Judith Smelser Tastings, Wine Experiences

Tastings Take Central Floridians to Exotic Locales

20181005_070829Next week’s wine events will take you to France, Italy, and South Africa without ever leaving metro Orlando!

Monday, there’s a complimentary tasting of Ruinart Champagne at Wine Bar George. (Yes, that’s free Champagne, and not the kind that has to be spelled with a small “c.”)

Tuesday, choose between a trip to Burgundy with a five-course pairing dinner at Luma on Park featuring producer Albert Bichot, and a voyage to Tuscany with a Brunello tasting at Bella Tuscany.

Thursday, combine two of the three, as Swirlery hosts a tasting of wines from Glenelly Estate, a project in South Africa by a native of Bordeaux.

To cap it all off, it’s worth checking with Tim’s Sanford-Lake Mary to see if there are any seats left for next Sunday‘s bubbles dinner at K Restaurant, because nothing tops off a trip around the world like bubbles!

Details for these and many more wine happenings are on the Events Page.

Cheers to international wine travel, Orlando!

 

Judith Smelser Tastings, Wine Experiences

Indulgence, Gratitude, Film … and Wine

Happy almost-October!

Holiday decorations are showing up in stores, and Central Florida’s wine community is starting to kick into gear for high season. The calendar for next week – and for all of next month – is looking packed.

Local wine merchants are wholeheartedly embracing the start of the season of indulgence. Next week offers not one, not two, but four wine events centered around cheese, chocolate, or both.

Tuesday, The Wine Room on Park Ave. kicks off a three-night event series honoring American Cheese Month. Two of the three feature wine pairings.

Thursday, choose between a wine and chocolate tasting at Luisa’s Cellar and the latest Wine, Cheese & Chocolate – Perfectly Paired event at Quantum Leap Winery.

Fall is also the season of giving and gratitude.

Swirlery Wine Bar is teaming up with Uncommon Catering on Thursday to offer a seven-course “Gratitude” pairing dinner benefiting Second Harvest Food Bank.

Something else to be thankful for – Wine Bar George has announced two complimentary (yes, that means free) tastings in October. The first is Monday and features Sonoma’s Smoke Tree Wines with food pairings.

Finally, for those of you following the wine drenched documentary series Somm, the  third installment is out, and Wine Bar George will be hosting a screening next Saturday, complete with a blind tasting, of course.

This is by no means a full listing of all the events on offer next week, so check out the Events Page, and make your plan of attack.

Happy Season, Orlando!

 

Judith Smelser Tastings, Wine Experiences

Piedmont, New York … and a lesson on planning ahead

Plenty of fun wine events are on offer in Central Florida in the coming week.

Saturday’s Women for Winesense New York wines event is still welcoming registrations, as is the latest in Vintage Vino’s “Road to Ultimate Wine Knowledge” series, focusing on the wines of Italy, Spain, Portugal and Germany.

Tuesday, explore some of the lesser known grape varietals of Italy’s Piedmont region, with small plates to pair, at Bella Tuscany in Windermere.

There are a couple of events next week that you can’t attend unless you’ve already guaranteed your seat.

Thursday’s Cambria Wine & Cheese tasting at Tim’s Lake Mary-Sanford is sold out, as is a wine and cupcake tasting at Luisa’s Cellar the same day. I’d say it might be something about those uber-efficient Sanford oenophiles … but the fact is, there are many weeks when I don’t mention an event because it’s sold out.

It’s a good reminder to scroll down a little farther when you check the Events Page for details of all these events. If you see something you like, book ahead!

Cheers to fighting procrastination, Orlando!

Judith Smelser Tastings, Wine Experiences, Winemakers

De Toren all over town! Plus taste and learn with two Masters

What a week we have coming up in Central Florida!

First off, winemaker Albie Koch from South Africa’s celebrated De Toren winery will be in town, offering three opportunities to taste his boutique wines:

Wednesday at Swirlery

Thursday at Vintage Vino

Friday at Wine Bar George for a twelve vintage retrospective of the flagship Bordeaux blend, De Toren Fusion V.

But that’s not all!

Tuesday offers opportunities to learn from two of Central Florida’s resident wine masters:

Master Sommelier John Blazon will lead a tasting of Spire Collection wines at Bella Tuscany in Windermere.

Master of Wine Jean K. Reilly kicks off her latest WSET Level 2 certification course at Tim’s Orlando.

On top of all that, there are two Southern Italian tastings next week, as well as a tasting of New York wines led by three prominent women in that state’s growing wine industry, via Facebook Live.

Check out the Events Page for details of these events and other options for next week and beyond.

Get out and taste the wine, Orlando!

Judith Smelser Tastings, Wine Experiences, Winemakers

Big Tastings, Blind Tastings, & More

Orlando’s wine purveyors want you to expand your palate over the coming week, with two opportunities to try and compare a vast array of wines.

Tomorrow (Saturday, September 8), Swirlery is celebrating its third anniversary with a grand tasting of more than 30 wines. Light bites are included.

Next Saturday, September 15, Luisa’s Cellar in Sanford is celebrating harvest with a patio tasting, also featuring more than 30 wines.

Also coming up …

A blind tasting tomorrow with Master Sommelier George Miliotes at his eponymous Disney Springs wine bar;

A dinner with the winemaker from Silkwood Wines in California’s Central Valley on Wednesday at The Vineyard;

And a tasting of Spanish coastal wines at Luisa’s Cellar on Thursday.

Details are on the Events Page, where you’ll also find barrels of new entries for the rest of the month and into October.

Cheers to Almost Fall, Orlando!

Judith Smelser Tastings, Wine Experiences

Fall into Wine

Looking at the calendar – not to mention the thermometer – you’ll know it’s not really fall in Central Florida yet. But Labor Day does mark the unofficial end of summer, and what better way to celebrate than with wine? Our local wine purveyors are happy to oblige, with a selection of tastings and events next week. A few highlights:

Tuesday, Tim’s Avalon Park hosts a class and tasting focusing on Rhone wines.

Wednesday, hit the books at Tim’s Orlando with the popular “Educated Consumer” class, which helped launch my journey into wine geekery a few years ago.

Thursday, compare Old and New World wines at an educational tasting at Luisa’s Cellar.

Friday, taste an array of wines from Italy’s Marche region at Tim’s Orlando with the export manager from Garofoli Wines.

Saturday, celebrate Swirlery’s third anniversary with a grand tasting.

Find details of all these events and more at the Events Page. Cheers to a great Labor Day weekend, Orlando!

Judith Smelser Tastings, Wine Experiences

Wine, Wine Everywhere!

Central Florida continues its slow sip through summer, with a diverse array of wine events in the coming week. A few highlights:

  • Vintage Vino continues its “Road to Ultimate Wine Knowledge” series tomorrow (Saturday) with a class focusing on French wines.
  • Tim’s Windermere repeats its popular Wagner Family tasting on Sunday, with barbecue to soak up the high ABV.
  • DoveCote hosts a four-course dinner paired with Halter Ranch wines on Wednesday – it’s a seriously good value.
  • Also on Wednesday, sample some of Austria’s great producers at Swirlery (maybe clone yourself and go to both?!)
  • Give your wallet a break and sip on budget bubbles at a free tasting Thursday at Tim’s Lake Mary … because all that bubbles doesn’t have to be Champagne!

Get all the details on the Events Page … and while you’re there, start populating your September wine calendar. Plenty of events are already in the works for the first month of “Autumn” in Central Florida. Cheers!

Judith Smelser Tastings, Wine Experiences, Wine News

Franciacorta Consortium chooses Orlando for first Florida masterclass

Franciacorta is a baby, as Italian wine regions go. It wasn’t officially recognized until the 1960s, and its DOCG status was granted just over two decades ago.

But sparkling wine from this region near Milan is starting to turn heads, and its producers are getting more savvy in their efforts to raise its profile around the world.

Franciacorta Rashmi
Rashmi Primlani, Franciacorta’s new brand ambassador

Earlier this year, the Franciacorta Consortium hired Orlando sommelier Rashmi Primlani as a brand ambassador. Last week, she hosted a small group of local journalists and wine professionals at Orlando Chef Kevin Fonzo‘s “La Tavola” in College Park for the Consortium’s first Florida masterclass.

Continue reading “Franciacorta Consortium chooses Orlando for first Florida masterclass” →

Judith Smelser Tastings, Wine Experiences

Wine Safari Saturday, Empanada Pairings & More Orlando Wine Events

“Wine Safari Saturday” is not an official wine event (as far as I know!), but this Saturday, you can make your own oenophile adventure out of the plethora of wine events on tap up and down the I-4 corridor.

The four happenings are spread across time and geography in such a way that it would be physically possible to hit three of the four on a north-to-south safari — provided, of course, that you have a very patient designated driver (or a hefty ride share budget) and that you’re disciplined enough to spit!

The day starts at Cress Restaurant in DeLand with a late morning class on the influence of oak in wines, led by sommelier Jenneffer Pulapaka.

Next, it’s down to Vintages in Baldwin Park for an Argentinian tasting featuring Bodega Lanzarini.

For your final and southernmost event of the day, you have a choice to make:

— attend the Paul Hobbs pairing dinner at Norman’s

or …

— return to Italian wines at Vintage Vino‘s Zonin tasting in Kissimmee.

If you decide to skip the safari – or if you really are disciplined enough to spit – there are plenty of fun events next week too.

The most unusual comes from the folks at Swirlery Wine Bar, where creative pairings are the name of the game. Most recently, they paired wines with music; this coming Wednesday they’ll offer wine with … empanadas! Uncommon Catering is stuffing the Latin delicacies with five different fillings; Swirlery somm Melissa McAvoy is pairing each one with a different wine.

For the more conventional, Bites & Bubbles is hosting a wine-paired dinner to celebrate Julia Child’s birthday on Thursday.

Friday, it’s back to the garden with another edition of K Restaurant‘s Wine Flight Friday, this time featuring wines of Argentina.

There’s no shortage of options on this Back-to-School week in Central Florida. Check the Events Page for details of these and many more. Here’s to new wine adventures!

Judith Smelser Tastings, Uncategorized, Wine Experiences, Wine News

Aromatized Wines: Where wine and cocktails meet

You may have never heard of “aromatized wines,” but if you’ve ever had a martini or a Negroni, you’ve enjoyed them. You’ve also experienced this ancient beverage category if you’ve ever ordered a craft cocktail with “Cardamaro” or “Cocchi Americano” buried in its long list of ingredients.

By definition, aromatized wines are fortified wines (think Port and Sherry) flavored with herbs, spices, bark, flowers, or just about anything else you can find in a forest.

Cardamaro and Cocchi Americano are both aromatized wines, as are the vermouth in your martini and the Campari in your Negroni. (Campari is a brand of amaro, which falls within the broader aromatized wine family.) Seriously, this stuff is like science class … but studying it is a lot more fun!

Orlando’s Master of Wine Jean K. Reilly, who runs Slate Wine & Spirits Academy, hosted a class on aromatized wines last week at Norman’s at the Ritz Carlton. The presenter, Rob McCaughey, is a jovial Brit now based in Charleston, SC, who works on the spirits side of the WSET (Wine & Spirit Education Trust).

Continue reading “Aromatized Wines: Where wine and cocktails meet” →