Wine enthusiasts no longer have to go to Italy to get a taste of real Italian wine. Visitors to the Bradenton area can simply stop by the Rosa Fiorelli Vineyard for wine made with Florida grapes and Italian expertise. The vineyard's Italian owners Rosa and Antonio Fiorelli settled in Florida almost 30 years ago and stayed for the warm weather and close knit community. Antonio Fiorelli sat down to answer a few questions about his family's vineyard.

How would you describe your vineyard?

I would characterize our vineyard as unique. The reason we are unique is because we grow "Florida grapes" I call them Florida grapes because all of our grapes (other than Muscadine) are hybrid varietals, the Muscadine is grape that is native to the south eastern United States. Our hybrids were developed by the two major universities here in the state; the Florida A&M University and University of Florida, Gainesville. European and California grapes do not fare well here due to the harsh climate and the susceptibility to disease. So the hybrids were specially developed to be hardy enough to grow and flourish here.

Read more

Fonte: www.boston.com