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.

Continue reading “Magic Hosts First Orlando Wine Festival; Lots of Events Coming Up This Week” →

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

Continue reading “New Events & Two New Places to Wine – The Imperial Winter Park & Eola General” →

Judith Smelser Wine Experiences, Wine Reviews

Step Outside the Champagne Box: Six Unexpected Bottles of Bubbles for NYE!

Looking for something a little different to ring in the new year? Check out this post from 2016 for some Champagne alternatives that will put a sparkle in your celebration!

Judith Smelser's avatarOrlando Wine Blog

Not much beats Champagne on New Year’s Eve, but if you’re looking for some out-of-the-box (and easier-on-the wallet) alternatives for the big night, you’re in luck! Champagne doesn’t have a lock on quality sparkling wine anymore. All six of these bottles should delight your palate, satisfy your enological curiosity, and enhance your celebratory mood as you welcome 2017. And only one of them is even from France!

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Judith Smelser Tastings, Wine Experiences

Bubbles, Nebbiolo, Cheese & Chocolate Highlight Orlando’s Christmas Week Wine Events

Christmas is almost upon us, and our local wine merchants are taking a short events breather surrounding the day itself. But they’ll be there for your last minute pre-holiday sipping and again to help you celebrate after your guests have left!

Read on for your Christmas week highlights:

Continue reading “Bubbles, Nebbiolo, Cheese & Chocolate Highlight Orlando’s Christmas Week Wine Events” →

Judith Smelser Tastings

Eclectic Wine Events Coming Up

Central Florida is in for a fun streak of wine events next week – a little serious and a little whimsical, a little Old World and a little New, a little something for everyone.

Sunday, sample big California wines from the Wagner family at Tim’s Windermere.

Tuesday, try unique wines from Southern Italy at Bella Tuscany.

Wednesday, Digress Wine hosts its first “Cellar Series” tasting focusing on the many faces of chenin blanc.

Thursday, join the folks at Tim’s in Lake Mary-Sanford for wine and Halloween candy pairings.

Details and reservation info for all these happenings are on the Events Page, along with a couple of unique dinners and tastings farther out on the calendar.

Cheers to a wine-drenched fall, Orlando!

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

Back to School, Back to WINE!

Orange County Schools start back in just over a week, and as our students get ready to start burning the midnight oil again, it’s as though Orlando’s wine sellers thought we could all use a glass or three to prepare.

The calendar is suddenly full of events!

BevFly has its August tasting event tomorrow (Saturday), and as I mentioned last week, Tim’s in Sanford-Lake Mary celebrates an anniversary with a free event the same day.

Sunday, there are still a few tickets available for The Wine Room’s Italian Wine & Cheese Festival.

Next week, there’s a lot of red wine going on at a couple of Tim’s Wine Market locations – check out their Wednesday and Thursday events. (Are Tim and the gang anxious for autumn maybe?)

Meanwhile, summer is still in full swing at Luisa’s Cellar in Sanford, where wines for “grill outs” are on the tasting menu at an event next Friday.

Next Saturday is when things really heat up. There are already four events that day, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see more pop up! Here are a couple you’ll need to plan ahead for:

  • In the morning, sommelier Jenneffer Pulapaka of Cress Restaurant in DeLand leads an intermediate level class on the influence of oak, exploring oaked versus unoaked wines from the old and new world, with food pairing tips.
  • That evening, Normans at the Ritz hosts a five-course dinner paired with Paul Hobbs‘ Napa and Sonoma wines.

Details for all these events and many more are on the Events Page. Happy sipping and back-to-school shopping, Orlando!