Celebrating the 10th anniversary of The Vineyard Wine Company (Heathrow, FL)

The Vineyard Wine Company has been in business for 10 years and I was there at the beginning. Actually, I was there before it was even a gleam in Tom Jones' eye.

Before The Vineyard (The Yard, for the initiated), a small group regularly (Thursday and Saturday afternoons) gathered at Petty's Meat Market in Longwood to syndicate wines. As the name indicates, Petty's was known for its meats but it also sported a few shelves of quality wines towards the back of the store such that if someone needed a wine to pair with a dish, they could procure it here.

The group (Thad and Stacy Hudgens, Dr. Jose, Fred Wittenstein, Laurie Levin, Liz, Tom Jones, Bob Hughes, the author, and a few others) would convene around a makeshift table and take turns selecting bottles. At the end of the session, we split the costs equally. Those sessions were a lot of fun as we learned about each other and wine. Further, over the years, Petty hired quality people to work in the wine section (Dino, Dan, etc.) and they became great friends and integral parts of the group.

The level of fun diminished after Dan left but we persevered. Things truly came to a head, though, when Petty's hired a French guy as the wine expert. He did not appreciate our contribution to the in-store shopping experience or our occupation of "his space." And he went to great lengths to let us know of his displeasure. Conditions eventually became unbearable and we decided to cease and desist. Tom told us not to worry, he would build a small wine bar so that we could have someplace to hang out. I didn't think that we deserved that type of consideration but ...

A while after my last visit to Petty's I heard that Tom had begun looking into actualizing his thought. As time went on, the project expanded and Tom had brought Dan (his favorite Petty's wine guy) back to Orlando to help plan and, eventually, assist with the management of the establishment. When The Vineyard Wine Company eventually opened, it was a restaurant, wine bar, and wine retail shop all under one roof. Tom's daughter managed the retail shop, his son Robbie managed the wine bar, Dan managed restaurant operations, and Fidel (yes, that Fidel) was the Sommelier and wine buyer.

In the early days we lived there: birthday parties, wine tastings, wine dinners, and just plain old hanging out. If I was not on the golf course or, god forbid, working, I was at the yard with my buddies and the staffers. This place was our Cheers. We quickly forgot how petty Petty's had been at the end.

Friendly staff

Ten years later The Vineyard Wine Company is still thriving. It has endured growing pains, economic downturns, a narrowing of focus, and staff defections but has weathered those and arrived at a place of comfort: comfort with the customer base, with the product offerings, and with the staff in place. The food has improved markedly over the years and Robbie has grown tremendously in wine knowledge, confidence, and people skills. These guys launched into this space with no experience beyond Dan's and have negotiated the shoals admirably.

If you go into the restaurant at any time during the course of the day, Tom will be the guy at the bar on the stool furthest away from the door. He has occupied that same seat for 10 years now. The staffers are like family with many of them having been there for 8+ years, largely due to work conditions that Tom insists on. The restaurant is closed on most holidays so that staff can spend time home with their families.

Both started at The Vineyard in 2009

The Vineyard Wine Company is a successful pioneer and I look forward to updating this post on their 20th anniversary.

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