Michael's Genuine Wine Club: A Monthly Bottle Selection Worth Joining

Michael Schwartz has been cooking ingredient-driven food in Miami's Design District since 2007. Five consecutive Michelin Bib Gourmand awards later, the kitchen at Michael's Genuine Food & Drink is still as good as ever — and now Schwartz and Sommelier Amanda Fraga are extending that same philosophy to your home cellar. The Genuine Wine Club is a monthly bottle subscription built around the wines that actually light up the team's palates, sourced from beyond the restaurant lists at Michael's Genuine and Amara.

The Genuine Wine Club is a curated monthly wine membership — limited in size, intentional in selection. Each month, Schwartz and Fraga hand-pick bottles they're genuinely excited about: deep cuts, hidden gems, and member-only finds from producers around the globe. These are not the wines you'll find on every restaurant list. They're the bottles the team reaches for when the restaurant closes and the staff sits down together.

Membership is currently on a waitlist due to high demand, which tells you something about the appetite for this kind of access in Miami. The base tier — Genuine Wine Club, 2 Bottles — is $75 per month. Members receive two sommelier-selected wines from small producers worldwide, described as approachable and versatile picks, each accompanied by tasting notes for easy enjoyment at home.

The most compelling add-on is the Lua Rossa — Chef Michael's proprietary red blend, developed annually in collaboration with Au Bon Climat in Santa Barbara. Named after his daughter Lua, who also designed the label, the Lua Rossa No. 8 is a medium-bodied red blend exclusive to Michael's Genuine and Amara. It's the bottle the OpenTable editors specifically called out as the drink you need to order with your meal. Members can add one bottle for $30 per month.

The Lua Rossa is not available through retail channels. If you've had it at the restaurant and wanted to take it home, this is the only way to do it consistently.

The mechanics are straightforward. Each month, Schwartz and Fraga select the bottles and send members an email with the release timing — same schedule each month so you can plan around it. Members can choose pickup or delivery. The next order ships in December 2026. Membership can be paused or cancelled at any time.

Every selection comes with the story behind the bottle and why it caught the team's attention. Tasting notes are included when you want them — the club doesn't require you to engage with the wine academically, but the information is there if you do.

Beyond the bottles, membership includes a complimentary snack at Amara on pickup day and early access to events at both Michael's Genuine and Amara. For anyone who already frequents either restaurant, those perks alone make the math work. Amara, Schwartz's waterfront restaurant on the Miami River, has become one of the city's most coveted reservations — early event access is not a throwaway benefit.

Michael's Genuine opened in the Design District in spring 2007, before the neighborhood became what it is today. Schwartz started bussing tables at 15 and never left the kitchen. The word 'genuine' has been the measuring stick for everything the restaurant does — the menu, the sourcing, the service. The wine club is an extension of that same standard: wines they actually love, chosen the same way they choose what goes on the plate.

Bon Appétit called Michael's Genuine 'refreshingly approachable yet upscale' in 2022. The wine club carries the same register — serious curation without the pretension. If you've been looking for a wine subscription that feels like it was built by people who actually cook and eat rather than by an algorithm, this is the one to join.

The Genuine Wine Club is currently accepting waitlist signups. The base membership is $75/month for two bottles. The Lua Rossa add-on is $30/month. Pickup is available at Michael's Genuine (130 NE 40th St, Miami Design District) and Amara at Paraiso (3101 NE 7th Ave, Miami). Next order: December 2026.