Judith Smelser Wine News

Orlando Wine Venues Plan for Irma

If you’re planning to stick it out in the Orlando area for Hurricane Irma, you might want a last minute wine outing to celebrate finishing your preparations … or you might want one more bottle to add to your supply cache. Here’s what we know so far about openings and closings in Orlando’s wine world. I’ll update this post as I get new info and as long as I have power and internet. Good luck, and stay safe everyone!

Swirlery Wine Bar
Normal hours Friday and Saturday

The Parkview
Normal hours Friday, open for brunch on Saturday, possibly longer depending on the storm

WineStyles Baldwin Park
Normal hours Friday. Saturday probably closing at 4pm or 6pm.

The Wine Room on Park Ave.
Open til 5pm Saturday. Closed Sunday and Monday.

Tim’s Wine Market Lake Mary – Sanford
Open Friday until 8pm. Open Saturday 11-5. Closed Sunday & Monday.
“Sabering Saturday” class is CANCELLED. It will be rescheduled after the storm.

Tim’s Wine Market Windermere
Open Friday until 7:30. Open Saturday 10-4pm. Closed Monday.

ABC Stores
Normal hours Friday. Closing at 3pm Saturday.

Judith Smelser Tastings, Wine Experiences, Wine Reviews, Winemakers, Wineries

Orlando’s Quantum Leap Winery: Worth a new look

Weekends are when I usually tell you about the plethora of wine events in the coming week … but next week is looking a little slow, what with the holiday and all.

So what better time to discover a new favorite wine place?

If you haven’t checked out the Wine Venues Guide in awhile, you’ll notice a few new spots on the list, including a couple I hadn’t visited in several years, simply because they’d fallen out of my usual rotation.

One of those is Quantum Leap Winery in the Mills-50 district, which is celebrating its fifth anniversary this year. On a recent visit, I found a friendly space and passionate people who are taking risks, breaking rules, and making some pretty cool wines.

Continue reading “Orlando’s Quantum Leap Winery: Worth a new look” →

Judith Smelser Tastings, Wine Experiences

Wine Geeks Rejoice! Rosé blind tasting contest, Jura & “Wild Wine” events this week!

If you’re a wine geek like I am and you’re in Central Florida this week, trust me, you’re going to wish you could clone yourself.

First off, Swirlery is hosting what might be (complete conjecture but I bet it’s true) Orlando’s first rosé blind tasting contest on Tuesday.

Of course, most rosés are not geeky at all. They’re what you drink when you want to kick back on your porch or by the pool. A rosé blind tasting, on the other hand, is pretty darned geeky. Make it a contest, and you’re into the realm of the super-geeky.

Continue reading “Wine Geeks Rejoice! Rosé blind tasting contest, Jura & “Wild Wine” events this week!” →

Judith Smelser Tastings, Wine Experiences

Two Tastings TONIGHT! Three Continents Next Week!

It’s going to be a busy week for Orlando wine lovers, and it all starts with two tastings TONIGHT!

If you’re on the north side of town, you can help Steve Butler and his team celebrate three years of owning Tim’s Wine Market Lake Mary-Sanford with a party featuring wine tastings, snacks, and special deals.

If you’re on the south side, head to Vintage Vino in Kissimmee for “Couples Night,” where two local wine industry couples will tell their stories and share some of their favorite wines.

Next week, Orlando’s wine scene takes on a decidedly international flavor. These events will let you visit three continents without ever leaving Central Florida.

Plus, this week offers chocolate, cheese, and wine at Quantum Leap, seafood and wine at Paddlefish, and even more wine events that I don’t have room for. Check out the Events Page for all the details.

Happy travels!

Judith Smelser Tastings, Wine Experiences

Riesling, Talley & a Deadline

Orlando wine lovers have some eclectic options this week.

The splashy headliner is the first anniversary celebration of 1921 by Norman Van Aken, featuring a chefs’ collaboration with Osprey Tavern and wine pairings from Talley Vineyards.

The sleeper favorite is a riesling class at Tim’s Orlando, focusing entirely on dry examples of this often misunderstood but well-loved varietal.

Early bird pricing for Women for Winesense’s anniversary event at Luma’s cellar room ends this week too.

Visit our Events Page for details on these and lots more Central Florida wine happenings in August and beyond.

Cheers!

Judith Smelser Tastings, Wine Experiences

Orlando’s Week in Wine: Do some good, Raise your knowledge

I don’t usually list charity fundraisers on the Events Page … but then, charity fundraisers don’t usually happen at places like Eola Wine Company.

For the next two Wednesdays, the downtown wine bar will host “Wine Wednesdays” as part of Taste Central Florida, a series of events benefiting Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida and Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida.  Not only is the cause worthy, but at a place like Eola, you can bet the wines will be too.

Also next week, Tim’s Wine Market Orlando holds its popular “Educated Consumer” class. It used to be called “Elements of Wine” – and still is at Tim’s Lake Mary, where it’s being offered later in the month.

I took this fascinating class years ago, and I can’t recommend it highly enough. It was oe of the first steps in my transition from run-of-the-mill wine consumer to all-out wine geek. If you love wine and want to begin to really understand it, this is the class for you.

Visit the Events Page for details on these and so many more great August wine events happening in Central Florida!

Judith Smelser Tastings, Wine Experiences

2 Wine Dinners & a Slew of New Events

August is shaping up to be the kind of month that makes me happy to be a winelover in Orlando.

There are a TON of exciting new entries on the Events Page, many of which went directly onto my personal calendar as I was updating the site! There’s not time to highlight them all, but a few key words include:

  • Jura & Savoie
  • Rosé Blind Contest
  • Raclette
  • Dry Riesling

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves! This week holds great promise too.

Continue reading “2 Wine Dinners & a Slew of New Events” →

Judith Smelser Tastings, Wine Experiences

Summer wine events & a little learnin’

It feels like the summer doldrums have officially kicked into full swing in Central Florida. It’s so hot and humid that even the wine glasses are sweating … and next week isn’t exactly buzzing with wine events.

But Tim’s Wine Market in Lake Mary-Sanford is doing its part to keep us all cool, with a free tasting of light wines from the pinot family (hint: not just reds) and another featuring that classic poolside favorite, sangria.

If you’re looking to deepen your wine knowledge in a significant way, Orlando’s resident Master of Wine, Jean K. Reilly, is kicking off her latest WSET Level 2 course at Tim’s Wine Market Orlando on Tuesday.

This would also be a great week to check out one or two of Central Florida’s regular weekly wine events, like Swirlery’s Blind Tasting Tuesday or WineStyles’ Tasty Saturdays. You never know, you might get hooked!

Be sure to check out our Events Page for details of these and many other Central Florida wine happenings. There are lots of new listings this week!

Cheers!

Judith Smelser Tastings, Wine Experiences

Orlando’s Wine Scene is in a French Mood!

Today is Bastille Day, and if you’re a regular reader, you already know about the wine-centered celebrations going on today and tomorrow from last week’s post.

But the French fun doesn’t end there!

Santiago’s Bodega – Altamonte is highlighting the South of France at its monthly wine dinner Wednesday.

And Thursday, Swirlery takes a deep dive into one of the newest darlings of the wine geek world, France’s fun and funky Jura region.

Visit our Events Page for details on these and many other area wine events.

Happy sipping, Central Florida, and enjoy one more week of “Vive la France!”

Judith Smelser Tastings, Wine Experiences

Celebrate Bastille Day with WINE!

No longer does France have a monopoly on quality wine – that ship sailed with the “Judgement of Paris” over four decades ago. But in my humble opinion, French wine will never lose its place as the gold standard and sentimental home of the world’s best wines, from great value bottles to luxury cult selections.

Next week, France celebrates 228 years since the storming of the Bastille, a turning point in the French Revolution. What better way to celebrate than with France’s favorite libation?

You can toast the occasion on Bastille Day itself at Swirlery’s daylong celebration next Friday with French wines and food.

Saturday, indulge in another French favorite – cheese! – at Audubon Park Garden District’s 6th annual wine and cheese pairing, hosted by East End Market’s La Femme du Fromage.

Get details for these and lots more Central Florida wine events on our Events Page.

À votre santé!