Wino Wednesday: It's Port and Tonic Weather. Also, Wine Mini Golf.

Kevin is in Portugal's Douro Valley until November, which means he is standing in the exact place Port comes from while I am standing in my kitchen eating almonds over the sink. So I'm filling in on Wino Wednesday, and I'm doing it the only way I know how: with snacks!

Same deal as always. Three questions, one myth, then five good reasons to pour something around Sarasota and Bradenton this week. Every spot is independently owned, and everything happens between tonight and Saturday.

Quick quiz (Douro edition, in Kevin's honor)

1. Port wine is made in the valley of which river?

• A) The Tagus
• B) The Douro
• C) The Rhône
• D) The Loire

2. According to UNESCO, Port's quality has been defined and regulated since what year?

• A) 1492
• B) 1756
• C) 1855
• D) 1933

3. In Portugal, a "Portonic" is:

• A) A Port-flavored energy drink
• B) Pears poached in Port
• C) Dry white Port with tonic, ice and a slice of lemon
• D) The nickname for a Port cellar door

Answers are at the bottom. No peeking. I can tell.

The myth: Port is a sweet red you sip after dinner in a sweater

Port can absolutely be that, and I love that version too. But the people who regulate it, Portugal's Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e do Porto, say there's a whole white side. White Port comes pale, straw or golden, and it runs from extra dry to very sweet. How sweet is a call the winemaker makes, depending on when the brandy goes in to stop the fermentation.

Here's the part that made me drop my fork. The institute's own serving guide says dry white Port is the key ingredient in a Portonic: Port, tonic water, ice and a slice of lemon. It recommends serving white Port at 6 to 10°C, which is about 43 to 50 degrees. The National Weather Service forecast for Sarasota says 89 today and 90 tomorrow. I'm not saying it was invented for us. I'm saying nobody would blame you.

Now the food, because that's why I'm here. The IVDP's pairing chart puts dry white Port with almonds, smoked ham, salads, creamy soups and smoked fish. Smoked fish! Friends, we live in smoked fish dip country. I'm not going to tell you what to do with a sleeve of crackers on a Thursday night, but the institute did say smoked fish, and I'm choosing to read that as permission.

The same chart sends LBV, a late bottled vintage red Port, toward steak with pepper sauce, roast beef and game, then follows it with cheesecake or chocolate mousse. A wine that goes with the steak and the dessert is a wine that understands my whole personality.

Decanter (@Decanter) has a lovely round-up of ways to drink Port beyond the usual Tawny and cheese board, and Port and tonic is right there at the front of it:

Port Wine Day may have come and gone, but the good ideas haven't expired. Port & Tonic, Port cocktails, unexpected food pairings, even a Douro harvest trip, five ways to enjoy Port that go well beyond Tawny and a cheese board.

— Decanter (@Decanter) See it on X

Five independent wine nights this week (Oct. 14-17)

No chain stores. I checked every one of these on the venue's own page or ticket listing on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026. Seats, prices and pours can change, so confirm before you drive. Every pour on this list is 21+.

1. FioRelli at TreeUmph!: wine tasting plus mini golf (tonight)

FioRelli Winery and Vineyard is bringing its lineup to the TreeUmph! Adventure Course, 21805 State Road 70 East in Bradenton, tonight, Wednesday, Oct. 14, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. $25 gets you the tasting, sweet fruit wines through dry reds and whites, plus a round of Canopy Links Mini Golf under the oaks. You can add the Triumph Zipline for $10 if you reserve ahead, but the zipline has to be ridden before any alcohol is served. ID at check-in, closed-toe shoes, and the course is gravel and turf, so dress for it. Marina's take: That zipline rule is the most responsible sentence I've read all month, and I'd like it applied to karaoke.

2. Vino Bistro: $25 Wednesday flights and Roll the Dice

Vino Bistro at 1419 5th Street in the Rosemary District pours a $25 Wednesday flight, four wines from four regions, all evening, and happy hour pricing runs all evening Wednesday and Thursday. On both nights there's Roll the Dice: roll a six and that item is on the house. One round per guest. Thursday is the sleeper: a wood-fired pizza and two glasses of wine for $30, plus open mic from 7 to 9. Promo pricing is dine-in only; reservations at 941-952-3172. Marina's take: I'm a food writer and I'm telling you the Thursday pizza math is the best deal on this page. The dice are a bonus. The dice are also why I'm going.

3. Michael's Wine Cellar: Cakebread Cellars dinner (Thursday)

Michael's Wine Cellar, 1283 S. Tamiami Trail, hosts a Cakebread Cellars wine dinner on Thursday, Oct. 15, 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. It's seven wines from the Napa winery, starting with Sauvignon Blanc and moving through Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Merlot and two Cabernet Sauvignons, each with a course from the Michael's On East culinary team. $195 per person, gratuity and the Eventbrite fee included, tax on top, and double rewards points on anything you buy that day. Seats are limited. Marina's take: Seven wines that end on two Cabernets. Eat the bread. That's not a joke, that's a plan.

4. Sarasota Wine Co.: The Tasting Room (Saturday)

Sarasota Wine Co. at 64 S. Palm Ave. opens The Tasting Room on Saturday, Oct. 17, 1 to 3 p.m. A $35 ticket (plus Florida tax and a 94-cent service fee) gets a flight of four wines on a theme that changes every week, an ounce of wine chips paired with them, and printed tasting notes to take home. Kevin already walked you through it a couple of weeks ago, and the chips are still part of the deal. Marina's take: A shop that pairs its wine with chips on purpose. Someone over there understands me personally.

5. Sopranos Social Club: Premium Wine Dinner (Saturday)

Sopranos Social Club & Wine Bar, 2120 Gulf Gate Drive, lists a Premium Wine Dinner for Saturday, Oct. 17, 6 to 8 p.m., $200: seven wines from its cellar with five courses by James Baselici and a Champagne toast to start. The menu reads like a love letter to fall. Yellowfin tuna carpaccio with green apple and watermelon radish next to a 2023 Château Mont-Redon Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc. Lamb meatballs with pomegranate molasses and almond dukkah with a 2020 Long Shadows Pedestal Merlot. Butternut squash risotto with a crushed amaretto cookie and fried sage, poured with a 2023 Tensley Syrah. Then a prime New York strip with a spiced pumpkin beurre blanc, alongside a 2019 Robert Craig Affinity and a 2018 Neyers Ranch Cabernet. Call 941-404-9685 to grab a seat. Marina's take: Butternut risotto with a crushed amaretto cookie on top. I've read that line eleven times. I'm a grown woman.

One more for Lakewood Ranch: Fine Wine & Tastings on Main takes $2 off every regularly priced 5-ounce pour Tuesday through Friday, 3 to 6 p.m., with 35 wines by the glass on the monthly list.

A postcard from the Douro, sort of

While Kevin is out there, the Douro's own wineries are posting the good stuff. Quinta do Judeu (@QUINTAdoJUDEU) shared harvest moments from its vineyards all through September, and this one is the closest I'm getting to those terraces this year:

Momentos Vindimas - 2026 - Harvest Moments #Douro #Vinho #Wine #Portugal #Vindimas #Harvest

— Quinta do Judeu (@QUINTAdoJUDEU) See it on X

Kevin, if you're reading this from a terrace above the river, bring home a dry white Port. I've got the almonds. I've got the tonic. I've got a fish dip situation I'd like to discuss.

Cheers from the lanai, Marina

Answers

1. B) The Douro. UNESCO's Alto Douro Wine Region listing says wine has been made there for about 2,000 years, and Port has been its world-famous main product since the 18th century.
2. B) 1756. The same UNESCO page calls Port "a wine of a quality defined and regulated since 1756."
3. C) Dry white Port with tonic, ice and a slice of lemon, per the IVDP's Port serving guide.