Wine
The Oranges Got the Billboards. The Grapes Got County Road 675.
Fiorelli Winery in Bradenton has been making muscadine wine since 1998. This weekend: guided tastings from $15, live music 1–5, and a vineyard you can walk through with the dog.
Fiorelli Winery sits at 4250 County Road 675 East in Bradenton, which is not a sentence most people expect to finish with "winery." It has been there since 1998, growing the one grape Florida's climate will actually tolerate without a lawsuit: muscadine.
Their own grapes page notes that grapes were growing in Florida long before oranges took over the marketing budget. Then humidity showed up, and muscadine stayed.
What they pour
Fiorelli lists six muscadine varieties on the property — Carlos, Noble, Stover, FAMU, Triumph, and Conquistador — and about eleven wines for sale (dry-leaning, sweeter, and fruit blends). A guided tasting runs about 45 minutes, usually at the outdoor bar overlooking the vines. You get six pours plus a rotating taste of the day. FAQ pricing starts at $15 a person; add $3 for two wine-infused sorbets if you are that kind of person. I am that kind of person.
Reserve online. Walk-ins are welcome when seats are left. They are not always left.
This weekend on the calendar
Hours from the winery site: Thursday–Friday noon–7, Saturday 11–7, Sunday 11–6. Closed Monday through Wednesday. Tasting blocks run hourly on the tasting days (Friday from 2, Saturday from 11, Sunday from 11; last pours land at the top of the final open hour).
Live music is the weekend product. Per Fiorelli's calendar:
- Saturday, Oct. 3, 1–5 p.m. — Jason Stallworth
- Sunday, Oct. 4, 1–5 p.m. — Bob Linton & Zach Regan
No reservation needed just to sit outside, walk the vineyard, and listen. Food and drinks stay on-site — outside coolers and outside bottles are a no. Pets on a leash are fine. There is a playground. That combination is either a family outing or a wine-and-dogs afternoon, depending on who packed the car.
The wine note
Muscadine is the grape Florida can actually grow. Everything else is a negotiation with humidity. If your mental map of "wine country" stops at Napa, County Road 675 is the correction. Call 941-322-0976 if you want to confirm a tasting slot before you drive inland.
— Kevin
