Wine by the Bay will present a superior wine tasting alongside an exhibition of paintings, sculpture and prints by renowned Italian artist and winemaker Sandro Chia on Friday, April 5, 2013 from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.

This wine and art event is part of Downtown Miami’s inaugural First Friday Art Walk. Along with generous street, lot and valet parking, Wine by the Bay will also be accessible via the DWNTWN Trolley that stops at all participating Art Walk venues.  The cost to attend is $30.00 per person and an RSVP is required at info@winebtb.com or 305.455.9791. 888 Biscayne Blvd., Miami, FL 33132, www.winebtb.com. 

“We are happy to present our First Friday art and wine event Downtown style,” comments Wine by the Bay's owner, Stefano Campanini. “Whereas other art walks have a sort of party feel, Downtown events will reflect a different type of cultural scene. Our events will be aligned with the sophistication of the new Museum Park, Adrienne Arsht Center, and MIA Art Fairs.”

A representative of the Chia dynasty will be at the event to speak about both the Castello Romitorio winery and the art. The wine tasting will include some of Chia’s most celebrated wines including:

Brunello di Montalcino - described by Antonio Galloni (Wine Advocate) as, “Dark and brooding in its expression of tar, earthiness, flowers, spices, toasted oak and cherries. It reveals a fairly classic structure in its linearity, yet also shows an attractive sweetness and vibrancy to its black cherry fruit”; and

Brunello di Montalcino Riserva – described by Wine Enthusiast as, “A glorious Brunello, one overflowing with the scents of leather, tree bark, cherry tomato, and black cherry. One taste confirms the nose, and at every checkpoint, it’s full and rewarding. With its huge wingspan, here’s flavor and texture at every turn.”

“It is only appropriate that I offer a flight of superior Tuscan wines by a producer who is internationally recognized for both his wine and art,” Campanini concludes. “It’s my goal to contribute events that will attract our city’s growing art-engaged and wine enthusiast public.”

About Sandro Chia:

Sandro Chia was born in Florence in 1946. He has studied at the Instituto d’Arte and then at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Florence where he graduated in 1969. He has been part of the Italian “Transavanguardia” movement, exhibiting in many of the most important museums and galleries of the world including at the Biennale of Paris and San Paolo, and three times at the Venice Biennale. Amongst his most important personal shows are exhibitions at the Metropolitan Museum of New York (1984), the National Galerie of Berlin (1984, 1992), the Museum of Modern Art of Paris (1984); and most recently the Duomo of St. Agostino in Pietrasanta (2005) and Galleria Nazionale di Arte Moderna of Rome (GNAM) (2010).

The Italian State has acquired three important works of his for the permanent collection of the Italian Senate at Palazzo Madama, and two monumental sculptures were acquired by the Province of Rome.

Today he lives between Miami, Rome and his Castello Romitorio wine-making estate in Montalcino, where he also follows the production of prestigious wines, among which the world-famous Brunello wine won the 'International Wine Challenge' for best red wine in 2010.

About the Castello Romitorio Winery:

Since Sandro Chia bottled his first “Romito del Romitorio” in 1984, he has made clear that his pursuit of artistic perfection displays itself not only on the painted canvas but also in the glass.  He says, “I make wine with the same passion with which I paint – it is a devotion, a sacrifice, that ultimately brings the greatest reward.”

Castello Romitorio is located on a hilltop overlooking the Val d’Orcia and facing the township of Montalcino, in the province of Siena. The winery produces exquisite Tuscan wines, grappa, and olive oil in the best traditions of the region.