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Winery springs from blueberry plants

By HELEN ANNE TRAVIS
Published March 17, 2006

An ugly blueberry is a terrible thing to waste.

That's what Plant City blueberry farmer Joey Keel decided two years ago. Each week he watched as hundreds of pounds of his crop were tossed into the trash. The berries weren't aesthetically up to selling standards, and were essentially garbage.

What is one to do with a ton of ugly berries?

"There's jam, jelly, and syrups, but I wanted to do something different," Keel said.

He decided to experiment with blueberry wine. His first batch was a concoction made in his kitchen.

"It was drinkable," he said.

Now Keel has perfected the science of blueberry wine and is dedicating acres of his land to the wine. He grows the berries, turns them into wine, and bottles them all on his 25-acre farm in Plant City. Without leaving his property, an ugly berry is turned into a 12-percent-alcohol beverage in a pretty blue bottle.

The winery was supposed to be open to the public in January, but it has been a long, uphill journey .

"Most of our obstacles have been over zoning and permitting," Keel said. "They tell us there's so much growth in Hillsborough County. The line is long."

All the waiting in line will be worth it. Keel has big plans for his winery.

"That's where the tasting room will go," he says, gesturing to a large mound of clay.

He points to the small wooden stakes that poke up from the ground.

"Those mark out where the deck will be," he says.

The 3,000-square-foot deck will be a site for weddings, bands and catered events. It will also be place for tasters to sip their blueberry wine. For now, a wood-paneled trailer - not a mobile home, but a mobile office - serves as the temporary tasting room. Shelves line the walls, displaying all 14 of the Keel & Curley Winery's wines. There's apple wine, strawberry wine, tangerine zinfandel and peach chardonnay.

"Our wild berry pinot noir won "best in show'' at the state fair this year," says Vickie Shearer, the winery's general manager. "All the blueberries are medal winners."

"And the peach, and the strawberry, and the apple," adds Keel as he eyes the shelves.

Blueberry plants line the path that leads from the temporary tasting room to the winery. Rented bees pollinate noisily but pay no mind to people passing by.

In the winery, Keel's partner, Chase Marden, cradles a bottle of the blueberry wine. He puts it in one machine, it's corked. He lays it on another machine, it's labeled.

"I really love the blueberry and want it to do well," said Marden.

Bottles of the blueberry wine range from $14.99 to $18.99 and come in three flavors: sweet, semisweet and dry. The best place to find the wine is in health food stores.

Keel says his wines are big with health buffs because of the benefits of blueberries, including improved memory and night vision, and a lower risk of cancer. Blueberry wine has more antioxidants than red wine, he says.

Guests can sample the wine in the temporary tasting room. For $3 they receive a taste and a complimentary glass. Keel hopes the winery will be open to the public in June.

Helen Anne Travis can be reached at 661-2439 or at htravis@sptimes.com.

[Last modified March 17, 2006, 09:49:21]