Florida Orange Groves Winery welcomes visitors from near and far on a daily basis. With 9-5 hours (except for Sunday: 12:30-4) and free sampling, just about anyone of age can enjoy a stop at the winery.

There are guided tours, shopping opportunities and even the chance to enroll in the Wines of the Month Club.

Now, what makes tropical fruit wine so much different from traditional wine is the root of where it comes from. Traditionally, wine is made from grapes. Over time, wine lovers sought new ways to produce the beloved bottled beverage. Thus, the multitude of combinations of fermented fruits blossomed in the market today.

Florida’s natural resources for tropical fruit make it a perfect place to open and operate a winery.

The Florida Orange Groves Winery boasts 100% natural ingredients. Although the taste of the wine is so sweet and seemingly too good to be true, Vincent Shook guarantees the originality and quality of the product. Shook is the president of the company and says that the authenticity of the wine is unmatched.

“All of our wine is made 100% from the juice indicated by the label on the bottle,” said Shook.

For instance, the Mango Mama wine is made from 100% mangoes and the Blueberry Blue comes 100% from blueberries.

Shook says tropical fruit wine accompanies food much more effectively than traditional wine. “We like to say that our wine brings flavor and style characteristics to meals that regular grape wine can never hope to do,” Shook said.

With more than 240 awards/medals to their credit, the Florida Orange Groves Winery has a lot to be proud of.

In addition to being recognized around the state and country, the winery also has a rare connection to Disney World in Orlando. The Florida Orange Groves Winery is the only winery in the state that has been asked to participate in Disney’s annual food and wine festival, which takes place at Epcot. 2012 will mark their 14th year partnering with Disney.

The local winery is owned and operated by Shook and his family. “Our winery is a family affair, with my mother, father and son all involved,” said Shook. In fact, his son just left the banking industry in North Carolina to become a vital piece of the business.

The Florida Orange Groves Winery produces more than 40 different kinds of tropical, citrus and berry wine. Flavors like the Coco Polada (coconut) and the Florida Fever (passion fruit) are among the dozens that can be found in store and online.

Prices at the winery are competitive and reasonable ($17.95-$49.95). For more information, visit the Florida Orange Groves Winery, 1500 Pasadena Ave S. South Pasadena, or call (727)-347-4025.