Florida is not the first state anyone names when the subject is wine, which is exactly why the day out is worth taking. The grape here is the muscadine — native, thick-skinned, built for humidity that would finish a cabernet vine in a season — and the wines it makes are their own thing rather than an imitation of somewhere cooler.
Lakeridge Winery & Vineyards, Clermont
Lakeridge is the anchor of any Florida wine day. It opened in February 1989 on a 127-acre estate in the rolling country about twenty-five miles west of downtown Orlando, and it is the largest premium winery in the state. Its labels have taken more than eleven hundred awards between them, built on muscadine table and sparkling wines that the winery had a real hand in pioneering.
The estate is set up for visitors rather than for trade: tours run through the day, the tasting is generous, and the lawn hosts festivals through the season. It is the rare winery where arriving with no knowledge at all is the intended experience.
Plan on a full day. Clermont is a few hours up the state from Naples, and the drive is genuinely pleasant once the interstate gives way to the lake country — which is a sentence you can only write if you are not the one driving home afterward.
Closer to Home
You do not have to leave Southwest Florida to taste well. There is a small circuit of tasting rooms and wine bars between Naples and Fort Myers, and we have written that up separately in our guide to vineyard hopping around Naples — the short version of this day out, for an afternoon rather than a full one.
Why a Chauffeur Changes This Particular Day
A winery tour has a structural problem: somebody has to not participate. On a long day up the state that person is also driving several hours home in the dark, on I-75, after everyone else has had a good time.
A chauffeured car removes the negotiation entirely. Nobody draws the short straw, nobody counts drinks, and the case of wine goes in the back rather than on someone's lap.
Features of Lux VIP Transportation:
- Sedans and SUVs for couples and small parties, Sprinters for groups
- Fixed hourly and point-to-point rates, quoted before you book
- Chauffeurs who wait through the tasting rather than circling the lot
- Room for the cases you did not plan on buying
Book the Car, Then Book the Tasting
We run wine-country days from Naples, Marco Island, Bonita Springs and Fort Myers. Book online or call — confirmed within minutes, 24/7.
