When I hear “vineyard” or “winery,” I envision blue skies with fluffy, white clouds and endless rows of twisty green vines as far as the eye can see. And California, not Florida.
Turns out, that would be a mistake. Terry, the owner of Strong Tower Vineyard & Winery assured me that all 50 states have vineyards. Also, at one point, Florida was #6 in the country for its wine production. I commented I was surprised we didn’t have more (and bigger) vineyards since we had such a warm, humid climate. Yep, showing my stupidity again! He said the humidity is a detriment, not a plus, because that extra moisture can result in mold, fungus and mildew.
Terry seems to have mastered those pesky little problems. His wines have won numerous awards. He said the ribbons were nice but he entered the contests specifically for the judges’ comments. That’s how he fine tunes his products. I’m guessing that’s also why his vineyard prospers, because he continues to strive for excellence in his products.
It’s too bad I don’t drink because he has some interesting wines. He has Spring Hill Red (slightly sweet, with the flavor of the muscadine grape); Masaryktown Blues (a semi-dry blueberry wine); Carlos (an award winner that’s slightly sweet); Southern Blanc (a dry white with a hint of fruit and floral); Ruby Red Dessert Wine; Blueberry Dessert Wine; Apple Blossom Dessert Wine; and Strawberry Dessert Wine. I’m pretty sure I’d have been coming home with a crate of dessert wines.
I liked this place, mostly for its serenity, quiet and beauty. But you would want to go with a friend or a group as there’s not a lot to do. If you participate in a tasting and make a purchase, you can then take a tour of the processing room. I would’ve enjoyed that, but it wasn’t offered since I didn’t purchase anything.
It would be easy to drive right past the place. There is a sign on the fence but when you turn in, you see a lovely home with a nice green lawn, no parking lot. Since the vineyard is behind the house, it’s not immediately clear that this is, indeed, the right place. But it is. And once you park, you can see a covered area attached to the home where you can sit and enjoy both your beverage and the company of your friends.
The view in back is lush and green. Terry encouraged me to stroll through the vineyard and I took him up on that.
While there, I chose a big, fat grape, plucked it off the vine, and took it back to ask if it was ready for consumption. One of the employees told me it was an Ison grape that was not even close to being ready and would be sour if I bit into it. However, she said if I’d chosen one that was dark purple all the way around, it would taste like grape candy.
If it hadn’t been so hot, I’d have trekked back out and found a plump purple grape to sample. Maybe next time.
I would suggest this is a nice day trip if you have company. You could conceivably make an afternoon of it if you took a snack, purchased a bottle of wine, and sat out back for some casual conversation under the canopy. Otherwise, like me, you might have seen everything there is to see in a half hour.
- 17810 Forge Dr., Spring Hill, Florida
- 352-799-7612
- strongtowervineyard.com
- Open Wednesday through Saturday 11:00 AM – 6:00 PM (10:00 PM on Fridays)
- Website says they’re closed “all major/legal holidays.” Do you think that means they’re open on the illegal ones? That would be fun.
Lisa Browder 
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