Bid On The Ultimate Luxury Packages At The 2013 Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival

Festival’s Most Sophisticated Events Feature Live and Silent Auctions to Benefit Florida International University

Miami Beach, Florida (February 2013) – All proceeds from the Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival presented by FOOD & WINE benefit the Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management at Florida International University (FIU), but attendees at the Festival’s Fontainebleau Miami Beach presents Wine Spectator's Best of the Best sponsored by Bank of America and Tribute Dinner Honoring Nobu Matsuhisa and Christophe Navarre with Mistress of Ceremonies Martha Stewart presented by Bank of America part of The New York Times Dinner Series will have unique opportunities to bid on luxury wine, culinary and travel packages to raise additional funds for the school.

“Several Festival events include both silent and live auction components,” noted Festival Founder and Director Lee Brian Schrager. “The packages available at Wine Spectator’s Best of the Best and our Tribute Dinner at the Loews Miami Beach are exceptional opportunities for avid travelers and oenophiles to win a truly unique lifestyle experience.”

Starting on Friday, February 22 at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach, attendees at Wine Spectator’s Best of the Best will have the chance to take a piece of the event home by entering the evening’s raffle experience. One truly lucky winner will literally be taking the “Best of the Best” home - two state-of-the-art KitchenAid wine storage units will hold more than 80 different bottles of wine – one from each of the wineries participating in the event, most of which have been rated 90 points or higher by Wine Spectator. All raffle ticket purchasers will receive a wine aerator from Wine Spectator. Attendees at this event will also have the opportunity to bid on five unique travel experiences during a silent auction provided by Timbers Resorts.

The Festival’s Tribute Dinner on Saturday, February 23 which honors renowned chef Nobu Matsuhisa and Moët Hennessy CEO Christophe Navarre, will give guests the opportunity to bid on six different luxury packages during a live auction. Two packages in particular will highlight the evening’s honorees, offering bidders the chance to win a Moët Hennessy champagne experience in Paris, France, inclusive of two Delta BusinessElite tickets, or a Nobu cruise experience on Crystal Cruises “Ionian Sea Interlude” voyage. Other packages available during the evening include an 11-night trip to Thailand, a Tuscan wine, culinary and spa experience from Timbers Resorts, both inclusive of airfare from Delta; plus a four bedroom beach villa escape to Amanyara in Turks and Caicos, and a Roger Dubuis watch.

Those not able to attend the Festival can still bid on one-of-a-kind wine, culinary, travel, and fashion packages now through March 6 during the Festival’s Online Auction at www.sobefest.com/auction.

The 12th annual edition of America’s favorite wine and culinary extravaganza will take place February 21 – 24, 2013 and benefits the Florida International University (FIU) Chaplin School of Hospitality and Tourism Management and the Southern Wine & Spirits Beverage Management Center.

Pricing information and tickets to these events and more are available online at www.sobefest.com or by calling 877.762.3933. Stay up-to-date with the excitement by following the Festival at www.Facebook.com/SOBEWFF or follow founder and director Lee Brian Schrager at www.twitter.com/Lee_Schrager.

About the Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival presented by FOOD & WINE

All proceeds from the Festival benefit the students of the Florida International University Chaplin School of Hospitality and Tourism Management who also assist Festival organizers with sponsorship fulfillment, restaurant and exhibitor recruitment, logistics, and inventory as well as working alongside some of the world’s greatest celebrity chefs and winemakers.

The Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival presented by FOOD & WINE is produced by Florida International University and Southern Wine & Spirits of Florida with the support of the Miami Beach Visitors & Convention Authority and the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs. For more information about the Festival, visit www.sobefest.com or call 877-762-3933. For more information about Florida International University visit www.fiu.edu, for the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management visit www.hospitality.fiu.edu and for more information about Southern Wine & Spirits visit www.southernwine.com.