Tastings becomes Sarasota Vineyard
December 3rd, 2008 by Brian Ries in Food and Drink
Downtown Sarasota’s Tastings: A Wine Experience — a franchised chain wine bar I reviewed a few months ago — has broken free of the corporate shackles, according to owner Andy Diaczyk. Starting immediately, it will be known as Sarasota Vineyard.
According to Diaczyk, the look of the place will remain the same, as will some of the food. “We’re going to keep some of the same dishes,” Diaczyk said, “cheeses and pizzas, probably more appetizers, more of a tapas menu for people to share while they’re here.” They’ll also add entertainment on Friday and Saturday nights.
The wine — still dispensed from the former Tastings vending units — will be the biggest difference. “We were getting a reputation for being too expensive,” explained Diaczyk. “We’re still going to have some high-end brands, but the majority will be good wines at better prices.” He looks forward to having control over the wines he serves, explaining that the Tastings corporate group “had their finger on what we were serving without knowing anything about wines, they had a 24 year old who took a weekend course as the wine expert.”
It’ll take a few weeks for the changes to go into effect, but it’ll be interesting to see if Diaczyk can turn Sarasota Vineyard into a wine bar worth the effort.
December 3rd, 2008 at 2:46 pm
[...] Downtown Sarasota’s Tastings: A Wine Experience — a franchised chain wine bar I reviewed a few months ago — has broken free of the corporate shackles, according to owner Andy Diaczyk. More [...]
December 4th, 2008 at 12:07 pm
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March 2nd, 2009 at 11:08 am
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