In Miami Beach, an epicurean meal in a sumptuous setting with an East Hampton group

My Casa in Miami Beach

It would be a stretch to say that I went to Miami Beach last weekend to report on wine. But the experience of drinking wine while paying attention to the characteristics of both the wine and the surroundings, and then conveying some useful or interesting information to readers is never far from the mind of a wine correspondent.

I was actually in Miami Beach to attend a birthday celebration for Aaron Lieber, an East Hampton resident. Our host, Bruce Horton, who is an art collector, plus a handful of the eighteen guests, live part time in East Hampton, and it was refreshing to see them in a tropical setting with palm trees rather than on a bench on Newtown Lane.

The dinner was held at Casa Tua, a strikingly beautiful Mediterranean revival villa that is an unexpected architectural contrast to the Art Deco style of the area. Once you walk through the iron gates, you leave behind the edgy, vibrant, youthful style that we associate with Miami Beach. Everything here is quiet, refined and traditionally correct.

Surrounded by high hedges and without signage, Casa Tua houses a restaurant, a private club and five very luxurious guest suites. The whole place, from the furnishings to the food and wine, to the art and scrupulous details, is frankly sybaritic and elitist. It may be politically incorrect these days to describe things as elitist, but when it comes to taste and lifestyles, there surely is a place for excellence that purposefully distinguishes itself from the commonplace.

Casa Tua translates as “your house” and this definitely is the way we should all be living—at least once in a while, especially when the bank account permits some expensive indulgences. Prices at Casa Tua are very high, as you would expect, but you are buying something close to perfection.

Our evening began on a brick terrace in the lush garden with a glass of Domaines Ott, the time honored and popular rosé of the south of France. The choice was a deliberate nod on the part of Mr. Horton to summer 2005 in East Hampton, the first seasonal taste of a color and style of wine we will be sipping throughout the season. It was a fine and appropriate gesture.

Our group then moved to a vast chef’s table flanking the sparkling tiled kitchen, where we were offered Chalk Hill chardonnay from the Napa Valley, and Stag’s Leap cabernet sauvignon, also from Napa. Since we had a choice of two or three items for every course, these wines were intended to cover a range of foods, and they succeeded in this very well.

Chalk Hill produces a rich chardonnay in a contemporary California style. The fruit stands out but the wine is hardly a fruit bomb, and the oak notes are delicate and in balance, so it pairs well with food. It was a good match for my appetizer of tiny bay scallops and my main course of seared branzino. I could easily have drunk the chardonnay throughout the meal, but I wanted to at least sample the Stag’s Leap, a wine I know and like, and I switched to that with my second course, a risotto with butternut squash and fontina cheese. I realize it not conventional to go from white to red and back to white during dinner, but on this festive evening it worked just fine for me.

Champagne from Duval-Leroy accompanied dessert. It is not a big brand name—it’s much better known in Europe than here—but it was a sophisticated choice from a winery that is still family owned and managed.

Because Casa Tua is clearly an ambitious restaurant I took the opportunity to examine their complete wine list, and I was impressed with the planning than had gone into it. I should say wine lists because Casa Tua offers both a regular list and a more unusual and expensive one called “Cellar Selections.” Most wines that tempted me were priced over $100, often above $300. A number of smaller boutique wineries and some “cult wines” were represented and offered delectable choices.

There seems to be a lot of movement between Miami Beach and the Hamptons, so it is encouraging to know that Casa Tua measures up the high standards we are used to at home and expect while traveling.