Judith Smelser Tastings, Wine Experiences

Next Week Offers a Wine-Drenched Geography Lesson

I love when the oenophilic (that’s really a word!) stars align and allow us Central Floridians to travel the globe through the magic portal of a wine glass — or rather, many wine glasses. Next week is one of those times.

  • On Tuesday, explore romantic Spain at Cavanaugh’s.
  • Get sparkly with a trip to Champagne on Wednesday, courtesy of Tim’s Orlando.
  • Thursday, come back down to earth at Swirlery with organic wines from Oregon.
  • Finally, end your week in South Africa (otherwise known as the K Restaurant garden) on Friday.

Check the Events Calendar for details on these events and many more in the weeks ahead.

Cheers and happy travels, Orlando!

Judith Smelser Tastings, Winemakers

Winemakers Descend on Orlando for Multiple Events Next Week

If you follow Orlando Wine Blog on Instagram or Facebook, you’ll know I’ve been traveling this week. (If you don’t, you should be – I post fun stuff!)

My flight is about to land back home in the City Beautiful, so I don’t have much time to write, but I have updated the Events Page for you all, and I guarantee you’ll want to take a look.

Next week features no fewer than SEVEN events with winemakers, winery owners, and other winery reps. You’ll have the chance to try Barbarescos from Italy’s Piedmont and high-end pinots from Oregon’s Soter Vineyards, experience wine paired with gourmet grilled cheeses, and so much more. That’s just a small sampling of the amazing events coming up.

Check the Events Page for details, and do NOT miss out on these great opportunities!

Judith Smelser Tastings, Wine Experiences

From Dali to the Moon: Next Week’s Wine Events are Out of this World

What do Salvador Dali, Australia, and the “Super Blue Blood Moon” have in common? That’s right, wine! Each item on that list provides the theme for one of this week’s events on Orlando’s ever-more-creative wine calendar.

On Wednesday, Swirlery is having a “Blue Moon Fizz” party, which has nothing to do with Blue Moon beer and everything to do with the cosmic event that’s happening that night. They’ll be toasting the blue moon with sparkling wines known as pet-nats, short for Pétillant Naturel. These unique wines are made using an ancient method that’s gained new popularity in recent years.

If you don’t feel like going to the moon on Wednesday, you can go to Australia, which is almost as far away. It’s already tomorrow there, after all. Tim’s Wine Market Orlando is offering a class that will reintroduce you to Australian wines, which have rebounded nicely from their recent moments of mass-production madness.

Finally, leave it to the new kids on the block at Cavanaugh’s to let us know about Salvador Dali’s connection to wine. Turns out, the surrealist artist co-created a book in 1977 called “Wines of Gala.” If you’ve seen any of Dali’s work, you won’t be surprised that the book presents an unconventional way of categorizing wines – not by grape or region or even by characteristic, but by the “sensations they create in our very depths.” Next Saturday, Cavanaugh’s will offer a casual tasting of eight wines purported to induce joy. Skeptical? You’ll never know until you try!

Details for these and many, many more Central Florida wine events are on the Events Page.

Cheers to creativity, Orlando!

Judith Smelser Tastings, Wine Experiences, Wine News, Winemakers

A Traffic Jam of Wine Events

After a three-week holiday lull, Orlando’s wine scene will roar back to life in the coming days. There are more than a dozen high quality tastings, classes, and dinners to choose from in the coming week, including several that feature winemakers or winery owners.

Unfortunately, you can’t go to all or even most of these events. That’s because more than a third of them are happening at exactly the same time.

Now, I know nobody needs to go to a dozen wine events in one week, and I know some overlap is unavoidable, and I know the winemaker events have to capitalize on the headliners’ existing schedules. But I do sometimes wish for a bit more coordination.

Central Florida’s wine scene is vibrant and passionate, but we’re not New York or San Francisco. We count our quality wine establishments in tens, not hundreds. Many area wine enthusiasts are eager to support as many of those establishments as our calendars, wallets, and livers will allow. That’s tough to do when schedules collide as often as they do.

Ok, I’ll get off my soapbox now and move on to what you really want to know about – the highlights of this crazy week!

Continue reading “A Traffic Jam of Wine Events” →

Judith Smelser Tastings, Wine Experiences

Get out of Your Wine Grape Rut with “Grapes 101 – A Grape Society”

Orlando’s wine community is slowly emerging from its post-holiday lull. To borrow a euphamism from one of our region’s wine luminaries (who shall remain nameless), a few of us got a little more “festive” than perhaps we should have over the past few weeks!

But never fear, we will rally as 2018 gets underway – and what better way to kick off our year in wine than by expanding our horizons and exploring a few new grapes?

Most wine drinkers never get beyond a standard group of around a dozen grape varietals, but there are thousands of fascinating wine grapes out there. Ever heard of valdiguie? How about listan negro, nerello mascalese, rkatsiteli, saperavi, xinomavro, malagousia, or plavac mali?

Some of my most exciting wine experiences happen when I get to discover new grapes. Next week, Tim’s Wine Market in Windermere is offering a fun way to break out of your wine grape rut, with the launch of “Grapes 101 – A Grape Society.”

Continue reading “Get out of Your Wine Grape Rut with “Grapes 101 – A Grape Society”” →

Judith Smelser Tastings, Wine Experiences

Cheers to 2018!

It’s been a great year of wine in Central Florida!

Before the big NYE parties, you’ll have a couple of chances to pre-celebrate tomorrow with tastings that are sure to give 2017 a big send-off.

Cavanaugh’s is popping more than a few corks in the courtyard with a bubbly event starting at 4pm.

Later in the evening, Quantum Leap Winery hosts the “Tasty Trio” for its final Wine, Cheese, & Chocolate event of the year.

Check out details of these events and January’s full schedule of tastings, classes, and dinners on the Events Page.

Then, let’s all raise a glass to another great year of sipping, tasting, and learning about wine.

Cheers!

Judith Smelser Tastings, Wine Experiences

Back Vintages, Christmas Cookies, and MORE Holiday Bubbles!

Don’t let your foot off the holiday gas pedal, Central Florida! The coming week has plenty more opportunities to celebrate the festive season through wine.

Tonight, taste and learn about some great Champagnes and sparkling wines when Vintage Vino in Kissimmee hosts local wine power couple Billy and Kelly Hendriksen.

Thursday, don’t miss the opportunity to try some older vintage wines when Cavanaugh’s pulls out some gems from the cellar for a special holiday tasting. They’ll be opening wines ranging in age from nine to 24 years!

Friday, put your baker’s hat on and bring your best holiday cookies to share at Tim’s Wine Market Lake Mary‘s Christmas Cookie Exchange. They’ve picked out some wines to pair with cookies – no easy feat!

Details for these and many other upcoming wine events are on the Events Page. Cheers!

Judith Smelser Tastings, Wine Experiences

Bubbles & Blending & Swapping (Oh my!)

Orlando’s holiday wine season continues apace in the coming week, with an abundance of eclectic events sure to delight anyone on your holiday “nice” list.

This weekend, there’s BevFly’s Bubbles Bash on Saturday and the annual Women for Winesense holiday bottle swap on Sunday.

Next week, become a winemaker for an evening at a blending seminar with cabernets from Napa’s Quintessa winery at Tim’s in Windermere on Thursday.

Then on Friday, travel to Italy with K Restaurant’s Friday Night Flights.

There’s something for everyone this week! As always, details are on the Events Calendar, so it’s easy to keep enjoying the festive season.

Judith Smelser Tastings, Wine Experiences

Holidays are Bubbly in Central Florida

A distinct theme jumps out when you look at the Wine Events Calendar for the next couple of weeks – bubbles!

Events at Cavanaugh’s and Hard Rock Universal next Thursday and Friday feature Napa sparkling producer Schramsberg.

Tim’s in Windermere holds a bubbles tasting on Thursday.

BevFly and the Wine Room get into the bubbly spirit the following week.

Several of these events are already sold out, but you could always try your luck with the waiting lists. If all else fails, Central Florida’s many wine purveyors have plenty of bubbly bottles on their shelves to add sparkle to your own festive celebration.

Cheers!

Judith Smelser Tastings, Wine Experiences, Wine News, Winemakers

Cavanaugh’s new owner plans name change; First tasting next week to feature Schramsberg Vineyards president

Earlier this month, we broke the news that Jay Smith, longtime owner of Cavanaugh’s Wines, had sold his College Park wine shop and bar after nearly twenty years.

We can now tell you that the venue will be getting a new name … and that its first event under new ownership is coming up next week.

Continue reading “Cavanaugh’s new owner plans name change; First tasting next week to feature Schramsberg Vineyards president” →