Posted December 2, 2014
By ROXANA MAZA
HOMESTEAD, Fla. — Wine tasting in French vineyards may be a common item on many bucket lists, but for locals living in Miami who share this dream, they can enjoy nontraditional wines made from exotic fruits instead of grapes, and fresh brews at Schnebly Redland’s Winery and Brewery in Homestead, Fla.
Peter and Denisse Schnebly, who have worked in South Florida for more than 25 years, established their winery in 2004.
Prior to starting their winery and brewery business, the Schneblys provided tours to visitors of their 96-acre farming grounds, where they grow a variety of exotic fruits, such as mango, lychee, guava, passion fruit and carambola, and vegetables.
The Schneblys market their homegrown fruits and vegetables through their produce company, Fresh King, Inc.
Visitors heading over to Schnebly will enjoy the local agricultural scene Miami offers, with a drive through uneven roads, poor lighting at night, and acres of plowed fields.
Fear not: the Schnebly winery is a hot spot among local wine and beer enthusiasts, or those seeking a more culturally outing, so visitors will know they’ve arrived at the place by way of the decorative lights adorning the gates surrounding the land Schnebly occupies.
The bright, white bulbs can be thought of as homing signals, bringing in the ships loaded with sailors aching to be home (read: cars loaded with people excited to drink to their hearts’ content).
And there’s plenty of space for everyone to park.
For visitors interested in touring the winery and brewery, as well as learning about its family history and wine making process, a $7 fee per person is charged. The tours run about 30 to 40 minutes. Keep in mind tours are only held on Saturday and Sunday, and run from every hour from 12 to 4 p.m.
Outdoor patio of Schnebly Redlands Winery and Brewery (Photo by Roxana Maza).
Wine tasting costs $9.95 per person and the Unique wine tasting offers visitors the option to try five different table wines out of the 12 they make.
For those who wish to try 10, visitors can pay for two wine tastings per person – which amounts to a total $19.90 plus tax – to try them.
Aside from the Ultimate tasting – which is the wine tasting option mentioned above – visitors can also choose to try the Special tasting.
The Special tasting offers visitors the chance to try out five specialty wines, which are dessert and sparkling wines.
Included with the experience are a pencil and a small, cardboard note that includes all the wine flavors, and allows some space to make any notes to purchase the wines later if desired.
When wine tasting, the bartenders walk you through the process, describing the flavors and aromas associated with each specific flavor as they pour a decent-for-tasting amount in the Schnebly wine visitors get to keep afterward.
The table wines include the passion fruit, which is both sweet and tart; the guavino, which has a bold aroma and balanced in flavor; the mango, which is subtle in sweetness with soft mango notes; the guava, a rose wine served best at room temperature; the avovino, which is dryer in taste with citrus notes; and the carambola – also known as star fruit – is akin to a pinot grigio.
Other table wines include the Cat 2 Hurricane white, made from coconut and avocado; the Cat 3 Hurricane is a medley of tropical flavors; the lychee is the wine with the most awards, with its bouquet and flavors rich with lychee notes; the Cat 2 Hurricane red is a blend of avocado and guava; the cocovino has a buttery finish, with notes of coconut and lemongrass; and lastly, the sweet avocado has lemony notes with a refreshing flavor.
Table wines range from $13.95 to $29.95 per bottle. Specialty wines are six in total, ranging from lychee to mango, to passion fruit and coconut, and include one wine called Denisse’s Boo-Boo Reserve, which claims a resemblance to Canada’s famed ice wines.
Specialty wines are higher in price, ranging from $29.95 to $42.95 per bottle.
For those looking to enjoy a good brew, Schnebly Redland’s Winery and Brewery does not disappoint.
Lit up, outdoor patio at Schnebly Redlands Winery and Brewery (Photo by Roxana Maza).
Home-brewed beers include the big rod coconut ale, a blonde ale which has warm coconut flavor with hints of caramel and vanilla; the gator tail ale, a brown ale with roasted notes of coffee and chocolate; the shark bait, a wheat ale which has a subtle malty flavor with mango notes; and the vice IPA, which is an American IPA well-balanced between toffee flavors and citrusy notes.
Visitors can purchase their wine or beer of choice, and enjoy it in the outside patio the winery has. And depending on the day visited, music events may take place underneath the oversized tiki hut where more than 12 picnic-style tables that can seat up to 18 people are placed. Music events include jazz and alternative, karaoke, Latin-style, and more.
Schnebly Redland’s Winery and Brewery also offers food, such as barbeque, but encourages visitors to bring their own meals to pair with one – or several – of their wines and beers.
Featuring wine and beer tasting, along with live music events and guided tours, Schnebly may not be the European-style vineyard and winery many dream of visiting, but it’s certainly a pleasant, tropical winery in the Southern U.S. – Miami style.
A glass of Schnebly’s cocovino wine while under the covered, outdoor patio where live music can be enjoyed on weekends (Photo by Roxana Maza).
If You Go
Schnebly Redland’s Winery and Brewery
- 30205 SW 217 Ave., Homestead, Fla., 33030
- Winery & Brewery hours of operation: Monday-Thursday: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., Fridays 10 a.m.-11 p.m. (additional cover charge to attend nighttime event), Saturday: 10 a.m.-11 p.m. (additional cover charge to attend nighttime event), Sunday: 12 p.m.-5 p.m.
- Toll free: 888-717-WINE
- Phone: 305-242-1224
- Fax: 305-242-1662
- For event and table reservations, go to: http://www.schneblywinery.com/Events
- For general information, go to: http://www.schneblywinery.com