Did you know that visiting a winery while staying at an Element vacation home can improve your health? That’s right, adding a winery to your Central Florida itinerary can significantly benefit your mental health, according to recent studies. The process involved in wine tasting – selecting the bottle, opening it, allowing the wine to breathe, and savoring each sip, fosters mindfulness, which is known to improve psychological well-being!
Good thing there are over 20 wineries, tasting rooms, wine cellars, and wine bars in Central Florida to choose from! This guide covers eight of the finest wine experiences within an hour’s drive from Kissimmee and Davenport.
Pour a glass of wine; these are some of Central Florida’s finest wineries.
Island Grove Wine Company At Formosa Gardens
Photo Credit: Stone36
- Website: formosawinery.com
- Address: 3011 Formosa Gardens Blvd, Kissimmee, FL
- Hours: Wednesday to Friday, 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM, Saturday and Sunday 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM
Island Grove Wine Company at Formosa Gardens in Kissimmee has 30 years of farming experience. Their wines are made from fermented blueberries grown on their 400 acres of farmland in Florida. Their wines range from very sweet to very dry.
Check out their events calendar for wine glass painting, happy hours, girl’s night, and brunch events. Step outside the wine box and let them host your special event! Formosa Gardens is known for having a beautiful wedding venue with its seven acres of botanical gardens, which you can also tour.
Island Grove has an incredible international wine selection at their self-serve wine station, which perfectly controls the temperature of the wine and the amount of oxygen in the bottle.
Don’t worry about eating before you arrive. Formosa Gardens has a full menu serving flatbreads, french onion soup, charcuterie, and sandwiches. The BBQ Chicken and Bacon flatbread is a crowd pleaser.
Quantum Leap Winery
Photo Credit: City Year via Flickr CC 2.0
- Website: quantumleapwinery.com
- Address: 1312 Wilfred Dr., Orlando, FL
- Hours: Tuesday to Thursday, 12:00 PM to 7:00 PM, Friday to Saturday, 12:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Quantum Leap Winery in Orlando is about 35 minutes drive north of Kissimmee. Quantum Leap partners with sustainable and organic growers in notable wine-growing regions worldwide to produce high-quality wines with a reduced carbon footprint.
Their winemaking process includes sourcing grapes from California and around the world. The grapes are crushed nearby, fermented, barrel-aged, and blended on-site.
This is also an eco-friendly wine experience! They reduce their carbon footprint by serving wine on tap in reusable kegs that hold the equivalent of 26 bottles of wine. This eliminates the need for glass, cork, and capsules, and the taps use inert gas to preserve the wine, eliminating oxidation, which ensures the last glass will be just as fresh as the first.
Enjoy a selection of charcuteries and chocolate in their tasting room that is beautifully decorated with works from local artists and are available for purchase.
Check out the events calendar for charity events, yoga, and wine pairing classes.
True Blue Winery
Photo Credit: AstroStar
- Website: truebluewinery.com
- Address: 604 Pink Apartments Rd, Davenport, FL
- Winery Hours: Seasonal; check the website for more information.
Located in the heart of historic Davenport, True Blue Winery offers a tasting flight of all nine blueberry wines and wine by the glass or bottle. The True Blue Bistro serves lunch and dinner. Their brick oven is fired up on Friday and Saturday. The brick oven pizzas are not to be missed.
Just can’t get enough blueberries? Pick your own to take home during their harvest season. Before you go, get in touch to ensure their blueberry bushes haven’t been picked clean.
Lakeridge Winery & Vineyards
Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons via Google Images CCL
- Website: lakeridgewinery.com
- Address: 239 U.S. 27 North, Clermont, Florida
- Hours: Monday to Saturday, 10:00 AM – 05:00 PM, Sundays 11:00 AM – 05:00 PM (Last tour offered at 4:00 PM)
Lakeridge Winery and Vineyards, located about 50 minutes north of Kissimmee and directly west of Lake Apopka, sits on a 127 acre estate and is worth the drive. Lakeridge has about 75 acres of Muscadine grapes planted. Muscadine grape varieties grow very well in Florida’s hot and humid climate.
Guided wine tours and wine tastings are offered daily and run approximately 45 minutes. The tour covers the winemaking process and the history of Florida wine. Your host will take you on a tour of the winemaking area, and you’ll then take in the beautiful views of the vineyards where the grapes are grown and harvested.
The guided wine tasting offers a selection of award-winning wines that range from dry to sweet and sparkling. Lakeridge also imports grapes to make various white and red wines, from Pinot Grigio and Chardonnay to Petite Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon.
Weekends At The Winery events are held every Saturday and Sunday. Enjoy delicious food, wine, and live music from 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM.
Oak Haven Farms & Winery
Photo Credit: RuslanKphoto
- Website: berriesandwines.com
- Address: 32418 Avington Rd, Sorrento, FL
- Hours: Open early December to mid-March, depending upon the weather. The country kitchen is open on weekends only, starting in late December and ending in March.
Oak Haven Farms and Winery is a beautiful 20-acre Florida farm winery where oak trees with Spanish moss surround the property. The strawberry farm and winery are about 50 minutes north of Kissimmee in Sorrento.
Wines made here include strawberry wine, blueberry wine, and wine made from Muscadine varietals. Taste up to five wines for $1.00. Your tasting fee will be waived with your purchase of any bottle.
As their opening hours are “weather permitting,” it’s recommended that you check before visiting.
Lake Seneca Farms
Photo Credit: Feng Cheng
- Website: lakesenecafarms.com
- Address: 32418 Avington Rd, Sorrento, FL
- Hours: Appointment only
Lake Seneca Farms was established in 2014 and grows a variety of fruits using organic and sustainable farming practices. Located in the hills of Eustis, Florida, northwest of Orlando, the farm is about a 60-minute drive from Kissimmee and is less than 15 minutes north of Oak Haven Farms.
Lake Seneca Farms was awarded Best Of Florida Winery in 2022 and 2023. They make most of their wines from their own fruit grown on-site, including muscadine grapes, pineapple, peaches, and pumpkins, just to name a few!
Self-guided winery tours of the farm and wine tastings are available by appointment only.
Keel & Curley Winery
Photo Credit: Matthew Paulson via Flickr CC 2.0
- Website: keelfarms.com
- Address: 5202 Thonotosassa Road, Plant City, FL
- Hours: Monday to Thursday, 11:00 AM – 9:00 PM, Friday, 11:00 AM – 11:00 PM, Saturday, 10:00 AM – 11:00 PM, Sunday, 11:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Keel and Curley Winery is noted for being a fun place for lunch and wine tasting with a great atmosphere. They offer tours, wine tastings, dining, events, and farm activities year round!
The farm produces Agrarian Ale, cider, wine, pasture-raised chickens, beef, and blueberries and only accepts reservations for small parties.
Brix & Mortar
Photo Credit: Alena Gerasimova
- Website: thebestwineryever.com
- Address: 117 S. Palmetto Ave., Sanford, Florida
- Address: 3885 Avalon Park E Blvd, Orlando, Florida
- Hours: Tuesday to Thursday 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM, Friday, 5:00 PM – 10:00 PM Saturday, 2:00 PM – 10:00 PM, Sunday: 12:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Brix & Mortar has two wineries less than an hour from Kissimmee in Sanford and Avalon Park. This winery imports grapes to make their wine, similar to Quantum Leap Winery. They produce red and white wines ranging from a dry Malbec to sweet blueberry and plum wines and offer several white and rosé wines.
Hungry? Have some bites for a self-guided food and wine pairing. Brix and Mortar offers a charcuterie board, truffle mac and cheese, hummus, and more.
Don’t Skip The Wineries In Central Florida
If you’re a wine enthusiast, you’ll find something special here in Central Florida. Muscadine varietals, blueberry, peach, pineapple, strawberry, and other fruit wines are just a few produced in Central Florida.
Whether your vacation is all about the Big Mick, or you’re in town for a special event or conference, take some time to relax with locally produced wine that’s just a short drive from your beautiful themed vacation home.
