With things starting to open back up I was thrilled to see that Lakeridge Winery was open for tours and tastings. This is the sister winery to San Sebastian Winery in St. Augustine that I wrote about several months ago.
Because of all the social distancing that is in place, the tour of the winery was self-guided. I got to take my time and walk through the barrel rooms looking at all the tanks.
I got to see where they pack up all the cases and ship them off to stores.
The grounds are growing. They have several huge fermentation tanks outside filled with wine. They have rows and rows of grapevines. Most of them are the native Florida Muscadine grape.
For the tastings, they had different stations set up. You take your tasting cup and just move from station to station at your own pace. It is not rushed at all. The tastings started from dry to sweet.
The first tasting station was for the Cabernet Sauvignon. This red wine was slightly dry but was mild to me. There was a hint of oak flavor that is common in Cabernets. I could imagine myself eating a bowl of spaghetti while enjoying this wine. I bought a bottle of this to enjoy at home.
The second tasting was the Chardonnay. This was definitely dry. I thought this was much dryer than the Cabernet. When it comes to wine, Chardonnay is not my favorite but if you are a Chardonnay fan, this one could be great for you. This one would be great with some blue cheese and crackers.
My third tasting was their Chablis. They classify this as a semi-dry wine. This is one of their wines that is made from the Florida Muscadine grape. His is a mild wine to me. It would be a great compromise wine if one person liked dry and another liked sweet. I think both people would enjoy this, especially if enjoying some nice grilled chicken. I enjoyed this tasting so much that I asked for another taste just to be sure. And I am glad I did. This was another bottle that I bought.
Now it was time for station four, the Sunblush. This was classified as a semi-sweet. Their description of this wine evoked the image of a Florida sunset. Who wouldn’t feel like they were on vacation after hearing that? They used Muscadine grapes in this wine as well. Naturally, they said you could enjoy this wine with pasta. But I am convinced that all wines can be enjoyed with pasta. I enjoyed this as a sipping wine. I bought a bottle of this too!
Station five started off with their Southern White, a true sweet wine. This was naturally made with the Florida Muscadine grape, which does have a natural sweetness to it. The taste of this wine reminded me of a Moscato or a Riesling, which I really enjoy. This was crispy and best served when chilled. I could imagine drinking this wine at the beach and joying some fresh tropical fruit.
The sixth station was the last of the main tastings. It was for the Southern Red. They use the Noble variety of the Muscadine grape for this wine. It turns out that this is their best-selling wine. They also served tis wine chilled. I could see myself enjoying this wine with a big slice of chocolate cake or even a brownie, which is why I bought a bottle of this. It was just so smooth, and the sweetness was not that overpowering.
One of the things I love about Lakeridge winery us their tastings are free. It allows people to determine what they like and then purchase it downstairs in their store. It works because I left with six bottles.
They offered something new in terms of tastings. They had two special made wines that were done in small batches. To taste these, it cost $5.00. So, I figured it would be worth it. Both wines were made from Napa Valley grapes but were produced 100% in Florida.
The first was a Cabernet Sauvignon. This was a full body wine. There was no harsh after taste. But this was much dryer than their main line Cabernet.
The second special batch wine was the Petite Sirah. This was another full body wine. This had more fruit flavors than I was expecting. I could taste a hint of blackberry. Enjoyed this wine and thought it would go great with a juicy steak.
Now this ended the tastings that were upstairs in the winery. They were offering additional tastings at the main bar. I made sure to take advantage of this opportunity. I love being able to sample wins before making a purchase. That way I know I will enjoy it.
At the downstairs bar I started off by tasting their Pinot Grigio. This wine is produced in one of their many steel tanks. There was zero oak taste to this wine because of the process. It is semi-dry, definitely not as dry as their Chardonnay.
Next, I went for another sweet wine called Pink Crescendo. This is their sparkling wine. It is a rose and it was very bubbly. It would be perfect for a celebration. They did offer a tasting of this mixed with some pink lemonade. That combination was amazing. It made the taste both sweet and tangy, perfect for a party.
One of the last sweet wines I tried was their Proprietor’s Reserve. This is a bend of their Southern Red and their cream Sherry. It was definitely a dessert wine. It was amazing to me. The sweetness would pair so well with some Parmesan cheese because of the contrast in flavors. This is why I bought a bottle of this.
There are two specialty wines they off that I made sure to try. The first was the Port. This was what I had tried at San Sabastian Winery and loved. I still loved it when I sampled it here. I bought 2 bottles for home.
The other specialty was the Ruby Port. This was the blending of the port and their cream sherry. This was super sweet, almost too sweet for me. I am glad I tried it though.
To my last surprise, the host behind the bar brought out one last treat for me to try. It was a wine slushie. It blended some of their Southern Red wine with a Wine-A-Rita mix and blended it with ice. I was a delicious summer treat. It would be perfect for at the beach or pool.
I had such a wonderful visit and experience at Lakeridge Winery. The entire staff was welcoming and friendly. I would go back in a heartbeat to enjoy another tasting.
Checking out their hours and their wines at www.lakeridgewinery.com
Enjoy!
T
