Location: 22 NE CR 234 Gainesville
Type: Winery, Farm
Cost: U-Pick – $3/lb or Wine Tasting – $5/$8
Moving to Gainesville has been one of the best decisions in my life, I mean it. Moving here taught me exactly what I don’t want in life, and provided the pathway that led me to what I believe I do want to do. This town brings a bit of peace over me that I didn’t find in Tallahassee or in South Florida in my varying ages, but now I’ve found it here in this small town. I feel like I haven’t been taking advantage of this beautiful city and all of the wonders that are here in town and on the outskirts and I vowed that this Summer, I’d no longer take advantage of the fun that awaits me!
I truly believe in taking time to smell the flowers, we all should. YOLO, right?
Since it’s Summer, I figured it the perfect time to get out and see more of Gainesville and our surrounding counties. What’s the point of having a car if it only gets you from work to home? I want to see more and I’ve got the wheels to make it happen so here’s my vow to explore Alachua County and all of the beautiful wonders that surround us!
Starting with Blueberry picking and wine tasting out at Bluefield Estate Winery!
I just love U-Pick season here in Gainesville! If you’ve never heard of U-Pick, it’s exactly what the name states; you pick! With all of the great farms out here in North Florida, February – July are prime times to pick local, natural fruits and veggies, all for a great price. This late in June still allows some time for Blueberry picking so I thought it the perfect time to head out to the Winery with my bestie, DeCara. I lucked out and found a great Groupon for only $16 that called for a wine tasting for 2, PLUS a bottle of wine! I love Groupon, *insert ugly cry here*
Bluefield Estate Winery is about 20 min outside of Gainesville, tucked away in the trees where you’d never find it unless you were truly looking. With lush grounds covered in Muscadine and Blueberries, upon arrival, we knew we had to be in the right spot due to the beautiful fruit and landscaping. After walking into their trailer-office, we were greeted by a kind young woman who was attentively pouring wine for a group of women who had already begun their giggly wine tasting, as well as all of the wine-themed gifts you can imagine.
Buckets were stacked and ready next to the door, and visitors were able to simply grab their buckets to head off on their blueberry picking journey at $3/lb through the bountiful blueberry bushes. We happily grabbed our buckets and set off to the blueberry bushes!! We had received a bit of rain earlier in the day so the grounds were moist, also leaving the blueberries with a natural wash and glow for us to enjoy as we began our picking. The Estate had over 5 rows of what seemed like 15+ bushes per row! Every step I took to the next bush provided me with even juicier and sweeter berries than the last! Even so late in the season, I had no trouble finding ample bushes to pick from as I happily popped about 5 berries in my mouth for every 2 I dropped in my bucket. 😀
After about 20min in the blueberry bushes, DeCara and I walked away with a pound of fresh-picked blueberries each and we were off to our wine tasting!
Wine Tasting
Our Groupon afforded us a wine tasting, but we didn’t know that meant we got to sample EIGHT wines!! Sheesh! Groupon is TOO good to me. Bluefield’s specialty are it’s Muscadine Grapes and Blueberries, while other wines/ingredients are sourced from California but you’ll hear no complaints here, as they were delicious! The young woman conducting our wine tasting was quite generous with her pours as well, as by sample #8, I was passing my last sips to DeCara! Each wine was so tasty and prominent, I couldn’t believe I got such a bargain! I believe that Green Apple and Pomegranate were my favorite, as they were both sweet, yet bold! DeCara decided on Pomegranate as her free bottle to take home and she loved it!
At only $6.50 for our 2.2 pounds of fresh blueberries + $16 Wine Tasting Groupon = $22.50 for an afternoon of boozy, blueberry fun sounds like a total win on a dime!