Lakerige Winery presents Winter Music Series

When Jeff and Tracy Freeman of Pittsburgh pulled up at the Lakeridge Winery & Vineyards in Clermont early Saturday afternoon wearing T-shirts and sunglasses, they knew it'd be the last time they'd need them for a while.

"We leave for Pennsylvania tomorrow and it'll be 30 degrees and snowing when we get back," Tracy Freeman said. "We're going to milk this for all it's worth."

The Freemans spent the day going on multiple wine tasting tours, dancing to live music and finally leaving with three cases of wine.

"We try to escape the cold for a few weeks out of the year, and this is one of our favorite places to hide," Jeff Freeman said with a laugh. "This is going to have to last for a while."

The Freemans were only two of the hundreds of people who enjoyed the Lakeridge Winery's Winter Music Series, a free festival that provides live music and free wine tasting and tours to anyone who wants to visit.

Kevin Callanan, inventory and event manager for Lakeridge, said days like this are an everyday thing for the business.

"We've been open since 1988, and we've been doing festivals ever since," Callanan said. "Once a month there are different themes. Right now we're knee-deep into the winter music series, every Saturday from 1-4 p.m. A lot of our festivals are free, and if we charge anything it's going to a local organization."

Owner Gary Cox says that the location's beautiful view was no accident.

"When we came to this area we had a lot of options," Cox said in the introductory tour video. "There was a lot of land for sale because of the citrus freezes in the winter. We saw this area with the few of the hills, it was not only a great place to grow our grapes, but it was also a nice pleasant place to work."

Visitors are given free tours on an hourly basis and are able to sample the wine as much as they'd like. Bottles of wine are sold downstairs in the gift shop. While the shop is usually filled to the brim, the real crowd sat outside, listening to the sounds of singer/songwriter Tory Wynter. Wynter said he is a regular at Lakeridge Winery.

"Not so much a visitor, but performer," Wynter said. "I've been doing shows here over 12 years. Most are at night and a bit bigger, but I've been very happy with the way things are going."

Wynter worked side-by-side with artists Bob Marley and Sammy Davis Jr. before, and his presence resonated with the crowd, encouraging many of the visitors to get out of their seats and dance.

"They call me the Cosmic Man," Wynter said with a beaming smile. "I'm a Carib, from way back. We're here to make this planet rise higher, to a level of higher consciousness. And we gotta keep doing this thing until we know love. Unconditional love."

It may have been the wine, but love was definitely in the air. Before heading back home, the Freemans took once last look at the setting sun over the vineyard, nestled in each other's arms.

"When I look out on that field, I don't think there's a more beautiful sight in the world as far as I'm concerned," Cox said at the end of the tour video. "I enjoy the work we do in Lake County."

For more information on Lakeridge Winery & Vineyards, go to lakeridgewinery.com

Tory Wynter's newest album, We'll Be Dancing can be found on CDbaby.com