Tasting in Tarpon Springs

Friday, I began the long trek to Tarpon Springs.  It is about 5 hours from my house to B-21, the account where I was to be pouring sake on Saturday, so I usually break up the trip with a stay at my mom's in Naples.  So Friday I stayed with my momma, and Saturday morning, headed up I75 towards Tampa (Tarpon Springs is about 25 minutes north of Tampa).

B-21 is a really cool account that has been in business since 1948.  They do a tremendous amount of business, with free delivery to residents of  South Florida.  They do seminars on a regular basis, and wine tastings every Saturday.  They publish a flyer each month called "The Buzz" and members of the staff contribute on various wine regions and wines to try.  It is a delight to work with this account! (www.b-21.com)

Anyway, so it is the dead of summer, so I expected the tasting to be rather slow.  People are on vacation, gearing up for school to start, etc. etc.... And I was pouring an array of 8 sakes and 1 plum wine.  Most people are still a little leery of sake, so it wasn't the biggest draw on a Saturday afternoon.  But we sold a few bottles and educated some newbies, and that was the best we could hope for.

The lineup

Chillin'

These are some of the best sakes my company offers, so it was fun to taste them in a lineup.  The flavors range from soft and delicate to bold, earthy, and rich, and the potential for pairing these with food is limitless.  I particularly liked the plum wine on this afternoon, made with Aodani Plums that have been soaked in sake for 3 months before going through fermentation.  Slightly sweet, clean dry finish and perfect for a hot, sticky, muggy Florida afternoon!

The view from my table

When things were really slow, some of us joked about Weeki Wachee, a state park about 30 minutes north of Tarpon Springs.  If you don't know about Weeki Wachee, I suggest you check it out:  www.weekiwachee.com

This has to be the tackiest AND coolest thing ever.  In 1946, Newton Perry, a former US Naval Officer who trained SEALS during WWII found this deep natural spring and decided to build a theater for underwater viewing.  Then he scouted a bunch of pretty girls and trained them to swim with air hoses.  They dressed as mermaids and performed a number of shows under water including synchronized ballet, magic shows, sporting events, picnics circus acts.... you name it.  the first show began in 1947, and it is still in operation today.  I really want to go, so on my next trek to Tarpon Springs, I'll take a detour and check this place out!  Stay tuned for photos......