If you like fruity wins, then I found the perfect winery for you. Island Grove Wine Company had a variety of fruit wines from blueberry to strawberry. And they are all made in Florida. I was looking forward to checking them out.
The winery is set up a little differently than the traditional wineries I have visited. This was a touch-less, serve yourself winery. The way it works is you put money onto a chip card. Then you insert that card into the different wine machines and select the wine you would like to try, as well as the size pour.
I made sure I had enough money on the card to try several of the wines. The first one was the Rustic Raspberry. This was one of their seasonal wines. I could smell the raspberries right away. This wine was super sweet to me, and it had a hint of tartness in the aftertaste. It is a great dessert wine.
The second wine was the Bold Blackberry. This was a blend of Merlot and blackberries. To me it was sweet with a dry aftertaste on the first sip. It mellowed out on the second sip.
For my third tasting I went for the Sunshine State White Sangria. This sweet, refreshing wine combined pineapples, peaches, and mangos. I really enjoyed all the tropical flavors. I could really taste the mangos on the second sip. I could see myself enjoying this on the beach, watching the sunset.
In sticking with the sangria’s, I went for the Sunshine State Berry Sangria next. This blended different berries and citrus fruits with their blueberry wine. The aroma was powerful with a slight spicy smell, but it was not in the taste. It was drier for a sangria. After holding it in my mouth after sipping I could taste a hint of pepper.
My final tasting was the Southern Strawberry. They blended strawberries with Riesling. I could smell the strawberry right away, it was very intense, but in a good way. The wine was light and sweet. The perfect dessert wine. I just wish I had some chocolate to enjoy with it.
This was a different type of wine tasting experience. The wines were great, and the casual atmosphere was perfect for sitting and enjoying wine with friends.
Check them out at www.IslandGroveWineCompany.com
Enjoy!
T
