Craft Explosion to Continue with Upscale Venue in Historic Downtown Sanford’s ‘Famous L’
For Daniel Valentine, wine is a family business. A local Central Floridian who attended University High School and the University of Central Florida, Valentine relocated to Wimberley, Texas in 2006, where over the last 13 years he has worked and learned the business at his father’s winery, Wimberley Valley Winery.
Specifically, Daniel has helped transition his father’s ‘wine factory’ into a full retail space – a concept he and his wife Alisa seek to replicate in here in Historic Downtown Sanford. “We have been coming to Sanford over the last few years,” said Valentine. “My mother, Kim Brown, has been an artist at The Gallery on First in Sanford for many years. We knew we wanted to be in Sanford, and what I have done at Wimberley Valley on a larger scale is a perfect fit for what is happening here. With the birth of our daughter, we were motivated to move close to my mother, and believe we have found the perfect space.”
Daniel said he plans on being the winemaker, while his wife Alisa has handled the décor and will oversee the retail and bar areas. “I am going to work in the fermentation room making wine while she runs the show. She has handled everything, the whole ambience is her.”
After permitting and building of the space on S. Palmetto Street is complete, Brix & Mortar will have 18 authentic, hand crafted wines Daniel has made over the last two years at Wimberley Valley shipped to Sanford for patrons to enjoy immediately at the bar, lounge area, or standing room replete with large wooden barrels positioned as tabletops and well-chosen, upscale yet comfy decor.
While the initial 18 selections from Daniel’s Wimberley Valley Winery are sure to please the wine aficionados in our beautiful city, Brix & Mortar boasts two variable capacity wine tanks to produce a variety of wines in house, operating as Sanford’s first wine producer. “The entire production process takes 30 days to go from juice to labeled bottles on shelves. There is very little waste in the process,” Valentine states. Each variable tank has an adjustable lid and internal bladder that compresses the 1500 liter tank to any desired size, allowing production to be crafted and specified to any predetermined quantity.
Brix & Mortar is a catchy name that associates with the brick-lined streets that line the ‘Famous L’ in Historic Downtown Sanford which the winery will be well positioned in. It also pays homage to the ongoing refurbishment and restoration that has seen historic buildings on Palmetto return to occupancy and the city tax roll. But to wine connoisseurs, ‘brix’ has a deeper meaning. Brix refers to the specific measure of sugar in the grape when picked, measured in degrees much like Celsius or Fahrenheit. Grapes are selected once a certain level of brix is reached, with higher sugar content grapes being used to make sweeter or more alcoholic wines.
In the craft wine playground that is Daniel and Alisa Valentine’s winery, he will be serving up frozen wine slushies, as well as hot spiced wine, perfect for either a hot or cool day to enjoy in the winery, or stroll around in the event zone during the many festivals and events that Brix & Mortar will front.
Additionally, wine tasting, events, and a wine club will be offered to patrons as well, allowing the Valentine family to show off their hand crafted wares. Sanford, are you ready for brix on bricks?
