Did you know there are several wineries in Central Florida that you can visit to sample some delicious locally made wine? Lakeridge Winery and Vineyards is just one of these, located in Clermont Florida. It is home to over 75 acres of vineyards, and offers guests free tours and wine tastings. They also have a beautiful shop that sells locally made foods and goods. On the weekends you can enjoy some snacks from their food court while listening to live entertainment, surrounded by acres of grapes!
The Wine
Florida might not be the first place that comes to mind when thinking of places where wine is made. However, the land in the area offers a great deal of advantages when it comes to making wine. The warm and humid climate helps grape varieties like muscadine thrive. Lakeridge winery started growing grapes on their land in 1988. Since then, they have produced and sold so much wine that they need help growing grapes to accommodate the demand! Because of this, they are able to collaborate with local growers to purchase more grapes, fueling Florida’s farming industry.
Lakeridge Winery is the largest winery in Florida, and is run by a family of wine lovers. To enjoy the free wine tastings at this location, guests will watch a 15 minute video talking about the history of Florida and wine, as well as the history of the winery and the family who runs it. Tour guides then take groups on a tour through the winery. Here is where you can see how the wine is made, bottled, and where the grapes are grown. After the tour, you’ll enter a room with glasses set up for you to sample their wines.
I was genuinely surprised by how many you get to try! We tried about eight different wines, including their house made mulled wine. The guides are so knowledgeable, friendly, and hilarious and the wine tasting was as fun as it was yummy. If you’d like a more private setting, you can also book a VIP tour and enjoy tastings in a private room. You can even add the option to try locally made cheeses and meats while tasting your wine!
The Shop
The shop inside of Lakeridge Winery is personally my favorite part as it is filled with hundreds of locally made foods, jams, sauces, home goods, and more. I recommend trying the sriracha aioli and mimosa jam that they sell. Both are so delicious and I usually buy multiple while I’m there to last until my next visit! Another beautiful item you can buy are candles made from recycled wine bottles, the bottles lay sideways on stands with the wax and the wicks on the inner half of the wine bottles that are cut in half. They smell so delicious, and the one in my kitchen has received so many compliments since purchasing it!
Of course, you can buy bottles of their wine to take home with you, as well as wine accessories like stoppers, decanters, and wine racks. If you will be exploring the land after your visit and want to enjoy a glass of wine while you walk, you can purchase glasses individually in the shop and walk around with them throughout the property. If you’re with a group, you can buy a bottle of wine that is already chilled and have it opened at the shop so you can share a bottle while adventuring around the winery. Then you can take home whatever you don’t finish!
Overall
For beautiful views of Florida’s farmland, delicious wine tastings, and a shop offering scrumptious locally made goods, check out Lakeridge Winery, the largest winery in Florida! Whenever you visit, I’m sure you will have a wine-derful day!
Clermont
Lakeridge Winery is situated in Clermont, Florida, less than 40 minutes away from the theme parks and downtown Orlando. This area of Central Florida offers beautiful homes that range from newly constructed houses to houses with plenty of land for outdoor activities. There is no shortage of fun to be had in this area, with outdoor places to visit like Southern Hill Farms, and local eateries like Pop Culture Soda Shoppe. Curious to see what homes are available around Lakeridge Winery?
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