Wine attracts more customers
It dawned on wine-shop owner Michael Bittel when he stopped to fill up his car at a Kendall gas station, walked inside and saw shelves of candy bars, loaves of bread and a $45 bottle of Veuve Clicquot champagne.
''They're selling wine in gas stations,'' he says. ``
Expensive wine.''
It occurred to wine sales representative Betzaida Perozo last week when she added up the 50 or so wine bars that have opened in the past five years in her territory, Coconut Grove and Coral Gables.
''They're just everywhere now,'' Perozo says.
As the tents go up and the Food Network stars prep for their cameos at the seventh South Beach Wine & Food Festival, which starts Thursday, South Florida is riding a wine wave. It's powered by star-chef restaurants, trendy hotels, wine bars, wine clubs, numerous festivals and massive supermarket wine displays.....