Any "good wine" available at Epcot?

[TheIncredibles]

I have never tried any of the wine offerings at Epcot. You know, those tastings where a few different varietals are available for $15 or so. Wondering if anyone has tried and has an opinion.

I'm not talking about the Wine Festival, just the daily offerings found in the World Showcase. I'm worried these may be standardized, pricey plonk that aren't so special or intriguing. Is my fear correct, or are there some nice discoveries there? Thoughts, experiences?

 

[Mrsjvb]

define 'good'.


I am a wine snob.. I prefer Califiornia to France across the board but have a soft spot for Chile, Argentina and South Africa for bolder reds.

Germany makes some decent ice wines if you are into that sort of thing( I am not, too sweet for me).

Personally I find France to be over hyped and not as good as they used to be( and continue to think they are). I did enjoy the shop though, got a couple of very nice wine related gifts there.

Trying to think what we had in Epcot last time, aside from a few samples.

I don't remember if Fairy Tale Cuvee is available there, but It wasn't bad.

 

[Forever Fairy]

I have never tried any of the wine offerings at Epcot. You know, those tastings where a few different varietals are available for $15 or so. Wondering if anyone has tried and has an opinion.

I'm not talking about the Wine Festival, just the daily offerings found in the World Showcase. I'm worried these may be standardized, pricey plonk that aren't so special or intriguing. Is my fear correct, or are there some nice discoveries there? Thoughts, experiences?

I'm trying to remember if Italy has any wine tastings. I believe they do in one of the shops. France is good - but many other areas have stepped up in recent years including South Africa and Australia (which don't have tastings except at the F&W Fest).

 

[KandD]

When we were there in September I do believe Italy had some sort of tasting in the wine shop but I don't remember specifics.
I had a glass of Fumaio from the Italy stand and I really liked it. DBF had something from France that I did not care for but he liked it.

I have never heard of the $15 tasting, what is it exactly?

 

[TheIncredibles]

define 'good'.


I am a wine snob.. I prefer Califiornia to France across the board but have a soft spot for Chile, Argentina and South Africa for bolder reds.

Germany makes some decent ice wines if you are into that sort of thing( I am not, too sweet for me).

Personally I find France to be over hyped and not as good as they used to be( and continue to think they are). I did enjoy the shop though, got a couple of very nice wine related gifts there.

Trying to think what we had in Epcot last time, aside from a few samples.

I don't remember if Fairy Tale Cuvee is available there, but It wasn't bad.

The past few years I have refined my palate a bit so I'm looking for some good wine, really good if available. I like California Zins, Pinots and quality Cabs, German riesling's, good Argentina Malbec's. Not real familiar with French or Italian wines, but would search out the good ones, especially tastings, if anyone knows.

 

[webray]

We aren't wine snobs, but we do enjoy a wonderful glass of wine. We don't discriminate against any varietal because we like to taste them all, and taste them from many different wineries. If you know wine, you know that price doesn't mean good/bad wine, a whole lot more goes into the calculation. Weather for a certain year for example can make a 1K bottle crap and a $20 bottle outstanding. Believe me, we have run the scale in price range.

The world showcase has some crap and the have some pretty nice glasses to taste. France has one of my hubbies favorite reds and one of my favorite whites. Italy has several nice red wines. Germany has many nice whites/reds and dessert wines to sample...lots of fun there because so many are good.

Just have fun and try. If it is something new hubby and I each get something different and share so we can sample more.

There are so many wines in this world we are trying our best to sample them all..lol.

 

[ccigliano]

While I can't say I am a wine expert, I do enjoy a good cab or shiraz and prefer reds over whites. While at Kidani AKL last week, we ate dinner at Boma and then checked out the Boma gift shop for a bottle of red. I picked up an Indaba - shiraz from South Africa and it was great. I plan to pick it up if I find it at home or maybe I'll try the internet. If you like fruitier reds with hits of cherry and blackberry - you'll like this one. I know its not Epcot but if you go to Boma for dinner - check it out.

 

[HelenParr]

Epcot wine flights are not very good. Fun, but not good.

If you have the time and energy, you might consider checking out some restaurants or their lounges. Sanaa at AKL has a bar and wine flights in the dining room. There's also a tiny bar inaside Jiko with neat African wines. Cat Cora's Kouzzina at the Boardwalk no bar, but wine flights with dinner. If you are at the resorts, check out the menus. They will often list wine flights.

Have a great trip!

 

[BriarRosie]

I bought a bottle of the Hob Nob pinot noir in the France shop in October. I was taking a chance without tasting it, bringing it back to share with others at a party for a friend at Beach Club Villas.

I was pleasantly surprised by it. It was reasonable at $15. Cheaper than many of the wines sold at the Festival Center during the food and wine festival.

 

[madalex]

The wines poured in the France and Italy shops are, by and large, pretty average, but well worth trying (especially if the only style of wine you think you like is the big, bold "fruit bomb" reds that come out of California these days; the French and Italian wines will be a nice change of pace from that).

In addition, when I was there a few weeks ago, the Italy store was pouring the 2004 Banfi brunello di montalcino, a great wine from a fabulous vintage and well worth trying out.

 

[Mndisneygirl]

I have enjoyed a glass of wine from the Italy wine shop - I can't remember the vintage but it was a Banfi Centine and I have bought bottles of it back at home too. It's a fairly fruity red - I normally enjoy shiraz and malbec if that's any help.
I don't recall them offering a wine flight, but you could try single glasses.

 

[TheIncredibles]

Are the wine offerings on any sort of rotation or are they the same general selections (for tastings) each month? We'll be leaving soon and this is on the agenda for both France and Italy while there.

 

[DVCajun]

Epcot wine flights are not very good. Fun, but not good.

What wine flights are you referring to?

 

[Malaguti Ball Clan]

The little Japanese lady had some very tasty plumb wine, very uuuummmy

 

[gillep]

I love wine but skipped all the Epcot wine tastings when we were there because for the most part they were wines that I could find for less than half the price in a standard grocery store (not even a grocery store with a wine shop) and I was at least looking for something slightly unique!

 

[indimom3]

We are big fans of Italian wine, and were underwhelmed by the selection in the shop in Italy. As pp said, it was all stuff we can find in our local grocery stores - big wineries and no surprises.
I did get a decent glass of dry reisling in Germany. But nothing to write home about.
You will do better on the restaurant wine lists. I had an excellent glass of Chardonnay during our lunch at Akerhaus, and a really good Rhone with our lamb at the Marrakesh. All the restaurants there have very good lists, IMO.
Too bad they won't let you take a glass to go. Or will they? I didn't actually ask, LOL.

 

[sabrecmc]

There's a South African red by Black Pearl vinyards that they offer at Rose & Crown that we adore. I've tried to find it back home without any luck. We tried it b/c the name sounded awesome and we generally like SA wines, but it turned into a bit of a tradition. Not sure if you can order it at the pub, however. I agree that the restaurants seem to have better selections than the wine bars.

 

[DisTeach1]

I am not a wine snob, can't tell great wine from mediocre, but I am surprised that some on here like the German wine...it is SO sweet. Yuck! I like a dry Chardonnay, and there white wine is like cough medicine!!

 

[indimom3]

Not all German wine is sweet! The reislings come dry and off dry with a wide range of sugars. I don't generally enjoy sweet wines, but on a hot day, a cool glass of dry reisling from alsace is just the ticket, IMO.

 

[mfd25wife]

I did have two glasses at the German wine shop at Epcot. One was sweeter than the other. I did tell her I like Rieslings and that I like a little sweet, but not overly so. I ended up buying one bottle of each.