Judith Smelser Tastings, Wine Experiences, Winemakers

Orlando Wine Blog’s first-ever tasting is next week, along with lots more cool stuff!

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.

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Judith Smelser Tastings, Wine Experiences, Winemakers

Chile and Bordeaux, Candy and Lamb: Beautiful Chaos in Next Week’s Event Lineup

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!

Judith Smelser Beyond Central Florida, Tastings, Wine Experiences, Wine News, Winemakers, Wineries

Orlando Wine Blog tasting to feature wines of Missouri, a piece of America’s wine history

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!

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Judith Smelser Wineries

Missouri Wine Country holds secrets of America’s wine history

Independence Day is a great time to celebrate American wines. But I’m not going to talk about California or Washington or Oregon. No, I’m going to talk about … Missouri.

Believe it or not, the Show-Me State was America’s second largest wine producer in the 19th century, thanks to the know-how of German immigrants who settled near the town of Hermann.

Hermann Church
Echoes of Germany in Hermann, MO

Missouri provided much of the rootstock that saved Europe’s wine industry from the scourge of phylloxera in the mid 19th century. The state is also home to home to the country’s first federally-designated AVA (American Viticultural Area).

Prohibition and anti-German sentiment after the first World War decimated the state’s winemaking industry in the early 20th century, but it’s been making a comeback in recent decades.

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