Judith Smelser Tastings, Wine Experiences

Slipping Slowly into Summer Wine Season

Temperatures continue to warm in the City Beautiful, and I can feel the tempo beginning to slow down on the wine scene, as Central Florida slips into its languid summer pace. But there are still plenty of events to enjoy and plenty of recurring events to check out too.

Given the slower pace, I’ll go ahead and share event highlights for the next two weeks. It works out well, since I’ll also be a little busy in the coming days. As I write this, I’m winging my way to California wine country – be sure to follow me on Instagram and Facebook for updates on my adventures!

Without further ado, here are …

ORLANDO’S NEXT TWO WEEKS IN WINE:

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Judith Smelser Tastings, Wine Experiences, Winemakers

California, Italy, and Argentina on Tap for This Week’s Wine Events

It’s that time of year when the thermometer starts to inch up, but Orlando’s wine calendar shows no sign of cooling down. This week, hang with a winemaker from Santa Barbara, sample wines from Mount Vesuvius, sip some classic Napa cab, and much more. Here are some highlights of …

ORLANDO’S WEEK IN WINE

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Judith Smelser Tastings, Wine Experiences

Warming Weather Puts a Spring in Orlando’s Wine Calendar!

Spring has most definitely sprung in Central Florida! The weather is getting steadily warmer, and so is the Orlando wine events calendar. The week ahead offers a splash of rosé, an evening of wine trivia, a bubbly brunch, and much more. Read on for all you need to know about …

ORLANDO’S WEEK IN WINE!

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Judith Smelser Tastings, Wine Experiences, Wine News, Winemakers

Ashes & Diamonds: Napa Wines That Bring Back the Joy

Like many people who get bitten by the wine bug, my journey into the world of wine has taken me in many different directions. The more serious I’ve become about my wine education, the more I’ve learned to appreciate the nuances wine has to offer … and yet, sometimes I fear that path may take me away from the joy that inspired me to start the journey.

That’s why I appreciate all the more those times that bring back the joy – the times when I’m reminded that wine is about more than acid and tannin, more than determining whether the nose has aromas of roses or violets, more than whether a wine is aged in French or American oak or whether it’s filtered or fined.

Wine is about community. It’s about good food, good music, good friends old and new. It’s about a day that starts out gray and ends up sunny – literally, figuratively, or both.

Today, Florida-based Progress Wine Group hosted a trade lunch to introduce Orlando’s wine professionals to Kashy Khaledi and his wines from Napa’s Ashes & Diamonds Winery.

For me, everything came together at this event to bring back all the joy.

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Judith Smelser Tastings, Wine Experiences, Wine News, Winemakers

Magic Hosts First Orlando Wine Festival; Lots of Events Coming Up This Week

This weekend was a big one for Orlando’s wine scene, with the inaugural Orlando Wine Festival on Saturday at the Ritz-Carlton Grande Lakes. The Orlando Magic organized the event and invited me to attend the al fresco grand tasting.

It featured mostly Napa wines, and while those big reds were a little challenging to drink outside on a warm day, it was worth it to taste some of the classic wines on hand – Dunn and Heitz were among the biggest names. I also enjoyed making a few new discoveries, including one of Argentina’s first GSM Rhone-style blends from Corazon del Sol, a project of Napa’s Revana Family Vineyard. All the winery representatives were lovely and informative too.

My only regret is that the festival’s high price tag (the cheapest package was $2500 per couple) kept many members of Orlando’s robust and active community of wine lovers away. Of course, the Magic sees the event primarily as a fundraiser for its Youth Foundation, but it would be nice if the team could find a way to make it more accessible to Orlando oenophiles who regularly support local wine establishments.

There are plenty of wine events coming up this week with significantly lower barriers to entry, though. Read on for the highlights.

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Judith Smelser Tastings, Wine Experiences, Wine News, Winemakers

New Events & Two New Places to Wine – The Imperial Winter Park & Eola General

It’s a great time to be a wine lover in the City Beautiful!

The number of wine-focused and wine-aware establishments just keeps growing (details on two brand new ones are below), as does the number of wine events popping up on the calendar. Because of this embarrassment of riches, you may notice a slight change in the level of detail on these regular posts. From now on, I’ll highlight a maximum of two events per day – but I’ll always let you know when there are more, and you can always find the full listing on the Wine Events page.

Without further ado, let’s get right to the highlights of …

ORLANDO’S WEEK IN WINE

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Judith Smelser Wine Experiences, Wine News

Orlando Magic’s Inaugural Wine Festival Targets Big Spenders, Napa Lovers

Orlando is leaping into the high-end wine festival game next month.

After almost three decades, the Orlando Magic is trading its annual Black Tie & Tennies fundraiser for a wine and food extravaganza modeled on similar events in Naples, Destin, and Napa. Ticket sales end in less than a week.

alex-martins-and-dan-devos-with-wine-glass-sculpture-092418_omwf_promo_fm_f018577_edited.jpg
Orlando Magic CEO Alex Martins and Chairman Dan DeVos. Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images)

The Orlando Wine Festival and Auction weekend kicks off on Friday, March 15 with twelve themed vintner dinners at private homes around the area, where attendees will rub elbows with winemakers over meals cooked by celebrity chefs from near and far. The main event takes place the next day at the Ritz-Carlton Grande Lakes, featuring a three-hour al fresco tasting, followed by a live auction and a dinner. Some packages also include tickets to the Magic’s game against the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday.

The festival’s participating wineries are almost exclusively from Napa, including high end heavy hitters like Dunn, Heitz, Cliff Lede, and Rudd.

The price of admission is also on the high end, with packages starting at $2,500 per couple – for admission to Saturday’s events – and going up to $18,500 for four people. There are no a la carte ticket options.

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