Michael Pinkus Wine Review - On the Road with the Grape Guy

Report from - Wine Shop in Florida, or is it a Bar? ... March 10, 2010

11 Mar 2010

Details: Category: On the Road with the Grape Guy

I think I am in love, not with a person, with a wine store. “We’re not a wine store,” says the girl behind the counter, “we’re classified as a bar.” The words spill out of her mouth fast and she is very bubbly in her mannerisms – she then apologizes for her rapid-fire speech, blaming the coffee and a little bit of over-tiredness. But she’s enthusiastic about the place, and after a brief look around, so am I.

I find myself in Winter Park, Florida (just north of Orlando) at a place called The Wine Room on Park Avenue, whose tagline is “By the Glass. Buy the Bottle”... (read more and see pictures of this Mecca for wine lovers)

To read about more interesting adventures thru the world of wine check out the On the Road With the Grape Guy blog.

Report from - Wine Stop in Florida ... March 9, 2010

11 Mar 2010

Details: Category: On the Road with the Grape Guy

My soon-to-be in-laws winter down in Florida, so when we arrived on Sunday they told us they’d like to take us on a winery tour of-sorts. On Tuesday morning we set out to discover one winery in the area. We had a choice of three (the winery map of Florida I had said there were 16 scattered throughout the state): Homosassa Springs, Clermont or Tampa … my first choice was closed on Tuesdays so we traveled to the one in Clermont: Lakeridge Winery & Vineyards – billed as being Florida’s biggest.

My in-laws aren’t oenophiles, nor do they visit wineries all that often (if ever), so they wanted to poke around and taste some of the local wines. The gentleman who greeted us at the door (Gino) was pushy about going on a tour (we must have declined 3 or 4 times). I finally stumbled upon a woman (I did not catch her name) who offered to give us a little tasting and provide me with some information about Lakeridge and the grape growing in Florida.

First off, Lakeridge’s production is based on the Muscadine grape ... (to read more and see some pictures, click here )

To read about more interesting adventures thru the world of wine check out the On the Road With the Grape Guy blog.