This past weekend Sari and I trekked to the Tampa Bay area of Florida. We decided to scour the area searching for points of interest, and to our jubilation the bay area delivered a few locales of wine friendly appeal. One place worthy of note is “Wine Design” at the Channelside Shops in downtown Tampa. The store itself must barely cover 600 square feet, but has walls and displays lined with regional, national, and international wines and paraphernalia. It boasts as “Tampa Bay’s Premier Wine Store.” Upon crossing the threshold of the shop a relaxed sense comes over you and the staff is friendly and informative. Finding the quant shop was truly a happy accident!
Our next wine find of the trip presented itself at the end of The PIER in St. Petersburg. The Pier has been a staple in the city’s history – in one form or another – since 1889. The first floor of The PIER’s current incarnation houses The Pier Winery one of The Florida Winery and Cigars stores. This is unique wine store sporting “the world’s largest selection of REAL FLORIDA WINES!” Containing all the trappings of Florida décor including a tropical atmosphere and stuffed gators smoking cigars and drinking wine! They have free wine tasting available at their bartop counter so you can enjoy all that the Sunshine State has to offer. Sari got a few bottles of Strawberry Riesling while I went for the Blueberry, Dry – both hailing from Keel and Curley Winery in Plant City.
In the evening of one of our last nights there Sari and I spotted a Total Wine just off of I-275. Wanting to thank my dad for extending his hospitality during our stint in the bay area we decided to gather a small sampling of our favorite wines. This branch did not disappoint. I was able to obtain the wines for my father, as well as find the Mulderbosch Faithful Hound that I tried at Seasons 52, and the Crow Canyon Cabernet Sauvignon that was advised to me by the North Miami Beach Total Wine staff (that store was sold out at the time).
Sari and I enjoyed our unexpected glimpse into the world of Tampa Bay’s wine culture. If you ever find yourself in that area looking for something to do, look a little harder and you might find a good wine waiting around the corner.
