"Tastings" - a new downtown Wine Experience

[Sue Copening]

Try a taste of a fun wine experience
Kelly Fitzpatrick / BARS & CLUBS / Orlando Sentinel
May 8, 2009

I stopped by Tastings — A Wine Experience in downtown Orlando recently and had one of most fun yet laid-back times I've had at a wine bar in a long time.

Maybe it was the balcony seating or the friendly staff, but the fact that I was in shorts, T-shirt and flip-flops didn't deter from the service I received, compared to the couple sitting across from me both wearing suits. (In my fashion defense, it was daytime and I was on vacation.)

Tastings has taken residence in the Dynetech Centre at Magnolia Avenue, right off of Washington Street in downtown Orlando. The space is not huge, but big enough to host a small private party. The wine "tasting" area is rather small but has more than 70 wines from which to choose.

How it works: You buy a prepaid card and slide it in the wine dispensers around the "tasting" room. Think of it as a classier fountain machine; instead of soda you're dispensing wine into your glass. There are three choices: you can have a taste, a half-glass or a full glass. The prices range according to your choice and are deducted from your card. Because I'm a Riesling fan, I tasted both the Daniel Gehrs and Hahn Piesporter Michelsberg. The first was $2.60 for the taste and the second was $2.20. I preferred the latter and decided to get a half-glass, which cashed in at $5.50. The hubby dug the Daniel Gehrs and got a half-glass at $5.90. Because I only bought the minimum prepaid card ($20) I ended up getting only another taste of the Hahn.

The sampling of the wines is a lot of fun. Reading the different descriptions for each on the card above the spout and trying the different selections is truly like being in a candy shop for adults. The server provided a glass of water to cleanse the palate between tastings. Sandwiches, cheese trays and dinner selections are also available and are quite tasty. In fact, this place is great for a birthday celebration or after-work stop: Order a cheese plate and buy a tasting card and a good time will be had.

I ended up spending a lot of time on the balcony, which brings through a good breeze, but we'll see how it goes when the summer months kick in. A note to dog lovers and wine lovers: The balcony is dog-friendly. But there is also plenty of seating inside, at the opposite end of the wine bar from the "tasting" spot.

Every Wednesday the bar has special tastings, and from 7 pm. to 10 p.m. on Saturdays there is live music. From 4 to 7 p.m. Monday-Friday, the mutts are celebrated once again through "Yappy Hour," with unlimited water for your pup and 2-for-1 drafts, $2 off featured wines and half-priced appetizers.

Parking is really the biggest problem with Tastings. If you're like me (and remember I went during the day) you could park along Rosalind Avenue for a buck an hour before 6 p.m. (it's free after), or do what the Tastings web site tells you and park for free at the lot across the street at Palmetto Street.

TASTINGS
111 N Magnolia Ave
Orlando, FL 32801