Terry and I drove up to the Lakeridge Winery (19239 U.S. 27 North, Clermont), for a 50’s 60’s themed car show and music festival called Vintage Venture. There was a $2 donation to get into the event but the wine tasting was free. There was a constant flow of people into the winery. Some people walked past me with cases of wine piled into old fashioned red flier wagons. People also returned empty bottles in the same wagons. The woman at the entrance would read her book, then ask, “Free wine tasting?” whenever someone stopped. Her table displayed all the wines made at the winery. Since I was holding a pad and taking notes, people must have assumed I was a manager since I kept fielding questions about the tasting and the festival.
When I finished this sketch, I texted Terry and we both went in for the wine tasting. There were nine different wines to be sampled. My favorite was a Blanc du Bois 2009 which was a semi-dry white wine with a rich fruity flavor. Quite honestly I was surprised at how good all the wines were. I never thought of Central Florida as a place where grapes could be grown. Terry tried growing tomatoes in the backyard once and they literally exploded on the vine from excessive heat and then too much rain. I was amazed that grapes could be spared such a fate.
There were perhaps 20 or so vintage cars. I considered drawing them but I couldn’t find a shady spot with a good view. While I was sketching the winery, Elvis performed on the main stage while 2 old women danced in poodle skirts.