Key Biscayne Wine Tasting & Silent Auction

Emilio Guerra works for Dreyfus, Ashby & Co., one of the oldest and most respected fine wine importers in the United States representing “family owned” producers like Joseph Drouhin & Miguel Torrres.
A wine connoisseur for over twenty-five years, Emilio has traveled throughout California, Oregon, Washington, Chile, Spain, Italy & France to further his wine knowledge and continue to educate his palate. He is a certified sommelier who also earned a Mastery of Wines Certificate from FIU’s School of Hospitality Management. Emilio has conducted hundreds of wine tastings & wine seminars around the state of Florida and has appeared a number of times on NBC & Telemundo talking about wine. For the past three years he has been a member of the educational staff of the United States Sommelier Association along with three other Master Sommeliers, doing what he does best…teaching others about wine. “My passion is to transmit to people the joy that can be found when you drink a great bottle of wine with the right food. It is truly an unforgettable experience."

Juan Ramon Pujol is currently President of Miguel Torres, USA and responsible for marketing and promoting the Miguel Torres brand throughout the United States. Prior to that Mr. Pujol was Brand Manager for Torres Chile involved in the worldwide sales and marketing of the Chilean portfolio of wines. Mr. Pujol earned an advanced oenology degree from the University of Bourgogne in Dijon, France and shortly thereafter became the chief wine maker at the Miguel Torres winery in Spain holding that position from 1991-2000. Torres produces exceptional, limited production wines like the famous Mas La Plana Black Label which was recently named as one of the “world’s best cabernets” by Wine Enthusiast magazine. A wine making philosophy which goes back five generations, they truly believe that “our family is in every bottle”.

Rick Garced is a well-known wine master, restaurateur, writer and wine consultant based in Miami, Florida and Europe. He has been instrumental in the development of award winning wine and service operations programs for American and global companies in hospitality such as Windows on the World, wine consultant to Celebrity Cruises, Apollo Ship Chandlers, Silversea Cruises and wine editor and columnist for Dining Out Magazine.
He is the Founding President & CEO of the United States Sommelier Association, an educational and professional organization that has operated the USSA Wine School at Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts, Miami and at Johnson & Wales University, Florida Campus over the past ten years.
Educated at leading institutions such as Brookdale College, NJ; Purdue University’s School of Hospitality, IN; Sterling Vineyards School of Service and Hospitality, Napa Valley, and the University of Paris-Sorbonne. Rick is a great educator whose is happy to share his passion for wine with others.