We had a unique opportunity to attend the 11th Annual 30A Wine Festival in the beautiful beach community of Alys Beach in South Walton Florida. The event spanned five days with the main event, called the GRAND TASTING, was on Saturday afternoon. The festival showcases renowned distillers, vintners, mixologists and culinary favorites from local and regional chefs. All proceeds from the festival benefit the Children’s Volunteer Health Network, a local charity which provides health services to uninsured or underinsured school children in Walton and Okaloosa Counties.

The event was very well attended and was sold out. As industry professionals, we were able to score some tickets. There were 47 tables that featured a variety of wines, gins, rums and vodkas. We connected with some old favorites such as Paul Hobbs, Fess Parker and Nicholson Jones. The Cobos Cocodrilo Red Blend and Bramare Malbec from Paul Hobbs were amazing finds as most fans of Paul are only familiar with his Crossbarn brand. One winery that really stood out was Tarpon Cellars from Napa Valley. The winery is a very holistic with a peace, love and happiness theme. Many of their wines are called Cambaro. Cambaro means "skin contact". This winemaking style is slightly experimental and includes white grapes that have been treated like red grapes and ferment on the skins for approximately 17 days. The result is a rich and layered white wine that is an on-trend alternative to Chardonnay.

Another great find was Finca Ambrosia from Mendoza (Argentina). This winery has 6 different lines of wine, however the Viña Unica line was featured at the event. The Chardonnay Viña Unica had a wonderful oak notes with hints of vanilla. The wine was 50% fermented in French oak barrels and 50% in concrete eggs. The 2020 Malbec Viña Unica rocked it with great concentration. This wine was fermented in stainless followed by aging in 15 months in used french oak barrels and 9 months in bottle.

A boutique importer of fine French wines from Miami called "Drink the Rent" showed well. All of the wines had a trick to them. For example the Mille Reves Vouvray is 100% Chenin Blanc aged on fine lees for 6 months. “Sec Tendre” style with 15 g/L RS. The Band de Louve (translation: Band of Wolves) 100% Melon de Bourgogone that was aged on lees for 9 months. The grapes were hand picked and aged 50% stainless steel, 50% French oak barrels. The wine is pesticide free.

The 30A Wine Festival is held on the last weekend of February. Tickets are hard to come by as the home owners of Alys Beach have the first opportunity to purchase tickets on November 1. Tickets open for sale on December 1 to the general public. If you want to attend, purchase your tickets when they go on sale!

What started out as a hobby by Indiana University law professor William Oliver, his winery became one of the largest and prestigious in the Midwest. He started his craft in his basement in the 1960s, however, there was no lawful way in Indiana to pursue a Commerical winery. Without being deterred, Professor Oliver worked with lawmakers and successfully passed legislation allowing for the creation of small wineries in Indiana in 1971.

In 1972, Professor Oliver opened the first Commerical winery in the state. The company just celebrated it's 50th anniversary. Today, Oliver Winery & Vineyards distribute their award-winning, fruit-forward wines to more than 40 states and ship across the country.

The facility is beautiful and designed to impress the visitor. Parking is easily navigated and the walk from the lot to the main tasting building is lined with beautiful foliage, statues and unique rock formations. There are many signs directing the visitor. Once we made our way to the tasting room, we were greeted by Zane, the tasting room manager. Zane explained the tasting and tour options for the day. We settled on a custom tasting where we could choose the wines that we wanted to sample. Our favorite of the bunch was the Crimson Cabernet.

The grape was recently developed by a grape grower in Missouri named Lucian Dressel. The wine is a cross between Norton and Cabernet Sauvignon. This grape creates a medium bodied red wine that tastes like vinifera, however, is more weather-hearty due to the Norton "roots". Oliver Winery sells wines under several different labels. Their flagship brand is Oliver which is responsible for 80% of their total volume. The other 20% is made up of "Apple Pie/Peach Pie" brand, "Pilot Project", and their high end "Creekbend". Oliver also makes a Mead (Honey Wine) and Bean Blossom Hard Cider.

Oliver Winery and Vineyard has a great wine club with several options. For those who like surprises, the Estate Wine Club offers 6 pre-selected wines twice a year at 15%. If you would rather choose your own subscription, you can select 3 bottles to be delivered every one, two, or three months. With each shipment, you'll have the flexibility to select the bottles you’d like to receive. If you can’t decide, they are happy to curate a package for you based on your taste preferences, including some customer favorites. The Creekbend Club is their most exclusive club. Creekbend Club shipments feature Indiana wines from their estate-bottled Creekbend Vineyard collection. These locally grown and crafted wines range from rare varietals such as the dry red Creekbend Chambourcin, to the semi-sweet Catawba. This club membership also comes with benefits such as complimentary tastings and discounts on all purchases.
To learn more about Oliver, head to their website —> https://www.oliverwinery.com

Aloha from the Big Island! When you think about wineries, you rarely think about Hawaii. Yet, minutes from the site of an active volcano, sits a charming little winery and vineyard! The winery was founded in 1986 by a retired veterinarian named "Doc" McKinney from the neighboring island Oahu. Doc chose the property for its unusual climate at 4,000 feet above sea level, and planted 20 Symphony grape vines in the lava-covered land. Encouraged by the Symphony vines’ ability to grow in Volcano’s climate, the 20 vines were followed by planting 14 acres of Symphony Grape Vines. In the summer of 2000, a fire on the adjacent Volcanoes National Park property, spread to the winery and burned most of the Symphony vines. After the fire, the decision was made to not replant with Symphony, but to look towards other vines appropriate for our specific climate and growing conditions. They decided to replant with the grape Cayuga White, a quick ripening, cool climate hybrid grape developed at Cornell University Then In late 2007 the winery decided to expand the vineyard further to include the vinifera vines Pinot noir and Syrah.

During our visit, we met Pete the tasting room manager and Kean the winemaker. Kean gave a tour of the property where we saw the vineyard, tanks, barrels and enjoyed a sampling of wines under a tent at the end of our wine journey.

The winery features six wines in their tasting room and you can enjoy 1 oz pours of each for $15. The wine menu:

Pinot Noir - 100% Pinot Noir grapes
Medium bodied. fruit forward plum and currant notes. Subtle smoky, peppery tones and French oak finish.
Pairings: Seared ahi, salmon, lamb, mushroom, ribeve

Volcano Red: Fruit Blend 85% Red/White grape blend, 15% whole local iabotiaa berries.
Medium bodied fruit forward cranberry and dark cherry tones with a spicy finish.
Pairings: Roast, turkey, red sauce/cheesy dishes.

Volcano Blush: Fruit Blend 70% Symphony grapes, 30% whole local jaboticaba berries.
Semisweet. Fruit forward berry notes with a dry, spicy finish
Pairings: Smoky and spicy foods; BBQ, grilled meats and veggies.

Hawaiian Guava-Grape: Fruit Blend 40% Symphony grapes, 60% whole local Hawailan yellow guavas
Tropical guava front, smooth nutty and buttery notes on the finish.
Pairings: Pork. curries, Cajun, brunch, dessert.

Macadamia Nut Honey Mead: 100% Big Island macadamia nut honey Hawaiian dessert wine. Sweet honey tones with a lightly nutty/earthy finish. Pairings: Dark chocolate. fresh fruit. ice cream. cinnamon. whiskey. bourbon.

Infusion Tea Wine Mead: 100% Big Island macadamia nut honey, Estate black tea leaves. Roasted estate Japanese black tea, sweet, macadamia honey. Caffeinated.Pairings: Chilled as an aperitif. Japanese. dessert

We traveled to Lake Nola, Florida to check out a new Container/Self Storage Unit entrainment park called BOXI PARK! It's a food truck concept in a stationary environment complete with wine, beer, food, music, volleyball and even a dog park. You are greeted at the entrance with colorfully painted containers stacked on end with the words BOXI PARK. Visitors are required to enter and exit through this area. The appears to be a ticket booth to be used for private events and ticketed concerts. Once inside you'll notice several beverage and food counter-serve restaurants all cleverly named. There is a main covered area with a bar and stage. Boxi Park advertises live music, yoga and private events in this unique space.
Drinks

• Hops and Vine (Beer and Wine)
• Bar Nona (Mixed cocktails)
• La Cajita (Margaritas)

Food Counter Serve Restaurants

• The Grill Next Door (Burgers)
• Claw and Order (Seafood)
• Fowl Play (buttermilk-breaded fried poultry sandwiches)
• SOTO (handrolls/sushi)
• Canonita (tacos)
• Before it Melts (Ice Cream)

Of course, we made our way to the wine and beer area. Most of the wine and beer offerings center around ease-of-consumption. The focus on wines and beers on tap along with canned beverages. The wines on tap are from Columbia Valley and Australia. The beers on tap are microbrews made across the street at Park Pizza and Brewing Company, There are some premium wines available by the glass and bottle and are from Monterey and the Central Coast. We tried both the wines on tap and by the glass and recommend the upgrade to the wines from Monterey and the Central Coast. The wines on tap were flat with little flavor.

Let's talk food! Boxi Park offers all of the food truck favorites. We enjoyed the Birria Nachos and Carne Asada Our Way. Both were outstanding and was plenty of food for the both of us (thank you Boxi Park for comping us!). Other notables is the Grill Next Door and Before It Melts. We didn't actually try either, but the burgers and ice cream looked amazing.

The stage is really cool and showcases a great covered space. Large speakers line the elevated stage and a large video monitor frames the top. The floor of the covered space is a green astroturf making it warm and friendly. Oscillating fans line the space to keep visitors cool on hot days.

To keep the peace, there are several rules that visitors will want to review prior to entry. Specifically, rules regarding dogs, attire and large backpacks/bags should be taken seriously. Also note that Boxi Park is only open Thursday through Sunday and can be rented out for private events;

Thursday - Friday 5-11pm
Saturday 11am-11pm
Sunday Noon-9pm

Come see why Boxi Park is USAToday's 10 Best and Orlando's Hottest New Eatery (2019)

Founded in 2015, Old Town Cellars (OTC Winery) is everything a town winery should be. First off, the whole city winery idea is very cool and has a fun, young flair to it. The concept was created by merging their passion for wine with their love for mountain town culture and lifestyle. Most of their social media posts involve skiing, biking or camping with wine. Park City is home to one of North America's premiere skiing resorts and was a site host to the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.

When we arrived, we were greeted by winemaker and owner, Stephen MacKay. He showed us around his production area and warehouse. Stephen's passion really showed. We got to try several wines and told the inspiration behind them. The OTC wine list is nicely thought out hitting on many popular taste profiles.

Mountain Town White 2020 - Umpqua OR - an acidic white wine, aromatic and crisp. ($17.99)

Townie Rosé NV- Pinot Gris - Merlot - Umpqua OR - Off-dry with notes of pomegranate and strawberry. ($18.99)

Mountain Town Red NV- Tempranillo, Syrah, Merlot - Umpqua OR - Fruit forward, soft oak, medium tannins. ($19.99)

Elusive Chardonnay 2019 - Horse Haven Hills, Washington - Moderate oak, asian pear, toffee, crisp finish ($35.99)

Perpetual Reserve Pinot Noir 2020 - Russian River Valley - Medium body, earthy, delicate. ($67.99)

Outlaw Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 - Paso Robles - Full body, robust oak profile, dark fruit, velvety. ($79.99)

Bear Fortified Grüner Veltliner Dessert Wine - Honey, stone fruit hibiscus ($49.99)

S.O.M Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2018 - dark fruit, well rounded tannins and complex ($104.99)


Visit https://otcwines.com for more information on visiting OTC Winery. The official wine of Apres!


A recent post from the OTC Winery Facebook page.