Wine Bar George Opening at Disney Springs May 19th, 2018 – First Look Inside the Restaurant with Some Food & Drink Previews

Hi everyone!

We were invited to a preview of Wine Bar George, and had the opportunity to try some of the food items and beverages that will be served (it opens May 19th, 2018). Even though Wine Bar George sounds like it is only about the wine, it isn’t – there are about 130 different wines to try, but there are also some other cocktails & beers as well as small plates, cheese boards and family style plates. So if you are looking for dinner or appetizers, there are some wonderful choices. The skirt steak dish with chimichurri was a favorite of mine, very tender when that cut of meat usually is not. Hours for Wine Bar George will be 11am – 2am and reservations currently are not in effect. Reservations will be available May 25 for bookings starting on June 25, 2018, but we were told to expect space for walk-ins after that as well.

Before I share photos and talk about the items we did try, I just wanted to mention that Wine Bar George should fit in very nicely to the Disney Springs dining landscape, which keeps expanding in fantastic options. Below the second level patio is The Basket, which offers to-go options. Inside is a two-story, 6,000-square-foot space for over 200 guests.

The Wine Bar George sign includes the signature of Master Sommelier George Miliotes. Currently there are 249 Master Sommeliers in the world, and he was a big part of opening the California Grill at Disney’s Contemporary Resort in 1995. Miliotes told me he has opened 75 restaurants – but this is the first that has his name on it.

This is one of the last photos I took – just after the event ended, but one I couldn’t have gotten when we arrived as easily. Wine Bar George is inspired by the home estate of George Miliotes and has a homey, cozy feel. It really is unlike anything else at Disney Springs, and with so many new restaurants, it’s going to be harder to be unique.

We started with a glass of wine, I ended up sticking with the Sabine Rosé for much of the night. It is a very nice Rosé from Provence, very well regarded and is on tap for $9.00. The nice thing about trying wines here is maybe finding a new favorite, and I would buy this if I found it in a store. In some restaurants, for $9.00 you will end up with a lower end wine – and while this may be an inexpensive wine to purchase, it doesn’t taste like one. There are also about 40 wines here that are sold “outstanding by the ounce” – more expensive wines that guests might want to try but not pay as much for a bottle or a full glass.

Not everything we tried is on the menu, but I believe this is The Big Board with six artisanal cheeses and five crafted meats. I don’t eat cheese but Jeff enjoyed the meats and cheeses. Here are a few photos. The board had a very nice presentation with a European feel to it.

Here is a look from above.

The glasses have George’s name on them.

We were offered red, rosé and white wines – there were also a few other wines we could pair food with as well as two cocktails available for us to try. The service was excellent and enthusiastic, and that was during a busy event. The employees we spoke with talked about George so much, so its nice he’ll be there quite a bit.

Hummus on naan bread and cucumbers were offered. They both come as part of an appetizer, and they were both very nice if not extraordinary. I would order this as an appetizer, but there are other items I might order first.

This is a bar next to the outdoor patio upstairs.

The House-Made Meatballs were very soft and delicous, with triple cheese polenta and tomato sauce. I don’t know portion sizes, how many would come in an order.

There are seven wines on tap, including the three that were being served all evening. Wine Bar George does serve beer, but not on tap.

I mentioned we had two cocktails available for us to try, there are nine cocktails on the menu. This is the American 75, with St. George Terroir gin, Roederer Estate and lavender. It had the feel of drinking a mimosa, this was by far my favorite of the two cocktails.

The Skirt Steak was paired here with Caymus-Suisun from California. The servers learn to offer pairing tips and they try the various wines. The Skirt Steak only comes as a family style plate, and I’d love to see a single portion offered as well. Someone I spoke with who had a test meal here said the platter portion was enough for four at the table. There are two other family style plates – Wine Braised Chicken and Grilled Whole Greek Sea Bass. I imagine both are delicious as everything we tried here was (I am not showing everything as some items we were offered are not on the menu).

The other cocktail here is a New York Sour with Russell’s Reserve 10 Year Bourbon and Venta Morales Tempranillo. It wasn’t a drink as much for me, a little strong – but it was a favorite of many during the event. The cocktails all are so different from each other, but I probably will go for Jorge’s Red Sangria next time, sangria is a go-to drink for me.

The outdoor patio was very underutilized while we were there, with almost nobody heading outside for any length of time. That meant more photos for me, it is a beautiful patio with great views of the Landing area of Disney Springs. This is usually where I’ll want to be when here and it will be very popular.

There was rain outside, but it didn’t effect the patio. That would change if wind was blowing in this direction, but it wasn’t.

Jock Lindsey’s Hangar Bar and The Boathouse are nearby.

One more look off the patio, it was a pretty night even with the rain.

A rainbow appeared and I took a few – well, many – photos, but I am sharing just a couple here.

George is always very friendly, and Jeff stopped for a photo with him near the end of the night.

I mentioned that the wine bar was cozy, and you can see that here. With a variety of seating options including couches, it is a really lovely location for a drink or meal. The design of the restaurant relies heavily on earth tones.

There are three different desserts on the menu. This is the Olive Oil Cake, and it has candied olives and lemon mascarpone. This is a very nice dessert, not too heavy. There is also a Key Lime Pie, but on my next visit, I’d like to try The Chocolate Experience – a pairing demonstration of three wines and three chocolates.

There is a lot of brick downstairs surrounding this bar.

The Basket downstairs will offer picnics to go as well as sandwiches and such.

Wine Bar George opens at 5:00 p.m. on May 19th! I definitely recommend stopping by, we should have a full review at some point – probably early July, once all our spring/early summer travel is complete.