Jacksonville, FL

On Saturday, we toured the family-owned San Sebastian Winery in St. Augustine. As you walk into the historic building, once home to the East Coast Railway, you’re greeted warmly. A gentleman in the entry hall pointed us to the tour, the gift shop and the bathrooms. He seemed to know exactly what we wanted.

We began the tour at the first tasting station by sampling the Reserva, a white wine made primarily with a mix of Florida’s Hybrid Bunch grapes. This wine is really smooth, with echoes of a sauvignon blanc grape. We moved on to the Castillo Red, a dry burgundy-colored wine. We also tasted some of the sweet wines, the port and the sherry.

San Sebastian wines have won many awards on the state, regional, national and international levels. As you move through the different tasting stations in various rooms, you almost feel like you’re in a monastery. The large oak barrels and natural wood décor create a sensation in perfect accord with the Old World charm of St. Augustine. The winery is the production facility, so you’re indoors rather than in the vineyards themselves. The grapes are grown in Clermont and other areas.

We topped off our visit with appetizers and wine in the Cellar Upstairs, a rooftop wine and jazz bar. We sat there in the Florida sun and enjoyed music by McKenna and Baker. We listened to some fine acoustic music—many of the songs included the mandolin—under the blue sky that was so perfect an artist would grab brushes to capture it.

We had a bottle of the Reserva—by now we were big fans of this wine—before strolling back downstairs to the gift shop to pick up a few items, including a case of the Reserva and some other singles, including a bottle of the Castillo Red. We also took home a bottle of the Vinter’s White. It’s just the right amount of sweet—we bought it for a friend who doesn’t like dry wine.

A visit to this winery is one of those magical experiences that stays with you even after you’ve departed. It’s like stepping into another dimension. We’ll go back, I’m sure, again and again. It’s the perfect side trip, a scant 31 miles from Jacksonville.

(Photos by Kay B. Day)

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