Wine shop/tastings in Animal Kingdom

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

From AllEars...

Mombasa Marketplace Wine Stop at Animal Kingdom

Did you know that there's a corner in Animal Kingdom's Mombasa Marketplace that houses a small display of South African wines? No, neither did I! But there is.

The other day, I had a few hours before my flight back home, so Deb Wills and I decided to pay a visit to Animal Kingdom. As we entered the park, we noticed an intriguing sign.

Wine tasting? In Animal Kingdom? While I wouldn't bat an eye if you told me this was over at Animal Kingdom Lodge, or even in Epcot, for some reason it never occurred to me that Animal Kingdom could host such an activity.

We wandered over to Mombasa Marketplace, which is located in Africa, directly across from the Tusker House restaurant, and found this attractive little set-up, immediately to our left as we entered.

Not being much of a shopper, I can't tell you the last time I was in the Marketplace, so I'm not sure how long the wine nook has been there. But I have to say that finding it was a most pleasant surprise.

Most of the South African wines available are from Fairview, the family-owned wine and cheese business that produces its eponymous Fairview label, as well as the labels Goats Do Roam and La Capra. Sauvignon blanc, viognier, and chardonnay are among the varietals represented, along with several blends (both red and white) and a Goats Do Roam rose. Also on offer are several selections from Spice Route Wines, including a chenin blanc and red blend pinotage. Luckily for us, they also were serving a favorite we discovered at Kidani Village's Sanaa restaurant several months ago, the red blend Chakalaka.

According to Jim Killam, North Florida Sales Manager for Vineyard Brands, the shop features many of the wines you'll find offered over at the Animal Kingdom Lodge's restaurants in a spot that sees a little more traffic. Killam says the tasting event is something they host in that location only a few times a year, as it's a bit expensive to fly the winemakers up from South Africa.

On this particular Sunday, however, Fairview's winemaker Anthony de Jager (pictured below) was on hand to sign bottles and oversee the tasting. The two or three-oz. samples being poured ranged from $2.75 to $5.25 (for the full-bodied Chakalaka). Based on Killam's recommendation, Deb tried the Spice Route pinotage, and found it to have a fruity aroma, somewhat tannic but not overly so. I had the Chakalaka, which didn't disappoint -- dark cherry and fruit flavors with an oh-so-slight oakiness, just as I remembered it.

Even though they don't hold these tastings that frequently, the opportunity to try these wines in such a novel setting made for a nice change of pace. And now that I know they are there, I just might be tempted to duck into the Mombasa Marketplace to pick up a bottle every now and then.

UPDATE 3/28/12: Just obtained the pricing for the wines for sale in the shop. The following are the retail prices:

-- Goats do Roam Red, White & Rose' $11.95

-- La Capra Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Cabernet, Shiraz & Pinotage $14.95

-- Fairview Sauvignon Blanc $16.95

-- Fairview Pinotage $15.95

-- Fairview Viognier $21.95

-- Spice Route Chenin Blanc $18.95

-- Spice Route Pinotage $21.95

-- Spice Route 'Chakalaka' $25.95

http://land.allears.net/blogs/allearsteam/2012/03/mombasa_marketplace_wine_stop_1.html

[mouseketab.....Carol 1,261]

The two Debs always find the neatest things!! Although I'm so picky about the wines I like, (and supposedly my tastes are not for "good" wine) that I don't often drink much wine.

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

I'm not a huge wine person - I've got my few favorites, far from a connoissoir" - but I love trying new ones to see if I can find more to add to my list.

I really enjoyed the Wine Walk at Epcot. The CMs were able to point me to wines I'd enjoy based on what I told them I liked, and I found it to be a good variety. Plus it really was a pretty good deal (for Disney)

In fact that's how I found (and bought) a yummy German dessert wine and my favorite sparkling wine, Rose Regale.

[J&J Adventuring..Julia 22]

Monique, tell me more about the Wine Walk. I love to try different wines.

[ftwildernessguy 778]

Do any of these come in a box?

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

I haven't done it for a couple of years, but last I heard it hadn't really changed much (maybe we can get Fiend confirmation?)

For $20 you get 2 samplings each in Germany, Italy and France.

You get a little Wine Walk passport to have stamped at each country (also how they keep track of how many you've had). The passport tells you a little about each of the wines you'll be sampling too.

Sampling glasses are approx. 2oz each, but some CMs are a bit more generous with their pours than others.

The wines are preselected, but when we did this the Germany CM actually offered us a couple of other wines to pick from too.

Here's an article I found with pics from the Disney Food Blog. It's from 2009 so I'm not sure if the wine selections have changed at all.

Epcot’s World Showcase Wine Walk

Oct 22nd, 2009 by AJ.

The Myth of the Wine Walk

For a long time, the World Showcase Wine Walk was a myth for me. I’d heard tell of a “pay-20-bucks-and-get-six-glasses-of-wine” type of thing, but I searched the web and found no specifics about this fantastic option in Epcot’s World Showcase.

Then, out of nowhere, the Wine Walk was mentioned in the 2009 Epcot Food and Wine Festival Guide. Finally, I had clarity!

So on my recent trip, I stopped into Italy’s Enoteca Castello shop and asked all about the Wine Walk. And while I wasn’t able to do the walk this trip, I’m really looking forward to getting it on the list for next time.

(If anyone out there has had the opportunity to do the Wine Walk, drop me an email or a comment and let me know what you thought! I’d love to hear reviews, both pro and con.)

Wine Walk Specs and Details

In the meantime, here are the details: $20 = 6 wine samples and a beautiful walk around World Showcase!

To begin, head to one of these three shops: the Weinkeller in Germany (the shop with all the wine)

Germany's Weinkeller

Enoteca Castello in Italy (that’s the shop with all the wine — the masks are in the back)

Masks in Epcot's Italy

or Aux Vins de France in France (there’s a lot of wine in there, too).

Aux Vins de France

Request a Wine Walk Passport at any of these locations. From there, you simply flash your passport in each of the three countries and enjoy your samples! Like other Epcot passports, cast members in each pavilion will give you a stamp for each sample.

The Wines

The wines you get to try are the following:

Germany

• Valekenberg Madonna Spatlese: Since my Food and Wine Festival R.A Pruem wine seminar earlier this year, Spatlese is the word I look for to find a wine I’ll like. Spatlese = sweet and smooth, in my opinion (all it really refers to is the grapes being picked during a late harvest, making the sweetness and flavor a bit more intense). According to Disney, this particular wine will pair well with crustaceans like crab, shrimp, and lobster.
  
• Valekengerg Madonna Leibframilch, Castello: The passport bills this wine as having a “lush, seductive bouquet” backed by mild acidity. It pairs well with stronger flavored fish and meat dishes, and works well when sipped alone as a pre-dinner drink.
  

Italy

• Banfi San Angelo Pinot Grigio, Tuscany IGT: This wine will go well with light dishes, and probably will be best as a pre-dinner drink. The clean, fresh taste is touted as being perfect for an aperitif.
  
• Castello Banfi Rosa Regale, Piedmont DOCG: For those of you who have no idea what DOCG means (like me), it stands for “Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita,” which basically means it’s been quality-control tested by the Italian government. Translation: it’s high-quality. This is a sparkling wine, and word is that this is the wine to eat with chocolate!
  

France

• Georges Duboeuf Pouilly Fuisse, Macon: A Chardonnay from Burgandy, Disney says try it with cheese…yum.
  
• Fuisse and Chateau Tour de Segur Bordeaux, Lussac St. Emilion: This rich red is described as “structured” (word-lovers like me just gotta love these words — who would ever think to describe a liquid as “structured?”). The predominant grape is Merlot, and the main aroma is of dark fruits. Do this one with red meat.
  

The Passport

Here are a couple of photos of the actual passport, so you know what you’re looking for:

Epcot Wine Walk Passport Side 1

Epcot Wine Walk Passport Side 2

Finally, as far as I know, the Wine Walk has always been offered year-round. Its mention in this year’s Food and Wine Festival Guide makes me wonder if it’s been reduced to just an Autumnal experience. Fingers crossed they’ll keep it year-round so that everyone can enjoy this wonderful, and relatively inexpensive, way to sample some of the great wines from the World Showcase!

Salute, Sante, and Prosit!

http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2009/10/22/epcots-world-showcase-wine-walk/

[ftwildernessguy 778]

At Germany, you used to get a free wine glass with a tasting. We have a couple in the cupboard. They stopped doing this a few years ago.

[HappyCamper...Deb 61]

I love wine :heart:. It all began with white wines, cheap and sweet...

As I aged matured, I ventured into reds. Top of my list are still inexpensive ones... Australian Yellow Tail Shiraz and South American Malbecs.

Some nice cheeses, good bread, grapes, and a tasty glass or two by my side makes for a perfect evening. :)

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

Love the S.American Malbecs.

I've tried some Spanish reds lately that are really good too.

My problem is I can never remember what I liked. I really need to start making notes on my phone.

[we3peas 12]

Each of those locations also have wine flights- they are about $10 and you get 4 tastes, but you have to do them all at once. I've only tried Germany's because I had a driver that day. I'm a light weight and since I live nearby I didn't want to take a chance on not being all there to get home. I will say the girl that poured for me that day made an awful mess. She insisted on holding the bottle more than 18 inches away from the glass so that everything got wet with wine and the tray had more wine on it than the glass.