Schnebly Redland's Wines: Florida's Surprisingly Good Wines

Schnebly Redland's Fine Tropical Wines are a refreshing surprise, especially since these crisp and delicate wines are created from Florida's tropical fruits. Florida is not known as a producer of good wine. In fact, many wine connoisseurs may cringe at the thought of drinking a Florida wine made from something other than a grape.

But Schnebly Redland's Fine Tropical Wines stand above most other Florida wines in flavor and creativity. Peter and Denisse Schnebly began making and selling their tropical wine in 2005. Owners of Fresh King, a tropical fruit packinghouse in Homestead, Fla., the Schneblys wanted to do something productive with blemished tropical fruit, called culls. Culls are not pretty enough to be sold to the public but are still consumable.

The result is a collection of six wines from five fruits with their own distinct, fruitful bouquet. The Schnebly Redland's Winery, located in Redland, Fla., and the most southern winery in the Continental U.S., is open daily for wine tastings. For $3, try all six wines: Carambola, Carambola Oak, Guava, Lychee, Mango and Passion Fruit. Keep the etched Schnebly glass and bring it back on your next visit for another sampling.

Not a wine connoisseur? That's alright. Schnebly Redland's Winery has experienced guides to walk you through the basics of wine tasting. Following are impressions of three Schnebly Redland's Fine Tropical Wine.

My favorite Schnebly Redland's Fine Tropical Wine is "Lychee" for its light, sweet flavor, very similar to the fruit. It's ideal with seafood dishes or a perfect after dinner treat. This wine won awards from the Dallas Morning News Wine Competition in January 2006 and the Florida State Fair International Wine Competition in February 2006. It's probably my favorite since lychee is a rare fruit available in late summer and this Schnebly wine lets me savor the flavor all year round.