Florida wine? Yes, you read that right. I’m not just talking about tropical fruit juice either. Wine made from grapes, albeit not the grapes you may be used to, but grapes nonetheless.
There are currently 88 wine producers in Florida generating a lot of money for the state. Though most of these producers are smaller, Florida wine as an industry has undoubtedly grown significantly over the past 40 years.
Jeanne Burgess would know! She has been the winemaker at Lakeridge Winery & Vineyards in Clermont, Florida and San Sebastian Winery in St. Augustine for almost 40 years, and she has seen the industry grow and change over that time.
A pioneer when it comes to using the native Muscadine grape, Jeanne has been at the forefront of revolutionizing the Florida wine industry through her experimentation with different wine styles such as making a traditional method sparkling wine, as well as a Port and Cream Sherry-style wine using Muscadine. If you haven’t tried any of these, it may be time to go wine tasting in Florida.
For those of us who live in the Southeast U.S. and who may not be able to fly out to wine country for a while, now is a good time to start exploring our wine travel options closer to home. This includes heading out to the wineries in our own states–such as Florida wineries for those of us who call the Sunshine State home.
Take some time to learn more about Florida wine and how you can visit these two wineries in my latest article for Winetaveler.com. Who knows, you may find out something about the wine industry that you never thought possible! It’s always good to explore the lesser-known corners of wine. Cheers!
History & Wine 