Thanks to La Ola Surfside for partnering with Sunny 106.3 for the UnWined Wednesday wine tasting event. They provided free wine for the tasting.
Last weekend was the SWFL Food and Wine Fest in Fort Myers which raised more than $2 Million for charity. This weekend is the Naples Winter Wine Fest and last night was UnWined Wednesday for the New Year with Gina Birch. The wine tasting event took place at La Ola Surfside Restaurant which is in The Bell Tower Shops in Fort Myers. However, the restaurant’s original location is on Fort Myers Beach where it is currently operating out of repurposed shipping container.
The last wine tasting event with Sunny and Gina Birch was in December and it was a festive one. The restaurant and shopping center were decorated in all kinds of festive garb and there was a nice holiday vibe. This is how it works. The restaurant provides small tastes of several wines supplied by Republic National Distribution Company. Next, after tasting the wines, those in attendance had the option to purchase a glass (or a bottle) and almost everyone did. In addition, many ordered food to pair with the wines.
We sampled four wines. First, we tried two white wines. One was a fresh and citrusy Stoneleigh Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough. The second white was a slightly oaky, vanilla chardonnay from Rutherford Ranch.
Next, the red wines. First in the red line up was B.R. Cohn Cabernet Sauvignon from Sonoma and it was well received. The second one was from Paso Robles and was also a cabernet sauvignon. It was San Simeon and smelled like jammy dark and red fruits. It made me want BBQ ribs.