Wine Bar George now open at Disney Springs (Orlando)

Full disclosure: I was invited to Wine Bar George for a complimentary tasting this week to try their new menu. My history with George Miliotes dates back a few years and is outlined in this article. All opinions stated are my own and do not represent Wine Bar George or any other group.

Wine Bar George is now open at Disney Springs in Orlando.

I’ve been following George Miliotes for years when he was consulting with the Capital Grille for their Generous Pour event. His new 200 seat, 6,000-square-foot restaurant features over 130 wines by the glass, bottle, and ounce.

George Miliotes is one of only 128 Master Sommeliers in the United States of America. It is a mastery that few in the world hold. Wine Bar George is also the only Master Sommelier-led bar in Florida. The bar is open daily from 11AM to 2AM.

George has history with Disney going back to the opening of California Grill at Disney’s Contemporary Resort and managed the venue from 1995 to 2002. He created their award winning wine-list and was one of the first to make a “100 wines by the glass list” in the United States.

The food menu features seasonal items with everything made in-house. I stopped by today for a tasting of the menu and tried some of their selection as well as two featured wines with Miliotes hosting us.

We enjoyed a cheese and meat board to begin the tasting.

Wine Bar George offers a few choices here depending on party-size that range from $24-$54. Definitely a great shareable dish that is expected in a concept like this. I enjoyed their cheese selections and their cuts of meat. The chutney and mustard were also excellent.

The cheese and meat board was served with a German Dry Riesling from Selbach-Oster in Mosel, Germany. The Riesling went down great and would easily be a wine that I could sip all day. Selbach-Oster is ranked among the Top 100 wineries in Germany.

The flavor was certainly not your average Riesling and I would recommend giving this one a taste. A 6 oz. pour is $8 and a bottle is $32 at the bar.

All the cocktails have wine spirit infusions and the New York Sour featured a 12-year aged bourbon with a wine floater. Director of Beverage, Robyn Cohen, spearheaded the menu in collaboration with George Miliotes.

The other wine we tried was the Yeringberg 2013 Bordeaux-style Red from Victoria, Australia’s Yarra Valley. This was an excellent and smooth red that was easy to drink and went along well with the other menu items on the tasting list. This is a higher end wine that would normally go for around $90 a bottle at retail. They recently acquired this wine so it is not yet listed on the menu, but available.

The Mac + Cheese balls were excellent. Sometimes you’ll find that the crust will get into the inside of these creations and make a gritty texture, but that wasn’t the case at all with this dish. The Mac + Cheese was completely creamy and delicious. Great Mac + Cheese can be hard to come by.

The grilled octopus was one of the best dishes I enjoyed during the tasting. The octopus had a very ceviche-like quality to it. I would order this dish in the future. It wasn’t chewy at all. I would probably also get this dish in the future if I went for the sangria on the menu.

The chicken skewers were a top choice during the tasting at Wine Bar George. It almost reminded me of Japanese Fried Chicken or Karaage, but with different flavor profiles. This dish was truly enjoyable. Make sure to squeeze the lime on top – it really does make a difference here.

It wouldn’t be a tasting without dessert and we enjoyed a key lime dessert as well as an olive oil cake. I liked the key lime, but the olive oil cake was incredible and stood out to me among the two. I would order this again and again and highly recommend it.

I stopped at the top floor before I left to look around and Wine Bar George has great upstairs views. I’m sure it must be beautiful at night with Morimoto Asia in the backdrop.

Wine Bar George was everything I expected and more. The restaurant and bar space is beautiful and the staff is just as passionate about wine as George Miliotes himself. The wine, cocktail, and food menu all perfectly complement and contrast flavors and show a clear understanding of what makes a great restaurant.

I think there is so much potential at Wine Bar George and I am looking forward to seeing this business blossom at Disney Springs. I’ll be back soon.

Restaurant Name: Wine Bar George

Neighborhood: Disney Springs

Address: 1610 Buena Vista Dr., Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830

Phone Number: (407) 490-1800

Website: http://winebargeorge.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/winebargeorge/

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/winebargeorge/

Twitter: @WineBarGeorge