Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

Other stories

The sipping scene: Wine tastings put patrons right at home

By TOM VALEO
Published April 20, 2005

TAMPA - Wine tastings tend to be casual affairs where a handful of customers sip a sample or two during a brief pause in their shopping. People who attend the wine tastings sponsored by the Fine Wine & Spirits Warehouse, however, are anything but casual. These tasters mean business.

Owner Mike Kwasin holds his wine tastings in his mansion overlooking Tampa Bay, rather than at his store. He encourages visitors to wander through the 14,000-square-foot house. They can wander up to the second floor, which overlooks the great room, or out onto the balcony to watch the sunset.

His guests, much better dressed than typical drop-ins at a wine tasting, don't need much encouragement to visit the kitchen, a restaurant-grade expanse featuring a Viking stove, two French ovens, a copper exhaust hood, and long stretches of granite counter space. Kwasin keeps those counters covered with snacks, such as roast duck, baked ham and Cabot cheese.

Kwasin's distributors serve at least 60 wines at tables strategically spread throughout the first floor to avoid congestion. With close to 300 people attending each event, some congestion is inevitable, especially when tasters press forward at the tables, as though intent on recouping their $30 investment.

That's right, Kwasin charges $30 for his wine tastings, or $50 a couple, but every penny, he promises, goes to charity, because his distributors donate the wine. One recent wine tasting, for example, raised money for tsunami relief. Another benefited the Florida Hurricane Relief Fund.

Kwasin is a generous guy, but there's method to his philanthropy. After his original house on the property burned down, destroying his valuable wine collection, he used the insurance money to build his mansion, which cost around $700,000. He envisioned hosting lavish wine tastings for customers, but the events proved so popular that neighbors complained. To mollify them, he went door to door, telling his neighbors he would charge for the wine tastings and donate the money to charities that the neighbors would take turns selecting.

Now, instead of complaining, many neighbors attend.

With more than 60 wines available, visitors can sample widely. A recent wine tasting, for example, featured several high-quality reds, such as a 1997 Corvione Amarone della Valpolicella ($39.99), an outstanding Artesa Napa Valley cabernet ($32.99), and a Kenwood "Artist Series" cabernet ($59.99). But also offered were fine reds at lower prices, such as a St. Francis Sonoma County cabernet ($16.99), a Casa Lapostolle cabernet (a remarkable bargain at $13.99), and a surprisingly rich La Playa merlot from Chili ($9.99). Among the whites were a Foley Santa Rita Hills chardonnay ($25.99), a Von Simmern German Riesling Kabinett ($16.99), and a Hahn Estate Monterey chardonnay ($13.99). People who order wine at the tasting receive discounts ranging from 10 to 50 percent. The next tasting, from 6 to 8 p.m. May 5, will benefit the March of Dimes. To get on the mailing list, call (813) 837-8941. For more wine tastings, see Food File inside this section.

Tom Valeo is a freelance writer based in St. Petersburg.

[Last modified April 19, 2005, 10:33:58]