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Subscribe to UnWineding on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play, and Stitcher. Mary Elizabeth Howe was just 30 years old when she became North Florida area manager for Augustan Wine Imports, which she describes as the “nerdy fine wine team” for a larger distributor, Breakthru Beverage. That management position was just one in a string of challenges throughout her career that have pushed her outside her comfort zone, starting when she was thrust into the world of fine dining service in her home state of Mississippi. Her latest trial was a four month furlough from the job she loved at Augustan at the height of the COVID-19 lockdowns. She likens the experience to the breakup of a family. But Mary Elizabeth is ever the optimist, and she says even those dark days provided opportunities for growth.  Orlando composer Julian Bond provided original music for UnWineding. 90.7 WMFE provides distribution and promotional assistance.

By his own admission, Tim Varan was “an apathetic and disinterested college student” when he was studying finance at the University of Central Florida some 30 years ago. But when it comes to wine, his cup overflows with enthusiasm and passion. Tim caught the wine bug while working for some of Orlando’s early wine pioneers in the late 1980s. He soon went into business for himself, and his eponymous shop, Tim’s Wine Market near downtown Orlando, recently celebrated its 25th anniversary.  Tim shares stories about the early days of Orlando’s wine community, the challenge of resisting the siren song of mass market wines to stay true to his mission, takeaways from the COVID-19 pandemic, and his surprisingly rosy prediction for the pandemic’s potential impact on Central Florida’s wine industry.  Tim Varan, owner of Tim’s Wine Market in Orlando, presents a seminar on white Burgundy in July 2019. Subscribe to UnWineding on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play, and Stitcher.Orlando composer Julian Bond provided original music for UnWineding. 90.7 WMFE provides distribution and promotional assistance.

Mary Montalvo and her husband Sascha Weyer own and operate Luisa’s Cellar in Sanford, Florida. They got into the wine business almost by accident when Mary fell in love with a property in Clermont in 2012 and decided to open a wine bar. She left a stable career in the legal profession and threw herself into the business, but she says it’s been tough to keep her passion for wine alive amid the many challenges she has faced along the way. In this episode, Mary talks about her journey from Puerto Rico to Florida (via Germany), speaks candidly about the realities of being a woman of color in an industry dominated by white men, and shares how she and her business are getting by as the COVID-19 pandemic drags on. Mary Montalvo, Co-owner of Luisa’s Cellar in Sanford, FL Subscribe to UnWineding on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, and Stitcher. Thanks to Orlando composer Julian Bond for providing original music for UnWineding and WMFE for distribution and promotional assistance.

Season Two of UnWineding kicks off with a conversation with Matt Coltrin, owner of The Parkview wine bar and restaurant in Winter Park, just north of Orlando. Matt talks about the generous French wine merchant who got him hooked on good wine, his experience running a wine program at a historic bar and restaurant in Manhattan, and how the September 11th terrorist attacks prompted him to move to Central Florida, where he found himself on the ground floor of the region’s wine renaissance. He also talks about surviving and learning from this pandemic year, which he calls the hardest thing he’s had to deal with in his 25 years in the wine and restaurant business. Matt Coltrin, owner of The Parkview in Winter Park, FL Subscribe to UnWineding on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, and Stitcher. Thanks to Orlando composer Julian Bond for providing original music for UnWineding and WMFE for distribution and promotional assistance.

UnWineding is back starting next week! Listen to this quick preview to find out what Season Two has to offer. Plus, learn how the Orange County Regional History Center is helping to preserve Season One of UnWineding for future generations. Subscribe to UnWineding on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, and Stitcher. Thanks to Orlando composer Julian Bond for providing original music for UnWineding, Amy Tardif for editorial assistance, and WMFE for distribution and promotional assistance.

On March 25, 2020, UnWineding began following three wine industry professionals in the hospitality capital of Orlando, Florida. Like many of their peers, the COVID-19 pandemic had turned their professional and personal lives upside down. Bars, restaurants, hotels, and theme parks had shut down in an effort to slow the spread of the virus. Six months later, Florida’s governor announced bars and restaurants could reopen completely. The pandemic is by no means over, but in this episode, we close Season 1 of the podcast with a look back at what the past six months have meant to our guests. Season 2 will cast a wider net across Central Florida’s wine community. Follow Orlando Wine Blog on Facebook and Instagram @orlandowineblog for details. Subscribe to UnWineding on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, and Stitcher. Thanks to Orlando composer Julian Bond for providing original music for UnWineding, Amy Tardif for editorial guidance, and WMFE for distribution and promotional assistance.

In a move that took many Floridians by surprise, Governor Ron DeSantis has moved the state to Phase 3 of its reopening plan. Most businesses were allowed to reopen at full capacity less than two weeks after bars emerged from a months-long total ban on alcohol service. Not long after the governor’s move, Disney announced it would lay off 28,000 employees, including at least 6,700 at Walt Disney World in Orlando. Episode 28 was going to be the final episode of UnWineding Season 1, but events have overtaken those plans. The final episode is still in the works, however, and it will premiere on October 8th at 6:30pm Eastern Time at a virtual listening party and wine tasting hosted by Orlando Wine Blog, Swirlery Wine Bar, Digress Wine, and 90.7 WMFE.  We’ll taste and talk about some fun and unusual wines, which are available for pickup now at Swirlery and Digress. Then, we’ll unveil the final episode and look back at the past six months of the podcast in a conversation moderated by WMFE’s Brendan Byrne. All profits will benefit Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida, and you can join from anywhere in the world! You’ll find all the details here and registration links here. Subscribe to UnWineding on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, and Stitcher. Thanks to Orlando composer Julian Bond for providing original music for UnWineding, Amy Tardif for editorial guidance, and WMFE for distribution and promotional assistance.

Florida’s bars reopened for service this week, almost six months after the state first banned onsite alcohol consumption in a bid to slow the spread of COVID-19. And after six months of unemployment, one of our regular guests on UnWineding is finally back to work. In this penultimate episode of Season One, the celebration is tempered by concern about a possible second wave but buoyed by a sense of relief, optimism, and gratitude. Subscribe to UnWineding on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, and Stitcher. Thanks to Orlando composer Julian Bond for providing original music for UnWineding, Amy Tardif for editorial guidance, and WMFE for distribution and promotional assistance.

Two important things happened in Florida’s wine world this week. The state announced it’s lifting the ban on alcohol service at bars, almost six months after the original restrictions were imposed … and UnWineding guest Melissa McAvoy celebrated five years since the grand opening of her Orlando wine bar, Swirlery. We’ll explore the first development in next week’s episode; this week, I share my conversation with Melissa about her journey into the world of wine. She once saw the hospitality business as the means to very different end, she says, but it was wine that changed her mind. Melissa McAvoy, co-owner of Swirlery Wine Bar Subscribe to UnWineding on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, and Stitcher. Thanks to Orlando composer Julian Bond for providing original music for UnWineding, Amy Tardif for editorial guidance, and WMFE for distribution and promotional assistance.

COVID-19 cases are still high in Florida, but the daily increases have dropped significantly from their massive spikes in June and July. Hospitality businesses are steadily reopening, and industry workers are relieved they’re starting to find employment again, just in time for Labor Day. There’s still a ban on alcohol service at bars, but many are getting around the restrictions by launching food service, and some are resuming onsite tastings. While things are by no means back to normal, there’s a sense of cautious optimism in the air. Subscribe to UnWineding on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, and Stitcher. Thanks to Orlando composer Julian Bond for providing original music for UnWineding, Amy Tardif for editorial guidance, and WMFE for distribution and promotional assistance.

https://heresmywineblog.files.wordpress.com/2020/07/unwineding-episode-18.mp3   It’s been a long four months since UnWineding started following the stories of three Orlando wine professionals through the ever-changing world of COVID-19. The road ahead may be even longer. So this week, we pause to look back at where it all started. Subscribe to UnWineding on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, and Stitcher. Thanks to Amy Tardif for editorial guidance and WMFE for distribution and promotional assistance. Music for Episode 1 was provided by https://www.purple-planet.com.

https://heresmywineblog.files.wordpress.com/2020/07/unwineding-episode-17.mp3   Even as Walt Disney World reopens its Orlando theme parks, Florida remains a COVID-19 hot spot. Bars still can’t serve drinks, and restaurants in South Florida have gone back to takeout-only. Normalcy seems a long ways off, and some in the food and beverage industry are looking for work-arounds as they consider their career options. Thanks to Orlando composer Julian Bond for providing original music for UnWineding, Amy Tardif for editorial guidance, and WMFE for distribution and promotional assistance. Subscribe to UnWineding on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, and Stitcher.

https://heresmywineblog.files.wordpress.com/2020/07/unwineding-episode-16.mp3   As the United States marks Independence Day, COVID-19 cases continue to skyrocket. Florida is one of the worst states in the country for the spread of the disease, which is taking an ever greater toll on the service industry in the hospitality capital of Orlando. Many workers are getting sick, even as bars remain closed indefinitely to on-premises drink service. Restaurants are still open, but some employees are becoming more reluctant to trade their safety for a paycheck, despite dwindling unemployment benefits for those who were able to access them in the first place. Thanks to Orlando composer Julian Bond for providing original music for UnWineding, Amy Tardif for editorial guidance, and WMFE for distribution and promotional assistance. Subscribe to UnWineding on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, and Stitcher.

https://heresmywineblog.files.wordpress.com/2020/06/unwineding-episode-15.mp3   Just three weeks after Florida’s bars were allowed to start pouring drinks again, the state reinstated its ban on alcohol service onsite. The announcement came minutes after Florida reported almost 9,000 new COVID-19 cases in a single day. In Orlando, like elsewhere in the state, some bars and restaurants had voluntarily returned to retail and takeout service only, while others seemed to ignore capacity and social distancing rules entirely. Meanwhile, the choice between health and finances is becoming even more stark, with unemployment beginning to run out for food and beverage employees as coronavirus infections continue to soar. Thanks to Orlando composer Julian Bond for providing original music for UnWineding, Amy Tardif for editorial guidance, and WMFE for distribution and promotional assistance. Subscribe to UnWineding on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, and Stitcher.

https://heresmywineblog.files.wordpress.com/2020/06/unwineding-episode-14-1.mp3   Florida’s COVID-19 cases have skyrocketed in the two weeks since the the state launched Phase Two of its reopening plan. The number of reported new infections each day has more than tripled, with day after day setting record highs. Residents, businesses, and governments are scrambling to respond. Many bars that were just allowed to start serving again have voluntarily shut down, some because staff or patrons have tested positive. After interviews for this episode were recorded on June 18, Swirlery Wine Bar decided to go back to retail-only in an abundance of caution, and Digress Wine announced a two-day closure after a customer reported COVID symptoms. Also since the recording, Governor Ron DeSantis said the state would ramp up enforcement of social distancing rules at bars, and Orange County, where Orlando is located, issued a mandatory mask order for the first time since the start of the pandemic. Meanwhile, a debate over response to the Black Lives Matter movement is shaking up one of the wine industry’s most venerable organizations. Thanks to Orlando composer Julian Bond for providing original music for UnWineding, Amy Tardif for editorial guidance, and WMFE for distribution and promotional assistance. Subscribe to UnWineding on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, and Stitcher.

https://heresmywineblog.files.wordpress.com/2020/06/unwineding-episode-13.mp3   An Orlando wine bar was caught in the path of an EF-1 tornado that tore through part of the city just a day after Florida lifted months of coronavirus restrictions on the state’s bars. The storm felt like a metaphor for life these days, with Black Lives Matter protests continuing, families feeling the strain, and COVID-19 cases on the rise amid Florida’s Phase Two reopening. That reopening is a huge relief for many wine businesses, but the community also got news that one of their own is closing for good. Thanks to Orlando composer Julian Bond for providing original music for UnWineding, Amy Tardif for editorial guidance, and WMFE for distribution and promotional assistance. Subscribe to UnWineding on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, and Stitcher.

https://heresmywineblog.files.wordpress.com/2020/06/unwineding-episode-12.mp3   After two and a half months of coronavirus restrictions, Florida bar owners can finally start serving drinks again, as long as customers are seated at 50% capacity. But in the hospitality capital of Orlando, celebrations are muted, amid days of Black Lives Matter protests and spikes in new COVID-19 cases. Despite the reopening news, many in the food and beverage industry are also learning they may not be going back to work any time soon.  Thanks to Orlando composer Julian Bond for providing original music for UnWineding, Amy Tardif for editorial guidance, and WMFE for distribution and promotional assistance. Subscribe to UnWineding on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, and Stitcher.

https://heresmywineblog.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/unwineding-episode-11.mp3   The COVID-19 death toll in the United States has topped 100,000, but in the hospitality capitol of Orlando, Florida, all three major theme parks have received the green light to reopen. That doesn’t mean everyone is going back to work, though. Many people who work in Florida’s food and beverage industry are still relying on spotty unemployment checks, and businesses classified as bars still can’t serve drinks. Some who supplement their income with theme park jobs are questioning whether it makes financial sense to go back, while others worry about an uptick in neighborhood crime as people grow increasingly desperate. Thanks to Orlando composer Julian Bond for providing original music for UnWineding, Amy Tardif for editorial guidance, and WMFE for distribution and promotional assistance. Subscribe to UnWineding on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, and Stitcher.