Category: Ways to Wine

TL;DR

• A hands-on wine blending experience is now live in Tampa Bay
• Guests create their own wine blend and brand
• Built for small groups and shared experiences
• Tickets now available via The Blending Table
• Use code LAUNCH10 for 10% off your first booking

Wine events are a core part of Tampa Bay’s growing wine scene, offering regular opportunities to taste, learn, and connect. The Blending Table introduces a new format, bringing wine from observation into hands-on creation.

The Blending Table now launches as a guided wine blending experience that puts creative control in the hands of the guest. Participants work with individual wine varietals, experiment with blend ratios, and decide what balance and style they want to create.

The Experience

The experience begins with a guided tasting of each varietal on its own, focusing on how to swirl, smell, and taste.

Guests then enter a blending phase centered on experimentation. Teams test combinations, refine ratios, and finalize a blend guided by both creativity and strategy.

Once blends are complete, participants create a name and label concept for their wine. Each blend is presented alongside its label for friendly judging by a wine professional, who provides feedback and selects a winning blend based on balance, style, and overall concept.

Who This Is For

Most Blending Table events are designed for 10–20 guests and last approximately 2 hours. Participants usually work in small groups, making the experience well-suited for couples and friends. Individual bookings are available, with solo guests paired up.

The experience is guided in flow and structure, but creative decisions remain entirely with the participants. No prior wine knowledge is required.

Where to Participate

The Blending Table partners with local bars and restaurants in the Tampa Bay area, including St. Petersburg, Tampa, and Clearwater, to host its events. Venues and dates are announced ahead of time, with early access available to email subscribers.

Venues interested in hosting a Blending Table experience can reach out at info@theblendingtable.com

First Event and Early Access

The first Blending Table experience takes place February 13 at 6:00 PM at Pour & Decor.

Tickets for are now available at theblendingtable.com. Guests can use code LAUNCH10 for 10% off their first booking.

For a wine scene that continues to evolve, The Blending Table introduces a new format: wine as something you don’t just taste, but actively build.

SAVOR St. Pete returns November 1–2, 2025, bringing two days of wine, food, and waterfront views to Vinoy Park. Now in its 13th year, the women-led festival has become a fixture on Florida’s culinary calendar, known for pairing big-name chefs and brands with a coastal setting.

Founded by Tammy Gail, SAVOR began as a small Clearwater event in 2011 and has grown into one of the state’s most recognizable food-and-wine weekends. The sense of hospitality she built it on still defines the experience, a setting where guests can taste, learn, and connect directly with chefs, vintners, and makers from across the country.

What to Expect

More than 120 restaurants, wineries, and brands will take over Vinoy Park for the Grand Tasting Village, the centerpiece of the weekend. Covered tents and open-air lounges line the waterfront, creating a shaded, walkable space to explore.

This year’s lineup features nearly 20 chefs, from Food Network personalities to Tampa Bay locals, including Chef Brian Malarkey (Cutthroat Kitchen), Chef Carlos Anthony (CHOPPED winner, Herb & Wood), Chef Rosana Rivera (Chef & the Baker), Chef Lee Aquino (Birch & Vine), Chef David Asher (Taverna Costale), and others representing restaurants from St. Pete, Tampa, and beyond.

Leading up to the event, SAVOR has partnered with local creator Alexia to spotlight the chefs through social features and interviews, giving followers a closer look at the talent behind this year’s festival.

The Wine and Beverage Lineup

This year, SAVOR is putting its chefs front and center, with the culinary competition and live demos shaping the weekend’s energy. Still, wine and beverage partners remain an essential part of the experience, from national labels and Florida brands.

Wineries include Duckhorn, Frank Family Vineyards, Josh Cellars, Hampton Water, Decoy, and 19 Crimes, alongside local names Keel & Curley and Island Grove. The Cali Gold Bubbles Bar by 19 Crimes serves sparkling wine with fruit nectars for Bellini and mimosa pairings, while the Mixology Experience Lounge adds craft-cocktails led by bartenders and educators throughout the day.

The Setting

With massive tents and a shaded layout, SAVOR is designed to handle Florida’s sunshine comfortably. The setup keeps guests cool and focused on tasting. The space inside the tents is limited, so the selection of partners is intentionally curated. As Tammy puts it, “it’s kind of like making a dinner party for 4,000 guests.” VIP guests also enjoy added seating, furnished lounges, and a more private tasting area that makes the day feel even more relaxed.

If You Go

📍 Vinoy Park, Downtown St. Petersburg
📅 November 1–2, 2025
🎟️ Tickets: $120 General Admission (1–4 PM) | $150 VIP (12–4 PM, includes VIP Spirits Lounge)
🔗 savortheburg.com

For St. Pete, SAVOR has become more than an annual event. It’s a snapshot of how the city eats and drinks now—creative, collaborative, and always connected to place.

Read our feature on SAVOR founder Tammy Gail.

Find more local tastings and wine events on our This Week in Wine page.

A Ribbon Cutting for the Next Chapter

Two years after opening as a self-pour wine lounge, The Study Wine and Bourbon Lounge marked its next chapter with a ribbon cutting last week. Owner Jeff Velazquez, a Marine Corps veteran, was joined by Chamber of Commerce president Chris Steinocher and his team to celebrate and reflect on how far the lounge has come.

He credited his friends and staff as the backbone of the business, calling them his “dream team” and adding, “The strength of the pack is in the wolf, and the strength of the wolf is in the pack.”

How Bourbon Happened

The bourbon idea started almost by accident. While sanitizing one of the wine machines, Jeff recalled, “an employee brought in a bottle of bourbon. I thought, let’s see if it works. Pressed the button, and it poured out. I said, we have to sell this.”

Pitching the concept to the city wasn’t easy. “On paper, pour-your-own bourbon sounds like I’m just putting the bottle in front of you and walking away,” he said. But once officials saw the photos and understood the controls, they agreed. “It’s actually more controlled than a bartender.”

That approval made The Study what Jeff says is the first self-pour bourbon lounge in Florida.

Rare Finds

Jeff says he’s especially proud of one bottle behind the machines: Gold Bar Bourbon. The Study is the only place in Florida to pour it, after the team spent months chasing down the brand and even traveling to San Francisco to secure the deal.

More Than a Bar

Even with bourbon in the mix, Jeff emphasized that The Study is meant to be a tasting lounge, not a sports bar. “We still consider ourselves a tasting room,” he said. “This isn’t the loud and rowdy type of place — you’re not going to see the game on TV.”

The lounge now offers more than 30 wines on tap alongside its bourbon program, with an atmosphere built for relaxed evenings, small plates, live music, and the occasional trivia night.

Final Sip

The Study may have opened as a wine lounge, but with the launch of Florida’s first self-pour wine and bourbon program, it’s carving out a unique spot in the state’s beverage culture. The Study is writing its next chapter, one that blends wine, bourbon, and St. Pete community all under one roof.

My first visit to Calida Kitchen & Wine started with a bar seat at 5:30PM, one of the few ways you might slip in without a reservation. The small, European-inspired space feels like a private dinner party, with just a handful of tables, a warm glow from the lamps, and soft conversation carrying through the room. Owner Dayna Bennett was an absolute delight and made me feel instantly welcome.

I began with a trio of wine tastings before choosing a glass of Vigna Petrussa Friulano — a 100% Tocai Friulano, a native grape of Friuli, Italy to pair with my meal: the scallop special and a side of pan-fried potatoes from Chef Ian Florence’s one-man kitchen. The menu is globally inspired and changes with the seasons, and fresh specials that I could not resist.

Reservations are currently booked about a month out, and even bar seats fill quickly, so plan ahead if you can. Book by DM on Calida’s Instagram or email info@calidastpete.com. I’m already planning my next visit for a closer look at both the menu and wine list.

If you’re looking for an upcoming reason to visit: Calida’s next wine dinners are set for August 20 and 21, 2025. It will be a five-course dinner paired with Chris Hamilton wines. If you’d like to be on the list for details, reach out via email or DM on social media — they’ll send the information to everyone on the list each time a dinner is announced.

See more upcoming wine dinners on This Week in Wine.

📍 2909 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St N, St. Petersburg, FL
Thursday–Saturday, 5:30–9:30 p.m.

It’s that time of year—Creative Loafing’s Best of the Bay voting is live, and several of St. Pete’s wine bars, bottle shops, and wine-forward restaurants are nominated across a variety of categories.

Voting runs now through August 20th midnight, and you can vote once per day per category. Whether you stop in weekly or just love what these spots bring to the scene, here’s how to help them take home the win.

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Restaurants with Standout Wine Lists

These aren’t just good places to eat—they’ve built standout wine programs that deserve recognition.

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Wine Bars & Bottle Shops

If you’re looking for wine-first experiences—by the glass, by the bottle, or by the vibe—these are the places to support.

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Read more about Hawthorne Bottle Shoppe in our Hidden Wine Bars guide.

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How to Vote

• Go to: vote.cltampa.com
• You can vote once per day in each category
• Voting closes August 20 at midnight

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Best of the Bay Party

Winners will be revealed at the Best of the Bay Party on September 24. The event is open to the public and always a great time. Tickets here

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2024 Winners in Wine

The Bay area wine scene has gained momentum in Best of the Bay voting over the years. In 2024, St. Pete’s own Hawthorne Bottle Shoppe took home Best Bottle Shoppe, while Jayme Kosar (Ybor City) won Best Sommelier, and Best Wine Bar went to Bern’s Steak House in Tampa.

This year’s nominations build on that momentum, with several first-time contenders and a few returning favorites. Stay tuned for our upcoming feature on the Best Sommelier nominees—highlighting who they are, where they work, and what they bring to your glass.

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