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?!

Judith Smelser Tastings, Wine Experiences

Two Free Events & a Bordeaux Dinner

Whether you’re pinching pennies to save up for a big summer vacation or in the mood to splash out, you’re in luck with this week’s wine events.

For the savers, there are two free tastings on offer:

Tomorrow, Swirlery is offering complimentary tastes of Napa cab and sauvignon blanc.

Thursday, it’s a free rosé tasting at Tim’s Lake Mary.

For the big spenders, check out Norman’s five course Bordeaux dinner next Saturday, hosted by  Master Sommelier Laura DePasquale.

Check the Events Page for details on these events and many more tastings, dinners, and classes.

Cheers!

Judith Smelser Wine Experiences, Wine News

Digress Wine flouts wine conventions with new concept in former Cavanaugh’s; Food service planned for later this year

Forget worrying about what wine pairs with fish or steak. Digress Wine in College Park is asking deeper questions:

What wine pairs with … a hard day at work?

A quiet evening by yourself?

Catching up with old friends?

A geek-out session with your wine buddies?

A first date – or a fifth? 

Former wine sales reps Brian Kerney and Rob Chase are in the process of transitioning the store, which they purchased last fall, into a combination wine bar and retail shop with a concept they hope will change the way Orlando thinks about wine.

Continue reading “Digress Wine flouts wine conventions with new concept in former Cavanaugh’s; Food service planned for later this year” →

Judith Smelser Tastings, Wine Experiences, Winemakers

Celebrate Spring with Two Napa Winemakers and Seasonal Tastings

Spring has sprung in Central Florida (even if not officially), and next week offers several ways to celebrate with a sip or two.

First, there are two opportunities to taste wine with the people who make it.

On Tuesday, Christophe Paubert from Stags’ Leap Winery leads a tasting at The Wine Room on Park Ave. I had the opportunity to taste with Christophe at his winery last fall as part of the Wine Bloggers Conference and to hear about his non-interventionist winemaking philosophy.

Wednesday, Stonestreet winemaker Lisa Valtenbergs will host a tasting at Swirlery.

Tim’s in Lake Mary-Sanford is in a springtime mood next week, with a free tasting of wines for spring on Thursday and a Low Country Boil with wine pairings Saturday.

Check out the Events Page for all the details.

Cheers to this beautiful season!

Judith Smelser Tastings, Wine Experiences

Next Week Offers a Wine-Drenched Geography Lesson

I love when the oenophilic (that’s really a word!) stars align and allow us Central Floridians to travel the globe through the magic portal of a wine glass — or rather, many wine glasses. Next week is one of those times.

  • On Tuesday, explore romantic Spain at Cavanaugh’s.
  • Get sparkly with a trip to Champagne on Wednesday, courtesy of Tim’s Orlando.
  • Thursday, come back down to earth at Swirlery with organic wines from Oregon.
  • Finally, end your week in South Africa (otherwise known as the K Restaurant garden) on Friday.

Check the Events Calendar for details on these events and many more in the weeks ahead.

Cheers and happy travels, Orlando!

Judith Smelser Tastings, Winemakers

Winemakers Descend on Orlando for Multiple Events Next Week

If you follow Orlando Wine Blog on Instagram or Facebook, you’ll know I’ve been traveling this week. (If you don’t, you should be – I post fun stuff!)

My flight is about to land back home in the City Beautiful, so I don’t have much time to write, but I have updated the Events Page for you all, and I guarantee you’ll want to take a look.

Next week features no fewer than SEVEN events with winemakers, winery owners, and other winery reps. You’ll have the chance to try Barbarescos from Italy’s Piedmont and high-end pinots from Oregon’s Soter Vineyards, experience wine paired with gourmet grilled cheeses, and so much more. That’s just a small sampling of the amazing events coming up.

Check the Events Page for details, and do NOT miss out on these great opportunities!

Judith Smelser Tastings, Wine Experiences

From Dali to the Moon: Next Week’s Wine Events are Out of this World

What do Salvador Dali, Australia, and the “Super Blue Blood Moon” have in common? That’s right, wine! Each item on that list provides the theme for one of this week’s events on Orlando’s ever-more-creative wine calendar.

On Wednesday, Swirlery is having a “Blue Moon Fizz” party, which has nothing to do with Blue Moon beer and everything to do with the cosmic event that’s happening that night. They’ll be toasting the blue moon with sparkling wines known as pet-nats, short for Pétillant Naturel. These unique wines are made using an ancient method that’s gained new popularity in recent years.

If you don’t feel like going to the moon on Wednesday, you can go to Australia, which is almost as far away. It’s already tomorrow there, after all. Tim’s Wine Market Orlando is offering a class that will reintroduce you to Australian wines, which have rebounded nicely from their recent moments of mass-production madness.

Finally, leave it to the new kids on the block at Cavanaugh’s to let us know about Salvador Dali’s connection to wine. Turns out, the surrealist artist co-created a book in 1977 called “Wines of Gala.” If you’ve seen any of Dali’s work, you won’t be surprised that the book presents an unconventional way of categorizing wines – not by grape or region or even by characteristic, but by the “sensations they create in our very depths.” Next Saturday, Cavanaugh’s will offer a casual tasting of eight wines purported to induce joy. Skeptical? You’ll never know until you try!

Details for these and many, many more Central Florida wine events are on the Events Page.

Cheers to creativity, Orlando!

Judith Smelser Wine Experiences

Wine Events All Over the Map!

There’s no rhyme or reason to the coming week in Orlando-area wine events. That’s not great for bloggers looking for a theme, but it is great for wine lovers because it means there’s something for everyone!

This weekend has a Spanish flavor, with events at K Restaurant and Vintage Vino.

Next week, kick things off on Monday with the national president of Women for Winesense, an organization founded over a quarter century ago to support women in the wine industry (men can come too!) …

… and finish things up on Friday with a free Champagne tasting (yes, you read that right) at Urbain 40.

In between, travel to Italy with Tim Varan, enjoy a decadent Sonoma wine dinner at 1921, and learn the basics of wine at Tim’s in Lake Mary-Sanford.

Check out the Calendar Page for details on these and many more upcoming wine events around Central Florida.

Whatever your fancy, you’ll find something to indulge in this week. Happy exploring!