MÖTLEY CRÜE frontman VINCE NEIL will make two appearances at the Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival, February 22nd to 25th.

On Sunday, February 25th at 2pm, Neil himself will preside over the bar along with Francesco Lafranconi, founder and director of Southern Wine & Spirits of Nevada's Academy of Spirits in the step by step concoction of everybody's favorite frozen cocktail.

Neil will initiate margarita lovers in the art of making the perfect "Rita", blended with his own Tres Rios tequila, the outcome of a dedicated search by Neil for the purest 100% agave nectar, which he found flourishing at the juncture of three rivers in Mexico.

Later that afternoon at the Publix Grand Tasting Village, Neil will open the Delta Live Auction tailored to the ultimate Vince Neil fan. Up for bids is one case of signed bottles of Vince Neil's Tres Rios Tequila, two first class tickets on Delta Airlines to Las Vegas, a "sweet" suite at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas with all accommodations for two, a personal invitation from Vince to have drinks with him in person at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas, dinner at the RIO at Café Martorano and a Vince Neil personally autographed guitar. Bidding begins online at www.sobeauction.cmarket.com and carries over to the Delta Live Auction on Sunday, February 25th.

Tasting Neil's perfect Rita is just one opportunity from the compendium of spirit-oriented events at this year's Food Network South Beach Food & Wine Festival. Held at the South Beach Marriott throughout the weekend are four interactive cocktail clinics focusing on creative cocktails, such as an intensive on "muddled" drinks such as caipirinhas and mojitos, a refresher on classic cocktails, and a return to sexy libations perfumed with rose essence. These cocktail clinics sessions are all hands-on, and led by master mixologists Tony Abou-Ganim and Francesco Lafranconi, both winners of cocktail competitions.

For a complete listing of events and for more information, please visit the festival website at www.sobewineandfoodfest.com or call 877-762-3933.

Produced by Florida International University and Southern Wine & Spirits of Florida, with the support of the Miami Beach Visitors and Convention Authority, the Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival presented by Food & Wine magazine will continue to bring together some of the planet's greatest chefs, winemakers, spirits producers and culinary personalities to entertain patrons in high style and to educate palates with cooking demos and wine seminars. Events include the Moet & Chandon BubbleQ, Wine Spectator's Best of the Best, Wine Spectator Wine Seminars, Burger Bash and the Grand Tasting Village to name just a few.