On our recent visit to Walt Disney World we were extended a gracious invitation to dine at Wine Bar George, the only Master Sommelier-led wine bar in Florida, which happens to be located in Disney Springs. This new-ish dining location opened earlier this spring and we were very excited to finally go check it out. We stopped by for a late Sunday afternoon lunch to try some drinks, share some plates, and decide if this is a must visit location for foodie Disney loving adults.
UPDATE: You can also read a review of the brunch menu HERE)
The Master
Wine Bar George is the vision of George Miliotesone, one of 273 Master Sommeliers in the world. He is devoted to curating interesting wines and builds relationships with some of the best vintners in the world. He is passionate about education and enjoys sharing his knowledge with others. He has a long history of being involved with restaurants such as Seasons 52 and Disney’s California Grill. We heard that George frequents his new establishment regularly, unfortunately since we came at an in-between time we just missed him by a couple hours. The good news is we were left in the very capable hands of his well trained staff.
The upstairs bar was fully stocked with many things in addition to wine on tap.
The Atmosphere
As soon as you arrive at Wine Bar George it feels like an adult oasis. The rustic wood textures feel cozy and inviting, while metal touches give a hip and modern look. The mood is refined and upscale, but at the same time casual enough to relax. There are plenty of windows with natural light, and unique glass light fixtures that make Wine Bar George feel open and bright. If you look closely you can find design choices that take inspiration from the vineyard such as corks in the stairs and barrels as bases for bar tables.
There were various types of seating available such as different bar seats, standard dining tables, outdoor balcony seating, and even a cozy couch area. You will be able to most certainly find just the right kind of place to sit and relax. There even appears to be a large private dining room on the upper level as well. We were sat by the upstairs bar at a dining table with views of Disney Springs below. It was mid afternoon on a Sunday which seemed to be a perfectly quiet time between lunch and dinner to take our time to taste and linger.
This upstairs seating area featured neat barrel tables.
Even the stairwell features many design textures.
Our table was located near windows overlooking Disney Springs.
The downstairs bar located near the front door.
Simplistic place settings on rustic wood tables.
The Drinks
One of George’s favorite drinks is a French 75. Wine Bar George has a signature drink that is his own spin on that libation: The American 75. This drink features St. George Terroir Gin, Rogederer Estate Brut, Lemon and Lavender. Our visit began with this signature beverage. Let’s just say this one is deliciously dangerous. A fizzy balance of sweet and sour, with a refreshingly smooth taste, the American 75 was a perfect warm weather drink that still felt special due to the bubbly.
Cheers to this delicious signature drink!
Wine Bar George of course has an extensive wine list featuring everything from an affordable $8 glass of wine all the way up to a $2,400 bottle of Chateaux Margaux from France! With 135 wine varieties there is certainly something for everyone. The beauty of Wine Bar George is that every wine is also available in a 1 oz pour as well, which is there perfect way to access a wine otherwise too expensive to try.
In addition to wines there is a menu of cocktails, beer and cider available, as well as a wide selection of liquors in the bar. Andrew’s favorite spiced rum is Zacappa, which can be hard to find. When he saw the bar stocked with that selection he had to order one on the rocks. The cocktails seemed to have classic inspiration with drinks such as a Hazel & Rye Manhattan, a French Ginger Bramble, and a Queen’s Margarita. The beer list was not long but did have quite the variety with things like a German Hefe-Weizen, craft pale ale, and even a simple Bud Light.
A French 75 and a fancy looking mocktail.
Andrew’s classic Zacappa rum.
A wine flight of three 1 oz pours.
This is how you adult in Disney!
We loved being able to do 1 oz pours and create our own wine flights. Our server Jason was super knowledgeable about all the wines. It was great being able to tell him what we typically like and a price range, then trust him to make great selections. We can’t remember everything we tried since we had him choose, but all of the wines were excellent. The trio pictured above features these selections:
Broadbent Rosé from Portugal
Selbach-Oster Riesling from Germany
Guigal Cotes du Rhone blend from France
The Food
The Menu at first glance looks a bit on the small side but we still found it full of great options to try. We also happened to be there during lunch hours and were able to pick from a couple other entree items as well. We chose a lot of small plates so we could sample and share many items. We also ordered items over time so we could nibble slowly with drinks. We ended up hanging out for about 2 hours total, but items came out quickly so if you wanted a shorter experience that isn’t a problem. Here is a look at what we ordered…
Artisanal Cheese Board ($26)
You can’t have wine without cheese! This board features four chef chosen selections of the day with accompaniments. We received a bleu cheese, gouda, manchengo, and aged cheddar. It came with crackers and bread as well as olives, chutney, almonds, and honeycomb. Everything was delicious and this worked out well to share and combine different elements.
Spiced Olives ($8)
The olives on the cheese board were good so we decided to order some extra. These were a nice assortment in a seasoned oil blend.
House Made Meatballs with Polenta and Tomato Sauce ($14)
This dish was so good. When they brought it out it smelled like a good Italian meal. You could tell the meatballs were a high quality meat and were well seasoned and juicy. The aromatic sauce and creamy polenta made it seem more like a meal than an app.
Lunch Feature: Steak Frites ($19)
This tender skirt steak was topped with a caramelized onion aioli (which Andrew wasn’t sure about when ordering but ended up loving). The meal came atop a bed of fries. You know how sometimes you get fries that are just extra good in the moment? These were it. It was nice to have a salty/carby snack after some drinks.
Crispy Mac & Cheese Bites ($12)
O.M.G. these were too good. The inside of the ball contained gooey homemade mac ‘n’ cheese wrapped in a crispy fried outer shell. Seriously go try these and thank us later.
Chicken Skewers with Asian Slaw ($13)
We loved this other little nibble of protein. The chicken was seasoned with an asian glaze sauce that was tangy and delicious. The asian slaw was a nice touch too for color and texture.
Key Lime Pie ($7)
So we aren’t huge orderers of dessert, but we try to have a bit of everything when checking out a new etstablishment. We were warned this dessert was super tiny, but that was perfect for us to have a couple bites and not be stuffed with tons of sugar. This treat was fresh and tart and the perfect ending to our meal.
The Service
We experienced top notch service while at Wine Bar George that felt more comparable to a high end, white table cloth type of place. We would love to give a shout out to our server Jason. He took such great care of us with prompt attention and honest menu suggestions. We were impressed with his training in all the wines and it was so relaxing to just let him choose the best wines for us to try instead of us being overwhelmed by all of the options. We could tell that the staff at Wine Bar George is passionate and knowledgable, and it shows, our visit was seamless and enjoyable. Kudos George for leading a stellar staff!
Final Thoughts
We figured our visit would certainly be good but were blown away by how much we enjoyed these experience. Wine Bar George has the perfect balance of high end dining, mixed with a relaxing afternoon away from the parks. We were surprised that we loved every single thing we ordered, which is pretty rare. We are also big fans of sharing smaller dishes to try more so this was a perfect spot for us. Someone could easily come in for a lunch special though and be satisfied with the portion. We think the best part of this location is that you can pop into the bar for an affordable glass of wine and an app or two, or you could go all out and have a more robust “fancy” afternoon lingering like we did. Wine lovers should definitely make this a stop on their list. And we truly believe even non wine lovers will have a great time as well.
We should point out Wine Bar George also has a selection of merchandise to purchase for wine lovers such as high end cork screws, wine literature, and Corksicle products. There is also The Basket located on the lower level to order drinks to go (including the famous Frozé slushy wine) and build your own picnic baskets. How cool to think you can pack up a gourmet picnic basket to then take and enjoy anywhere on Disney property, that sounds like a fun adult afternoon. Wine Bar George has earned a top spot on our list and we can’t wait to visit again! Who wants to join us next time friends?
Disclaimer: In most circumstances we pay our own way, but if we receive something complimentary we want to make our readers aware. On this rare occasion we were invited by the company for a dining experience and a portion of our check was covered by Wine Bar George. Please note we are not required to provide favorable coverage, opinions are still 100% our own. We also wanted to extend a special thanks to Lauren for scheduling our visit!
