grapeinabottle

Mrs. Grapeinabottle and I went to the Orlando Food and Wine Fest this weekend.  From the size of the crowd the event appeared to be extremely successful.  The Wine Tasters Guild of Orlando sponsored the Wine Garden, which showcased six different wineries including Bonterra, a California organic wine; Kluge, a wine gaining much recognition on the East Coast; Castello Banfi, a true Italian wine; and Wakefield, among others.  I don’t know if the shortage of wine was due to the fact that this was the first annual event, or due to the success of the event, but the festival ran out of wine Sunday afternoon (at least at the location we were at).  I would like to think the paucity of wine was due to the latter and I’m sure there will be even more choices next year.

Other than wine, several microbrews were available,d as well as food from various restaurants around Orlando. The Italian BBQ served with pickled vegetables from Primo was my favorite, while Mrs. Grapeinabottle preferred the mini bison burger from The Funky Monkey Wine Company.

The food and wine was accompanied by live jazz, including performances by Craig Chaquico and Everette Harp, among others.  This made the event a very pleasant afternoon, with beautiful Lake Eola and the Orlando skyline as the backdrop.  I’m already looking forward to next year.  I hope to post the reviews of the wines I sampled over the next few days.

If you would like to see reviews of the restaurants mentioned here, or restaurants in your city, check out Foodbuzz.com.  This is a great foodie community that has numerous reviews, recipes, and blog articles about everything food.