Well, I went to my first event at the Coral Gables Whole Foods since the grand opening last week. On Thursday they had a sangria tasting and it was a good excuse to hang out in their Whole Lifestyle Center (LC) and chat with friends and neighbors who stopped by. The Tarantas Sangria, an organic bottled sangria, was the better of the two and could serve as a starting point to doctor your own, but nothing beats homemade sangria.
Patrick, one of the sommeliers at Whole Foods, was extremely friendly and helpful, and took time out to chat about wines and sangria. I an organic wine tasting on
Friday, but will be there tonight for a champagne and caviar tasting.
My only critique of the store is that the LC is inconveniently located on the opposite side of the store and can only be accessed from the outside. This was poor planning since it discourages shoppers from meandering through the store prior to an event or from returning to the store to purchase items after an event. I am sure they will be working on fixing this oversight so they can maximize the marketing potential of their tastings, cooking classes, and demonstrations.