Sightseeing Sundays-Ormond Wine Co.

So my friend and partner Rachel (check out her gorgeous stuff at www.rachelmcotton.com) is a big believer in synchronicity--the idea of "God whispers" aka the universe speaking to you. When something, someone, some idea, etc. keeps showing up again and again in your life, pay attention! What has been showing up in my life recently is Ormond Wine Co. This wonderful place in Ormond Beach, Florida where my parents have a little beach house (no, they aren't super-duper rich folks, my dad just works really, really hard and capitalized on the floundering Florida housing market) is absolutely stunning--although to be honest, it's in a questionable location as it is part of a "plaza" that houses a gas station--ughh! No matter--this place is one of my favorite on the planet; every time we go down to the house, we stop at this place. They have build your own 6 packs of craft beer, charging retail by the bottle. So, you can get delicious (yet usually pricey) craft beers that in the bar cost between $8-$12 for no more than $4. Grab it, take it home, and cook up a steak on the grill with your yummy belgium-style Piraat.
On top of their fabulous beers, Ormond Wine Co. also has an enomatic wine dispenser. If you haven't seen one of these bad boys, you gotta put it on your to-do list. Basically, the system holds wine bottles upside down and "aerates" the wine so you can grab a glass, insert your rechargeable wine debit card, push the little button, and do your own wine tasting for between $1-$4 per 2 ounce pour. You can try $100 bottle of wine that you probably would never buy or order for this dirt-cheap price AND have a blast doing so. I have never seen another of these dispensers anywhere else, and I want one in my house pronto! (ha!) They also have sumptuous deep leather chairs, exposed brick, and shelves and shelves of glorious wine. They do live music on Fridays and offer tasty culinary treats like duck flatbread, a heavenly cheese platter (pick your own three; perhaps the Drunken Goat?!), specialty salads, and paninis like their Ancho Steak. I love love love this place, and my dream would be to open one up just like it in Savannah with friends (my husband would run it and I would write my heart out all day, every day). Gotta dream big, right?