Many times while traveling on the Florida Turnpike between Orlando and Ocala I have wistfully passed by the exit to the Lakeridge Winery. Driving home from NAWIC Forum this past Sunday I decided to stop and see what Lakeridge had to offer. It was another one of those stolen moment opportunities because although my family said they missed me no one would be waiting at home for me to arrive.
I arrived 30 minutes before they opened but I decided to wait out the time with my ipad, which is perfect for such ocassions! The parking lot soon started to fill up with an eclectic mix of vehicles from motorcycles to RVs. I knew I was in for an interesting time.
There were about 20 of us interested in the tour (some went straight for the tasting) and within 5 minutes of opening we were whisked away by Doug, our tour guide. I won’t go into detail about Doug’s personality but if you ever make it to Lakeridge, make sure he is your guide!
The tour started with a short video on how 
Lakeridge Winery came to be and how they process their wine. We were then escorted along the catwalk to see the production area and then outside to a balcony that overlooks the vineyard. It was definitely a picturesque view.
The wine tasting is held at a large counter in the middle of Lakeridge’s retail area. We were poured a sample of at least 8 wines (I lost count) starting with dry to sweet and a sparkling wine. Doug gave descriptions of the wines and offered suggestions on what foods would compliment each one.
It was a nice way to spend an hour or so of an afternoon and I recommend stopping by to see for yourself.
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