What a smorgasbord of events our local wine establishments have in store for you this week, Central Florida! You can tour the world through tastings, get an education through wine classes, and so much more. Read on for the highlights.
Continue reading “Napa to Germany, Burgundy to New Zealand – A Whirlwind Wine Week in Orlando”
Wine writers tend to overuse words like “special” and “unique.” I’m as guilty as anyone.
But Tuesday night at Digress Wine in College Park, Orlando’s wine community experienced something truly singular — a tasting of limited-production experimental wines from Sonoma producer Gary Farrell, many of which can’t be sampled even at the winery.
Orlando Wine Blog helped organize the event in partnership with Digress. We dubbed it “The Geeky Side of Gary Farrell,” and I couldn’t be prouder of Orlando’s wine community that an event with that name was a sellout.
But the real credit for its success goes to Gary Farrell Estate Sommelier and Wine Educator Tiffany Kuhn, who brought some truly unique bottles and provided great context to help us understand them.
Continue reading “Orlando Wine Community Alum Brings One-of-a-Kind Sonoma Tasting to Digress”
Orlando winelovers, get ready for a blockbuster of a week in wine events! In addition to the ones in the headline, there are tastings of viognier and Spanish wine, a harvest festival, and much more. Check the Calendar Page for the full list, and read on for a few highlights.
Central Florida was spared much damage from Hurricane Dorian, but it’s still way too early in the season to drink all your hurricane wine. Orlando’s wine establishments are there for you, with events to help you resist the urge to raid your cellar. Here are the highlights of …
Continue reading “Orlando Easing Back into WineLife After Dorian”
Sir Dorian continues to keep us guessing as we stock up on water and consider what pairs best with beef jerky and peanut butter. As of this writing, it looks like the Orlando area may be spared the brunt of the storm, but it’s always best to plan for the worst while we’re hoping for the best.
In that spirit of tempered optimism, and with the disclaimer that all of these events are subject to change based on our capricious spinning friend, I give you …
My first encounter with Sonoma’s Gary Farrell Winery happened on my front porch in Orlando. My cousin had brought me back a bottle from her visit to the winery, and as we drank it together over cheese and laughter, it changed the way I thought about California chardonnay. Elegant and balanced rather than overwhelmed by oak and butter, this was a wine I could get behind.
Since then, I’ve visited the winery several times and have grown to love the equally elegant pinot noirs that, like the chardonnays, reflect the land on which they’re grown.
I’ve also been thrilled to discover winemaker Theresa Heredia’s “Inspiration Series.” These experimental wines (single clones, concrete aging, skin contact, etc.) are made in extremely limited quantities and are rarely available outside the winery. Thanks to a special connection between Gary Farrell and Orlando, I’m thrilled to be able to offer my readers and followers the chance to taste some of these wines – and other Gary Farrell gems – right here in Central Florida. And it’s just a few weeks away.
Continue reading “Orlando Wine Blog to Host Geeky Gary Farrell Tasting”
Orlando has another busy wine week coming up. Lots of events cluster around a couple of days, so start planning now, and get ready to make some tough decisions! Here are a few highlights.
Continue reading “South America, South Africa, and Crepes (yes!) Featured in Next Week’s Events”
