Tarpon Springs Castle Winery — Attraction in Tarpon Springs

My friend purchased a Groupon for the wine tasting with 2 keepsake wine glasses, art tour and chocolate. The location was a bit difficult to find at first and parking was quite limited. We walked in to find a small, cluttered room filled with plastic tables and chairs and were quickly directed by the female owner to sit at a specific table. Each place setting had a wine glass and a sampler box of Halloween themed Whitman's chocolate. Not really what I expected for chocolate since there are many wonderful locally owned chocolatiers that would have been glad to partner with this winery that was also locally owned. Not to mention it was NOT Halloween. The wine tasting began with the couple asking each other if it was time to start. And at 3:03 pm, they locked the door and we began. The man excused himself to go to the wine making area and the women yelled at him not to run over her toes in his motorized wheelchair. Then she started by telling us that she was very wealthy growing up. This so called wine tasting appeared to be more like a description of the adventures they had locating the wine and how much money everything cost. The elderly man was delightful and had such character when he was showing us the art room and the wine making process. At checkout, I asked about sampling some of the sangria they had and the woman said in a non polite way "yes you can when it's your turn." So my friend and I relegated ourselves back to the plastic chairs as if we'd been scolded. When she finally finished helping the couple in front of us, she called out very loudly "Hello!" to get our attention, even though we were just steps away. It was very rude and I can't say I've ever been treated that way by a small business owner. A bottle of wine was about $30 each too, which in my opinion is rather expensive. As we exited, I noticed a dead cockroach on the floor. I'm all for supporting local, small businesses but after my experience here, I will likely not return or recommend this place to...

Me and my boyfriend visited Tarpon springs winery yesterday, we got our voucher on groupon about a week in advance. The owner was very nice when calling us back to schedule our reservation, asked how many would be in our party. I told her that there was only two of us attending, not a large group and she assured me that no matter how many people we were, every visitor will have a party while visiting their winery. That we did. We went in for the 1:00 group, this spot only takes reservations at 1 or 5 on weekends so don’t try to book an appointment during the week out of your own entitlement. I would like to say that everyone who has written a bad review for this place are snobs who have turned their noses up at the fact that this unique experience is unlike anything you will find at a common winery. They have no respect or appreciation for family owned businesses that are strictly doing what they do out of passion instead of people pleasing. The host welcomed us into his home and beautiful garden for an experience unlike no other. We learned more at this winery than you probably will at most, and the authenticity of the man who was our host was unforgettable. The 80 year old husband and wife who started this business are real people with real experience, and if you have chance to visit this winery then by all means, do it. The facility was not coorperate by any means, but that only adds to the hospitality of the winerys approach. We got to take home our glasses and a free bottle of wine, and if you are expecting crystal glasses then you can go to a neiman marcus and buy yourself a set of waterfords rather than expecting a handout. Thank you so much to Joe for the great time, exciting sense of humor, and well made wine. P.S. their art collection is...

This was my first experience at a winery. I can tell you that this is not any traditional wine tasting you would expect. It is owned by a quirky couple and they make their wine in their house. My initial impression was that the place looked cluttered and unkempt. We were directed to our table where there were two wine glasses and two boxes of chocolates we were later given a Babybell cheese and Keebler crackers. Not what I was expecting. Our Groupon said it included: cheese, chocolates, two crystal glasses, 4 tastings, a full glass of wine to enjoy the art gallery with, and a bottle to take home. What a great deal for 40 dollars for two people ! We were informed that their wine supply was low because of the holidays but that we would still be tasting four wines from red to whites. They only gave us red tastings and one of them was a sangria. I was very disappointed in this, but I must say, their Pinot noir and merlot was amazing. The merlot had no bite and the wine is cleared using gravity filtration, no chemicals ! So smooth!! I don’t like sweet wines, so the red blend was good for being what is was. The art gallery was a nice touch. The tour was unconventional and the place was disorganized, but the wine speaks for itself. You can tell the that owner is passsionate about his wine and I enjoyed their quirkiness. They were pleasant to us once we got settle in. The people we tasted the wine with created the energy though for sure. I would recommend buying a few bottles from here but I wouldn’t expect a fancy wine tasting or tour. We took home six bottles ;) Amazing deal...