Judith Smelser Tastings, Wine Experiences, Winemakers

Greece, South Africa, and Napa star in next week’s wine events

Toast the start of May this week by indulging in a little virtual wine travel.

K Restaurant hosts a Greek dinner on Wednesday with some cool wine pairings! If you don’t know Greek wine, this is a great way to try it.

Friday, Tim’s Orlando is bringing in two great South African producers – one focusing on Rhone varietals and the other on Bordeaux – for a fun tasting.

On Saturday, Norman’s showcases selections from Napa’s Peter Michael Winery at a paring dinner.

Check the calendar for a couple of other fun tastings next week … and also for a number of noteworthy events coming up later in the month including:

  • dinner with Bonny Doon’s Randall Grahm
  • an exclusive tasting of Napa wines not currently available in Florida, and
  • an opportunity to learn all about Bordeaux.

Happy May, Orlando!

Judith Smelser Tastings, Wine Experiences

Dinner with Dom, California & French tastings within walking distance – and that’s just tonight!

The roundup comes a little early this week because this weekend alone is jam packed.

First, leave it to Norman’s to prove the point that Champagne is a serious food wine, not to be restricted to wedding toasts and New Year’s Eve parties. They’re putting on a four-course dinner tonight (Friday 4/20) paired with vintage Dom Perignon, no less.

Not feeling so fancy – or can’t snag a reservation? Not to worry. Head to College Park for not one but two laid back but high quality tastings:

Digress hosts winemaker and proprietor John Lockwood of California’s Enfield Wine Co. for a tasting of his wines;

K Restaurant holds its monthly Wine Flight Friday – this time the spotlight is on France.

The two events overlap, but they’re only a five-minute walk away from each other, so you can easily make both. That’s my kind of bar crawl!!

Tomorrow (Saturday 4/21) it’s a celebration of chardonnay from around the world at an interactive seminar at Imperium Wine Bar … in Celebration.

Monday brings an event that truly puts the geek in wine geekery – a wine-themed spelling bee at Swirlery!

The rest of the week’s offerings include a Willamette Valley class at Tim’s Orlando and a Duckhorn tasting at Tim’s Windermere.

Details for these and many more Orlando-area wine events are on the Events Page.

You’re going to be busy this week, Central Florida. Wine on!

 

Judith Smelser Tastings, Wine Experiences

A Wine Event a Day Keeps the Blues Away

Central Florida’s wine calendar is full of diverse events next week, and they’re nicely distributed too. If you pace yourself, you could attend a wine event a day. You’d get a broad array of wines and food pairing experiences … and never have to worry about Fear of Missing Out.

Start things off Monday at Digress with oysters and a whole bunch of wines that go with oysters (think Champagne, muscadet, Sancerre and the like).

Tuesday, sample Sonoma with a tasting from Ramey Wine Cellars at Swirlery. It’s free if you buy any of the featured wines.

Wednesday, it’s back to France with a class on wines of the Rhone Valley at Tim’s Orlando.

A free tasting at Tim’s Lake Mary on Thursday lets you explore chardonnay styles that go beyond what you might be used to.

Friday, it’s back to California (mostly), with a wine dinner at Capital Grille I-Drive featuring Revana Family Wines. The spotlight will no doubt be on their Napa selections, but a few Argentinian bottles will be on offer too.

One more thing – SUNDAY is the deadline to register for early-bird pricing for an upcoming South African wine class led by Dr. Robin Back of South Africa’s Fairview Wines at the Rosen College beer and wine lab. It’s hosted by Central Florida Women for Winesense.

So … Whatever your wine fancy, there’s something for you next week in the Orlando area. The details on the Events Page should help you make your decisions. And if you’re indecisive, hey, why not try them all?!