tartare
*The cheesecake
*The key lime tart
…and I must pronounce the winner as the tuna tartare. It’s no surprise I’m a tuna tartare lover (I even have a whole list dedicated to this menu item) but the surprise for me was how well executed this little bite was! !

The W offered a swanky beautiful venue, with bright fresh flowers decorating the tables and high tops while overlooking the gorgeous view of the ocean. I have been to the W before but had never been up to the 4^th floor where the «Living Room», the venue for our party was located. Not only is the inside modern and beautiful, there is a large terrace as well with lots of comfortable benches and a huge fire-​pit overlooking the ocean.
As soon as we were welcomed in by Blue, he showed us where to get our glasses so we could go sample the wine. Set in front of the panoramic ocean view was the wine station. There was red, white and sparkling, I opted for the white and it was wonderful, so wonderful that’s what I stuck with for the rest of the night. The wine was delicate, crisp, fruity but not too sweet, just in perfect balanced harmony! I was very impressed and I am sure that Mia’s wine will be a big success.
I didn’t have much luck trying all of the food, but the 3 items I tried were delicious, first the chicken skewer with salsa was very good, then a small meat pie was also very tasty, but my favorite was the grill cheese with marmalade, it was divine!
It was wonderful to see many of my Elite online friends, it was indeed a very fun night of great wine and great company. A special thanks to Blue for putting this swanky party together, congratulations to Gloria at Mia wines! I felt inspired by your passion, and thank you to the W for hosting this memorable event.

Unilocal Classin’ It Up! Linda noche, buen vino!
I have to admit, the second I received my event email and I read the word WINE, I clicked RSVP. Details? What details? I knew this one would be a good fit for me. And it was!
The W is a stunning hotel. I had been to Living Room before when it was in «club» mode and loved it, but I had never seen it in daylight. What a difference! That venue is absolutely phenomenal and you can’t top the view! I never knew you could look up into the upstairs pool from there. Arrived to find Blue all snazzed up ready to «scan» us in. Ah, technology! The first thing I noticed was the wonderful job the hotel did with the flower arrangements. Those were gorgeous and matched the MIA wine logo perfectly.
Within minutes, I had a full wine glass (of red) and I was workin’ it for some Photo Pod fun! That’s how it remained for the night. The hor d’oeuvres were all delicious. Of course, by now I’m sure you have heard all about the GRILLED CHEESE. I think we all stopped noticing the rest and waited for more of those to come by again. W O W! We never did get a straight answer on what type of cheese it was exactly and what kind of fruit compote was on it. What I do know is that I STILL WANT MORE OF IT! (Blue, see if you can do something about that please. Thank you.)
The owner of the wines passionately spoke about her wines and thanked us for trying them. She was adorable and her smile was contagious!
THANK YOU to the W for being wonderful hosts, to Blue for being our kick ass CM and to MIA for «bringing her talents» to Fort Lauderdale.
Until next time, SYOY!

I couldn’t have had it better! My favorite Lauderdale Beach hotel, the W, one of my favorite hotel bars, The Living Room, my favorite group of people, Unilocalers, the area decorated with fresh flowers, an entire array of MIA wines to sample and slurp plus some really special canapés, especially their delightful to the taste tuna tartare.
The Living Room at the W couldn’t have been a more prefect venue with its modern white on white décor and huge balcony with breathtaking views of the ocean and of the action on the streets below.
Once again, Blue did an amazing job, everything perfectly timed and perfectly organized. The Party Pass system seems to work great, moves the line right along, though it’s obvious I have get my act together making sure to put it in a special place on my handheld so not to lose it and be able to readily find it.
Thank you MIA Wines, thank you W, thank you Living Room and thank you Blue for a delightful event and a lovely evening.

What a great event to start off my first elite experience. I am truly thankful to be part of the elite group for this unique experience. I don’t know too much about wines, most of the wines we drink in the house are from California. But I love a glass of Cabernet sauvignon to go with my meal. And when I hear about this opportunity, I knew right way I wanted to be there.
I am not too familiar about the MIA wines. From the few wines that I tried, they tasted a little fruity to me. I personally enjoy dry wines but surprisingly I like their wines too. I tried the white, two different types of red and a sparkling wine and they all were very light, fruity and flavorful. In addition to the wines, they also served some nice orderves which were very tasty too. There were pot stickers, tuna tartare (the server corrected me and call them tuna Ceviche) and a couple of cheesecake and key lime tart.
Once again, Blue did a fantastic job organizing the event. The venue took place in The Living Room at the W Hotel and the place looked amazing. Its got a great view overlooking to the ocean, and they got a few nice table and seats in the patio if you don’t mind the wind. What a perfect place for wine tasting and you just couldn’t ask anymore.
Thanks MIA for hosting a great wine tasting event. And also thank you Blue and W for a great evening.

Wine tasting at the W?! YES PLEASE! Plus, I love any excuse to get a little «snazzy» and drink some delicious wine. This was my first time at the W and I can easily say that I was very impressed with this hotel. The event was held upstairs at The Living Room, which is facing the ocean and has the most amazing view of Ft. Lauderdale beach. Even a local like me can appreciate how lucky we are to live in such a beautiful place. I love that you can see the pool above you in the ceiling that was very cool!
I’m not really into sweet or sparkling wines so I stuck to the red wine all night. I really liked it because it was a little dry and not as sweet as the other wines. It went really well with the grilled cheese I had because it cut the sweetness in the sandwich a lot. I also tried the chicken skewer, pork dumpling, and strawberry cheesecake. I think the dumplings were my favorite.
I loved how laid back this event was. It was easy to walk around and talk to everyone. I finally got to meet Marc Aka Max and his better half; it was their very first Unilocal event! I love when I get to meet new people at events! There was a photo booth again, which is always such a cool addition to any event.
Thank you to MIA wines for hosting a very nice event and to the W for the location and food. And of course big thank to our CM Blue for everything you do! =)

What a lovely event! The venue was perfect, spacious with an easy flow. The fresh flowers on the tables were beautiful and added a touch of elegance that was just right.
Every wine I sampled was delicious. I especially enjoyed the white. This company should do very well!
The bites provided by the hotel were delicious, from the amazing tartare to the sweet and tangy key lime in a buttery crust.
What a terrific evening for Katie’s birthday! I know she enjoyed being in the spotlight while all our wonderful friends sang to her.
Thanks to the amazing Blue, Mia Wine and the W hotel for a spectacular evening.