Florida has several wineries around the state. There is one not far off Interstate 4 as you are heading toward Tampa called Keel & Curley. I was excited to get to visit along with my sister.
They are much larger on the inside than what I was expecting. They have a full restaurant along with two large bars. We grabbed seats at the bar for more personal attention.
We both decided to do a wine tasting. This allowed us to try four of their homemade wines. We both decided to make two of our four choices different each other, that way we could each taste something different, basically six different wines. We were just trying to maximize our experience.
My selections included:
- Strawberry Riesling – this was sweet with a slight essence of strawberry, not overwhelming.
- Tangerine Tango – I could taste the citrus when I first took a sip but there was a bitter aftertaste.
- Key West Key Lime – This was the perfect name for a Florida wine. There were hints of coconut in the taste and scent. It was great for sipping. It almost had a tropical cocktail feel.
- Black Raspberry – This had a sweet flavor with a slightly dry aftertaste.
There were two wines that my sister ordered that she let me try.
- Sweet Blueberry – I could really taste the actual blueberries that they used in the wine. There was a slight tangy aftertaste.
- Wildberry Pinot Noir – There was a sweetness to the wine but it did not linger. It was an interesting flavor.
While we were sampling all this wine, we did order something to munch on. The pretzels with beer cheese hit the spot. Three large pretzels came out with a little salt on top. There was a sweet taste to the dough. It almost seemed like they deep fried them to make the outside crispy. The cheese was creamy and there was only a hint of beer flavor.
We had a blast during our visit to Keel and Curley. It is a fun place to go for wine, food, and music. They also offer tours of the winery every hour. I did not get a chance to do that bu I plan on going back. Check them out at www.keelandcurleywinery.com
Enjoy!
T
