Where to Find Authentic Florida Fruit Wine
The best places to find authentic Florida fruit wine are tasting rooms at certified Florida Farm Wineries, listed by Florida's Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS). By law, each farms at least 5 Florida acres and makes at least 60% of its wine from Florida-grown products. In stores, look for "Florida" as the label's appellation, or place of origin.
Full disclosure: we're Island Grove Wine Company, a blueberry farm and winery in Island Grove, Florida 24703 SE 193rd Ave Hawthorne, Fl 32640, and FDACS lists us too. Hold us to the same test, we apply below.
Where to look, best first:
Tasting rooms at certified Florida Farm Wineries, where you can ask where the fruit grew.
Winery websites, for wine lists, hours and ordering.
Fairs and festivals, where certified Florida Farm Wineries can get state permits to pour and sell.
Florida-focused shops, such as The Naples Winery.
Grocery and wine stores, where the label does the talking.
Which Florida wineries make fruit wine, region by region?
Here's what we found, Panhandle south, as each business describes itself. Muscadine is a native grape, so muscadine wine is grape wine, not "fruit wine" in label terms; many wineries below make both.
Region | Stop | What to ask about | Type |
Panhandle | Chautauqua Vineyards & Winery (DeFuniak Springs) | Muscadines it grows, plus fruit wines; sister shop Emerald Coast Wine Cellars (Miramar Beach) lists 100% blackberry and 100% blueberry wines | FDACS-certified wineries |
Panhandle | Panama City Beach Winery (Panama City Beach) | Citrus, berry and tropical wines it says are 100% real fruit; Florida Orange Groves Winery lists it as a retail location | Tasting room and shop |
North Central (Gainesville) | Cracker House Winery (Old Town) | Mango, peach, dark cherry, blackberry, strawberry, blueberry, muscadine | FDACS-certified winery |
North Central (Gainesville) | Island Grove Wine Company (Hawthorne; that's us) | 100% blueberry wines from our Florida blueberries; sangrias; fruit-and-grape blends | FDACS-certified winery |
Central (Orlando) | Lake Seneca Farms (Eustis) | Estate passion fruit, pineapple, blueberry, pumpkin; seasonal mulberry, peach; some others use local or bought-in fruit | FDACS-certified winery |
Central (Orlando) | True Blue Winery (Davenport) | Blueberry wines, including blueberry "made from our own orchard"; citrus, orange, peach | FDACS-certified winery |
Tampa Bay | Florida Orange Groves Winery (St. Petersburg) | More than 40 tropical, citrus, berry and stone fruit wines | FDACS-certified winery |
Tampa Bay | Keel & Curley Winery at Keel Farms (Plant City) | Dry, semi-dry and sweet blueberry wines; other fruit wines and grape blends | FDACS-certified winery |
Tampa Bay (north) | Strong Tower Vineyard (Spring Hill) | Mostly estate grape wines; blueberry, apple and strawberry wines | FDACS-certified winery |
Tampa Bay (Manatee) | Bunker Hill Vineyard & Winery (Duette) | Guava, tangerine, lemon, starfruit it grows; says 97% of its non-grape wine produce is from Florida | FDACS-certified winery |
Heartland | Secret Gardens Winery & Farm (Sebring) | Muscadine; apple, blackberry, blueberry, cherry, cranberry, peach | FDACS-certified winery |
Heartland | Tropical Winery (Lake Placid) | "A wide variety of tropical fruit wines" | FDACS-certified winery |
Southwest (Naples) | The Naples Winery (Naples) | Florida-made fruit wines; free daily tastings | Wine shop |
South Florida (Miami) | Schnebly Redland's Winery (Homestead) | Tropical fruit wines; 30-acre grounds with mango, carambola, passion fruit and lychee groves | FDACS-certified winery |
Certification requires at least 5 Florida acres, among other rules, so a business not on the FDACS list isn't in that program; it may still pour Florida-made fruit wine.
More stops by region
These certified wineries fill the gaps; the FDACS list links to their websites, so call to ask which fruit wines they pour.
Tallahassee: head west to Chautauqua or southeast to Cracker House.
Jacksonville and St. Augustine: Congaree and Penn (Jacksonville); San Sebastian Winery (St. Augustine), known for muscadine.
Daytona and the Space Coast: Flagler Beachfront Winery (Flagler Beach); Feelgood Farms (Osteen).
Orlando: Lakeridge Winery & Vineyards (Clermont), known for muscadine.
North of Tampa: Masaryk Winery (Masaryktown).
Palm Beach and the Treasure Coast: Summer Crush Vineyard & Winery (Fort Pierce), specializing in Florida-grown muscadine.
The Keys: Keys' Meads (Key Largo).
Naples: Schnebly Redland's, Tropical Winery, Secret Gardens and Bunker Hill are each a real drive.
Check hours before you drive; some are seasonal, and Lake Seneca Farms and Cracker House ask you to call. Tastings are for guests 21 and up, and if you're visiting more than one tasting room in a day, bring a designated driver or plan a ride.
What makes Florida fruit wine "authentic"?
Florida's wine laws don't define "authentic" fruit wine, but two checks get you close: FDACS certification for the winery and a "Florida" appellation on the bottle. Florida's legal definition of wine covers fresh fruits and berries, not just grapes.
Under section 599.004 of the Florida Statutes, which governs FDACS's Florida Farm Winery Program, no winery may claim certification without written FDACS approval. A certified Florida Farm Winery must make at least 60% of its wine from Florida agricultural products, maintain at least 5 acres of owned or managed Florida land growing something used in its wine, and reapply every year, among other rules; fruit counts, not just grapes. But the 60% rule covers a winery's whole annual output, not each bottle, and the law doesn't require every wine to come from the winery's own fields. Certification vouches for the winery; the label speaks for the bottle.
Directories such as Florida Winery Trail help with browsing, but FDACS decides who's certified.
How can you tell from the label that it's Florida fruit?
Look for "Florida" or a Florida county as the appellation of origin; under federal rules, that means at least 75% of the wine comes from fruit grown there. Florida imagery, from palm trees to a Sunshine State name (ours included), isn't proof. Federal rules bar label designs that suggest a false origin, but only the appellation tells you where the fruit was grown.
Under federal labeling rules, each name-and-address phrase has a precise legal meaning, and they don't all tell you the same thing:
On the label | What it means | Proves Florida fruit? |
"Florida" or a Florida county ("___ County") as the appellation | Federal: at least 75% of the wine is from fruit grown there, finished in Florida (or a neighboring state, for "Florida") | Yes, for at least 75% |
"Produced and bottled by" or "Made and bottled by," with a city | Federal: the winery fermented at least 75% of the wine there, or changed its class or type there | No, only where it was made |
"Bottled by," "Cellared," "Vinted," "Bottled for" | Federal: where it was bottled or cellar-treated, or who it was bottled for | No |
"Blueberry wine," "fruit wine" | Federal: the class of wine; single-fruit wines are named for the fruit, and concentrate is allowed | No |
"Fresh From Florida" logo on a processed product | State: a marketing mark for items containing Florida agricultural products, with no minimum share | Not by itself |
Appellations are optional on many labels, so a missing "Florida" isn't evidence of out-of-state fruit.
"Florida" in the bottler's address isn't an appellation: it tells you where the wine was bottled, not where the fruit grew. A brand name is different: federal rules generally allow "Florida" in one only if the wine qualifies for that appellation.
These rules cover wines of 7% to 24% alcohol; TTB's free Public COLA Registry shows approved labels.
How do you spot authentic Florida fruit wine? A 5-point checklist
We'd use this on anyone's wine, ours included:
Is the winery on the current FDACS list? If not, go to questions 2 to 5.
Is "Florida" or a Florida county the appellation, not just in the bottler's address?
Does it say "Produced and bottled by" with a Florida city? That points to where the wine was made, not where the fruit grew.
Is it one fruit or a blend with grapes? A blend can be lovely, but only part may be Florida fruit; ask which part.
Did the tasting room say which fruit it grew, which it bought, and whether any was concentrate?
Official Florida Farm Winery highway signs also point to certified wineries.
Does Island Grove pass its own test?
FDACS lists us as a certified Florida Farm Winery. We've farmed blueberries since 1995, and since 2010 we've turned extra fruit from each fresh-market season into wine, made and bottled on the farm with our winemaker, Chase Marden.
Where we pass cleanly. For a wine that is nothing but our own Florida-grown blueberries, start with Kinda Dry or Sorta Sweet, the two 100% blueberry wines in our Blue Roots collection; our Kinda Dry vs. Sorta Sweet comparison helps you choose. Kinda Dry gets up to 30 days of skin contact. That is where its tannin comes from, and it is why it drinks closer to a red than most people expect. Check our labels in the COLA registry.
Where the honest answer is "partly." Not everything we make is all Florida fruit, and our Sunshine State sangrias carry a Florida nickname, so they get the same test. Sunshine State Berry Sangria builds on our Florida blueberry wine with Florida-grown citrus; we don't claim Florida origin for its strawberries and blackberries. Sunshine State White Sangria uses our farm's peaches and no grapes; we don't claim Florida origin for its pineapples and mangos. Our Blueberry Moscato is 90% California Muscat grape wine and 10% Sorta Sweet Blueberry. Our Island Collection is mostly fruit-and-grape blends, like blackberry with Merlot, without a Florida-fruit claim.
Tasting with us. Our HQ winery is on the farm at 24703 SE 193rd Ave, Hawthorne, about 4 miles off Highway 301 down dirt roads, with weekday tours; call 352-481-9463 first. Our Tasting House, on Highway 301 between Gainesville and Ocala, pours complimentary tastings daily, no reservation needed: (352) 481-1012. You can also taste our wines at Formosa Winery in Kissimmee, one of our three listed locations; it's a restaurant and tasting house pouring wines from around the world, not a certified Florida Farm Winery.
Where can you buy Florida fruit wine if you can't visit?
Check other wineries' websites for ordering and shipping, try Florida-focused shops, and read the label wherever you buy.
For ours, the Island Grove retail locator searches by ZIP code and includes select Publix, Winn-Dixie, ABC Fine Wine & Spirits, Whole Foods Market and Total Wine & More stores; not every chain store carries us. Florida orders go through our online store, and someone 21 or older must sign for delivery. Outside Florida, order through our out-of-state shop on Vinoshipper; not every state or wine is covered.
Common questions about Florida fruit wine
What is a certified Florida Farm Winery?
A certified Florida Farm Winery is one FDACS, Florida's agriculture department, approves in writing each year. It must produce or sell under 250,000 gallons of wine yearly, make at least 60% of it from Florida agricultural products, farm at least 5 Florida acres for its wine, and stay open to the public at least 30 hours weekly.
Does "certified" mean every bottle is 100% Florida fruit?
Not necessarily. A certified Florida Farm Winery's rule of at least 60% Florida agricultural products covers its whole annual output, not each bottle. For a bottle-level check, look for "Florida" as the label's appellation, which under federal rules means at least 75% of the wine comes from Florida-grown fruit.
Why is fruit wine so common in Florida?
European wine grapes struggle here. Pierce's disease, a bacterial disease spread by leafhoppers, keeps them from being grown widely in Florida. Native muscadine grapes resist it, so Florida vineyards grow muscadines and disease-resistant hybrids. Many Florida wineries also ferment fruit the state grows well, such as blueberries, citrus, peaches and tropical fruit.
Is muscadine wine a fruit wine?
Not in the label sense. Muscadine is a grape native to the southeastern United States, so muscadine wine is grape wine; federal rules define "fruit wine" as wine fermented from fruit other than grapes. FDACS calls muscadine wine a southern specialty, and many Florida wineries make both.
Start with the FDACS list, read the label, and ask where the fruit grew. Headed our way? Come see the blueberry fields behind the bottle. Cheers.
Last checked September 2026. Certification renews every year, so confirm on the FDACS page before you go.
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