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The Spaniards and French who first reached Florida in the 16th century liked their wines, so upon tying up their ships they found the time to follow a most critical pursuit: winemaking. Therefore, believe it or not, before there were wineries in faraway Napa Valley or the distant Upstate New York, there were a number of wineries producing excellent Old World wines in the balmy state of Florida.
The French and, subsequently and to a greater extent, the Spanish did not import their vines from the Old Country, rather they sought out the wild grapes growing all over the region, tamed them, and thus developed the first great New-World wine. The formerly-wild grapes are called Muscadine, and the wines these Muscadine grapes produce are generally sweet, though some dry varieties exist. Muscadine-lovers are a particular brand of connoisseurs, and they are always looking for new people with whom to share their taste.
Your first taste of northern Florida wineries may be Chautauqua Winery, which is located off I-10 at the intersection of Route 331, in DeFuniak, on the Panhandle. The vineyard and the winery are both managed with state-of-the-art technology. The wine list is extensive, and several of the wines have won awards. There are some expected ones, like Chardonnay, and some very regional and unique ones, like the Wildflower Honey Muscadine, a dessert wine. The winery also makes a barrel-aged port. The tasting room is open year-round, and complimentary tours are given.
Near Chautauqua Winery is Seabreeze Winery, located in Panama City Beach. This winery specializes mostly in Muscadine wines, with many different variations. There are dry Muscadine wines as well as blends of the different varieties of this grape. The winery boasts to have perfected the new taste of the South in their Seabreeze Island Red, a “perfect blend of acid and sweet fruit flavor.” It also sells a limited edition “Hurricane Ivan,” from the harvest nearly destroyed by this hurricane in 2004. The grapes were salvaged, and, to everybody's surprise, the intense-flavored wine surpassed all expectations. You can visit Seabreeze seven days a week for tastings and tours.
If you want a more family-owned atmosphere, go to Monticello Winery. This is a small farm-based organic enterprise, specializing in 13 varieties of Muscadine wines, both red and white. These wines are either semi-sweet or dry, but not sweet. You can find it near the town of Monticello, east of Tallahassee at the intersection of Routes 19 and 90. You can come by appointment most anytime, without an appointment during regular business hours on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. In season - mid-August through September - you can even help out with the harvest, picking grapes the old-fashioned way.
To try a wine in the oldest wine country in the U.S., go to San Sebastian Winery, in historic St. Augustine. The winery has vineyards all over Florida and the southwest, but the primary one is located on 77 acres in Clermont, farther south. The vintners produce a number of excellent wines from hybrid vines such as Stover, Blanc Du Bois, Suwannee, and the Mississippi hybrid Miss Blanc. Their Castillo Red, a dry wine, is light on tannins and a bit spicy, with a hint of oak. There are a lot of attractions at the winery, like a jazz and wine bar on weekend nights, plus a spacious banquet room to taste the wines, which is open every day. Best of all, the winery is located right in the middle of St. Augustine, a stone's throw from the Historic District.
Wineries in Jacksonville, Destin, Daytona Beach, Pensacola, St. Augustine, Northeast Florida
Wineries
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