Judith Smelser Tastings, Uncategorized, Winemakers

Spotlight on South Africa, Bonny Doon is Back, Luxapalooza Tasting

If you love South African wine – or if you want to learn more about it – listen up and act fast! Over the next eleven days – including today – you’ll have the opportunity to meet and taste with five South African winemakers at two events right here in Orlando.

Tonight, South African distributor Pascal Schildt brings producers Tremayne Smith and Ginny Povall to Tim’s Orlando to pour their wines, including Black Smith, Three Foxes, Big Flower and Botanica.

A week from Monday (May 14), Swirlery hosts a South African Braai (aka barbecue) featuring Bruwer Raats from Raats Family Wines, Carl van der Merwe of DeMorgenzon, and Lars Maack from Bayten pouring their wines.

These are great opportunities to compare wines from different producers in this country that often flies under the radar and offers great values as a result, and to get invaluable insight from the people who make wine there.

Speaking of winemakers …. if, like me, you didn’t get to meet Randall Grahm of California’s Bonny Doon Vineyard when he was in town earlier this year, you’re in luck! He’s coming back to Orlando next week. He’ll be headlining a dinner at Swirlery on Wednesday, pairing his wines with five courses prepared by Orlando’s favorite chef-winemaker Jamie McFadden of Snowbirds Vintners and Cuisiniers Catering.

One more for the last minute category – tomorrow night, Vintage Vino in Kissimmee is holding a tasting it’s calling “Luxapalooza,” which is worth a mention for the clever naming alone. Napa wines from the Treasury collection are on the agenda, including bottles from BV, Sterling, and Etude.

Details for these and many more events are on the Events Page. Check it out and happy wine-ing, Orlando!

Judith Smelser Tastings, Wine Experiences, Winemakers

Greece, South Africa, and Napa star in next week’s wine events

Toast the start of May this week by indulging in a little virtual wine travel.

K Restaurant hosts a Greek dinner on Wednesday with some cool wine pairings! If you don’t know Greek wine, this is a great way to try it.

Friday, Tim’s Orlando is bringing in two great South African producers – one focusing on Rhone varietals and the other on Bordeaux – for a fun tasting.

On Saturday, Norman’s showcases selections from Napa’s Peter Michael Winery at a paring dinner.

Check the calendar for a couple of other fun tastings next week … and also for a number of noteworthy events coming up later in the month including:

  • dinner with Bonny Doon’s Randall Grahm
  • an exclusive tasting of Napa wines not currently available in Florida, and
  • an opportunity to learn all about Bordeaux.

Happy May, Orlando!

Judith Smelser Tastings, Wine Experiences

A Wine Event a Day Keeps the Blues Away

Central Florida’s wine calendar is full of diverse events next week, and they’re nicely distributed too. If you pace yourself, you could attend a wine event a day. You’d get a broad array of wines and food pairing experiences … and never have to worry about Fear of Missing Out.

Start things off Monday at Digress with oysters and a whole bunch of wines that go with oysters (think Champagne, muscadet, Sancerre and the like).

Tuesday, sample Sonoma with a tasting from Ramey Wine Cellars at Swirlery. It’s free if you buy any of the featured wines.

Wednesday, it’s back to France with a class on wines of the Rhone Valley at Tim’s Orlando.

A free tasting at Tim’s Lake Mary on Thursday lets you explore chardonnay styles that go beyond what you might be used to.

Friday, it’s back to California (mostly), with a wine dinner at Capital Grille I-Drive featuring Revana Family Wines. The spotlight will no doubt be on their Napa selections, but a few Argentinian bottles will be on offer too.

One more thing – SUNDAY is the deadline to register for early-bird pricing for an upcoming South African wine class led by Dr. Robin Back of South Africa’s Fairview Wines at the Rosen College beer and wine lab. It’s hosted by Central Florida Women for Winesense.

So … Whatever your wine fancy, there’s something for you next week in the Orlando area. The details on the Events Page should help you make your decisions. And if you’re indecisive, hey, why not try them all?!

Judith Smelser Tastings, Wine Experiences

Two Free Events & a Bordeaux Dinner

Whether you’re pinching pennies to save up for a big summer vacation or in the mood to splash out, you’re in luck with this week’s wine events.

For the savers, there are two free tastings on offer:

Tomorrow, Swirlery is offering complimentary tastes of Napa cab and sauvignon blanc.

Thursday, it’s a free rosé tasting at Tim’s Lake Mary.

For the big spenders, check out Norman’s five course Bordeaux dinner next Saturday, hosted by  Master Sommelier Laura DePasquale.

Check the Events Page for details on these events and many more tastings, dinners, and classes.

Cheers!

Judith Smelser Wine Experiences, Wine News

Digress Wine flouts wine conventions with new concept in former Cavanaugh’s; Food service planned for later this year

Forget worrying about what wine pairs with fish or steak. Digress Wine in College Park is asking deeper questions:

What wine pairs with … a hard day at work?

A quiet evening by yourself?

Catching up with old friends?

A geek-out session with your wine buddies?

A first date – or a fifth? 

Former wine sales reps Brian Kerney and Rob Chase are in the process of transitioning the store, which they purchased last fall, into a combination wine bar and retail shop with a concept they hope will change the way Orlando thinks about wine.

Continue reading “Digress Wine flouts wine conventions with new concept in former Cavanaugh’s; Food service planned for later this year” →

Judith Smelser Tastings, Wine Experiences, Winemakers

Celebrate Spring with Two Napa Winemakers and Seasonal Tastings

Spring has sprung in Central Florida (even if not officially), and next week offers several ways to celebrate with a sip or two.

First, there are two opportunities to taste wine with the people who make it.

On Tuesday, Christophe Paubert from Stags’ Leap Winery leads a tasting at The Wine Room on Park Ave. I had the opportunity to taste with Christophe at his winery last fall as part of the Wine Bloggers Conference and to hear about his non-interventionist winemaking philosophy.

Wednesday, Stonestreet winemaker Lisa Valtenbergs will host a tasting at Swirlery.

Tim’s in Lake Mary-Sanford is in a springtime mood next week, with a free tasting of wines for spring on Thursday and a Low Country Boil with wine pairings Saturday.

Check out the Events Page for all the details.

Cheers to this beautiful season!

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 Wine News

Vintages Wine Bar Open in Former WineStyles Baldwin Park Space

It still says “WineStyles” on the sign above the door, but the space on New Broad Street in the center of Baldwin Park has re-launched as Vintages, an independent wine bar and shop. The store dropped its affiliation with the Iowa-based wine bar chain at the end of last year.

There’s a new owner, but manager Robby Burroughs is staying on as wine-guy-in-chief. He plans to transition the space into a serious wine establishment that reflects Orlando wine consumers’ evolving tastes and growing sophistication.

Continue reading “Vintages Wine Bar Open in Former WineStyles Baldwin Park Space” →

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!