Entertainment

Schnebly Redland’s Winery – Mango Wine And The Like

June 7th, 2007 Categories: Entertainment

I love living in the Redland area of Miami.  It’s not just about selling real estate here.  I love being close to the city, yet removed enough that the country charm comes through.  Redland is home to nurseries that grow plants and tropical fruits shipped all over the States.  Once you live here, you start developing a taste for tropical fruits and are no longer happy just buying and eating them, but want to grow them too.  I’ve added several fruit trees since I bought my home in the Redlands and already enjoy some of the fruits of my labor (excuse the pun).  One thing I won’t be able to produce myself though is wine.  Luckily for me, there’s a local winery doing that already, and doing it quite well.

Schnebly Redland’s Winery is unlike most wineries.  They have the distinction of being the only producer of wines in the U.S that uses absolutely no grapes.  Instead they use tropical fruits.  They use five different fruits and produce 7 varieties: Mango, Carambola (starfruit), Guava, Lychee (if you haven’t yet tried fresh lychees, you must.  They are now my favorite fruit) and Passion Fruit.  The winery is the creation of owners Peter and Denisse Schnebly, local residents and entrepreneurs.

The wine tasting room is open to the public.  Here you can buy wines as well as wine-related items.  I particularly liked their “Got Wine?” T-shirts.  For $5 you get to sample 6 wines and keep the etched glass.  You can return with the glass and get free tastings forever.  I am not a drinker but I enjoyed the tasting.  Our “guide” was Javier and he did an excellent job of teaching me all about tasting wines, not just theirs.  My favorite was the Passion Fruit.  As Javier explained to me, that was to be expected.  Most non-drinkers prefer the sweeter wines.  But they were all quite good.

The wines range in price from $13.95 to $18.95 per bottle.  They also have a limited reserve wine, Denisse’s Boo-Boo wine, at $34.95.  This last one was created by Denisse Schnebly quite by accident, thus resulting in it’s name.  Once this one is sold out, it is gone forever.

The winery is open for tastings Mon-Fri 10:00 – 5:00, Sat 10:00 – 6:00, Sun 12:00 – 5:00.  On the weekends you can also see how the wine is made by touring the production facilities.  Tours are given each Saturday and Sunday, every hour on the hour.

If you can’t make it for a local peek, the next best thing is to order their wines online.  I’ve provided their link above.

Schnebly Redland’s Winery,   30205 SW 217 Avenue,  Homestead, FL 33030,  888-717-WINE

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Glorious Pinecrest Gardens in Pinecrest, Florida

June 7th, 2007 Categories: Entertainment

Last week I had the opportunity to revisit the beautiful Pinecrest Gardens in Pinecrest.

Pinecrest Gardens sits on 14 acres of lush land. Parrot Jungle used to be there until 2003, when Pinecrest Gardens was dedicated by the Pinecrest Village Council. The foliage you’ll see there is incredibly beautiful. From the massive banyan trees to the humble water lily. There’s so much to see and enjoy!

There are running streams and bubbling brooks everywhere you walk. You can’t get away from the sound of running water. It’s quite relaxing.

Even nicer is the fact that it doesn’t cost a penny to get in and enjoy these sights. It’s free! They also make their facilities available for weddings and other celebrations. There are different lawn areas available for rental.

The entrance to Pinecrest Gardens is on 57th Avenue (Red Road) and 110th Street. They are open daily 8:00AM to Sunset. Did I mention it’s FREE? =)

All these pictures were taken at Pinecrest Gardens. Stop by and discover it for yourself!

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