Six countries are represented on the Orlando wine events calendar next week – and a busy week it is! From Argentina to Italy, from Napa to Lebanon, you can sample the terroirs of wine regions iconic and under the radar. And that’s not all! Here are some highlights of the week to come.
Continue reading “Sip Your Way Around the Globe Next Week in Orlando”
Your holiday break is over, Orlando! The post-Christmas lull on the local wine event scene is about to give way to a steady ramp-up over the next month.
Area wine merchants seem to have latched onto next Thursday as the day to jump back into things. Such traffic jams are unfortunate, as I’ve opined about before, but on the bright side, maybe this one will help you work on your new year’s resolution to be more decisive!
Here are a few highlights of upcoming events:
Continue reading “Orlando’s Wine Event Calendar Heats Up in the New Year”
I’ll admit I’ve always felt a twinge of sticker shock at the prices for the events and tastings at Wine Bar George. I know, I know, it’s at Disney Springs, and it’s helmed by a Master Sommelier. But still, it’s tough to part with $70-100+ for a tasting (plus a hefty Lyft fare), when standard tastings at most local wine establishments cost half that amount.
Earlier this month, however, Master Somm George Miliotes and his team invited me to attend an event as their guest, and I can tell you, this was no standard tasting.
Cristom Vineyards in the Eola-Amity Hills region of Oregon’s Willamette Valley is celebrating its 25th anniversary. The festivities include a road show featuring an exclusive tasting with owner and winegrower Tom Gerrie comparing multiple vintages of the winery’s single vineyard pinot noirs.
When I say “multiple,” I mean we sampled nine pinot noirs from four single vineyards and six vintages.
When I say “exclusive,” I mean Cristom is presenting this tasting in only six cities around the country, including New York and San Francisco. Orlando was the only city in Florida to make the list.
‘Tis the season for celebrating, and what a festive wine-filled week we have coming up in Central Florida!
The calendar is brimming with tastings and dinners. You’ll be faced with some tough choices, but the good news is, it’ll be hard to make a bad decision. There’s not room here to even begin to list every event, so here are some highlights, but be sure to check the Events Page for the full list.
Continue reading “Orlando’s Holiday Wine-ing Gets into Full Swing”
Note: It is customary for wineries to waive tasting fees and host complimentary events for wine writers. Some wineries mentioned in this post extended that courtesy.
Last week, we toured tasting rooms in charming downtown Walla Walla, Washington. Turns out, there’s much more to this hub of Washington State winemaking than just the downtown core.
I was in the area last month to attend the 2018 Wine Bloggers Conference, and while I didn’t have much time to explore beyond downtown, I did venture out to a few special spots.
This coming Thursday, I’ll host what I hope will be the first of many Orlando Wine Blog events – a unique opportunity to taste and learn about the wines of Missouri. That state played a major role in America’s early winemaking history and is home to the country’s first AVA. We’ll compare some of Missouri’s current wines with more familiar grapes and wine regions. I hope you’ll join me at Digress Wine for a geeky good time! (Seating is very limited, so get your tickets now.)
That tasting is in great company, coming during a very full week of exciting wine events around the region! Here are a few highlights.
Note: It is common practice for wineries to waive tasting fees for wine writers. Some of the tasting rooms reviewed in this post extended that courtesy.
Washington’s wine regions sprawl widely across this diverse and beautiful state, but when it comes to wineries and tasting rooms, there are a few main centers of gravity.
Walla Walla is one of the biggest.
I just returned from my first trip to this small-town-turned-major-wine-destination. I was there to attend the 2018 Wine Bloggers Conference, but I spent some time checking out a few of the area’s 120 wineries too.
Some weeks, Orlando’s wine events seem to magically align around a theme, as though Bacchus himself were guiding the hands of our local wine merchants.
Other weeks, it’s utter chaos. Next week falls into the second category … and it looks like a great time!
Monday, you can test your blind tasting skills with Master Sommelier George Miliotes by day and hobnob with a Chilean winemaker courtesy of Central Florida Women for Winesense by night.
Tuesday, taste and learn about the wines of Bordeaux at Tim’s Avalon or combine blind tasting practice with wine-and-Halloween-candy pairings at Swirlery.
Thursday, learn about the building blocks of wine at Tim’s Lake Mary-Sanford or celebrate with Digress Wine as it mark its first anniversary. (The Digress party continues on Friday, so you really don’t have to choose!)
Saturday, get your Level 1 WSET certification with Master of Wine Jean K. Reilly, and then celebrate with an Orin Swift wine dinner at Norman’s or a deliciously self-explanatory event at Tim’s Lake Mary-Sanford called “A Man, A Lamb, and A Plan.”
Details for these and many, many future events are on the Events Page. Wherever you end up next week, you’re sure to learn something new about the wonderful world of wine.
One more thing: in case you missed it, Orlando Wine Blog is hosting its first-ever tasting event on November 8 at Digress featuring the wines of Missouri, home of America’s first AVA. More information and tickets are at the links above. Seating is extremely limited – hope to see you there.
Cheers, Orlando!
I’ve made little secret of the fact that I’m fascinated by wines that are outside the mainstream. Don’t get me wrong – I dearly love great Champagne, Burgundy, Bordeaux, Barolo, and even a few California cabs. But give me a grape I’ve never heard of from an unlikely location, and my eyes light up.
When the Missouri Wine & Grape Board invited me a on a press trip exploring the state’s vineyards and wineries last month, I jumped at the chance. I’ve written about Missouri wines in the past, and readers were intrigued.
This time, I was inspired not only to write about the wines, but also to bring some bottles back to Orlando and give my readers an opportunity to try them. I’m partnering with Digress Wine in College Park to host a tasting two weeks from today, on November 8 at 6:30pm, where we’ll sample and learn about these unique wines that rarely make it out of their home state. They’re not distributed in Florida, so this may be your only chance to experience them. Seating is extremely limited, so reserve your spot today!!
Want to know more about the wines we’ll be tasting? Read on!
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!
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