Winery Recalls All Its Products

By MIKE BRASSFIELD, St. Petersburg Times
published August 10, 2002

DUNEDIN — The Tampa Bay Winery, a fledging winery that opened last month, announced Friday that it is recalling every bottle of wine it has sold because the bottles may have been exposed to airborne mold spores.

The winery, at 1350 Main St. in Dunedin, has been informed that its 1,100-square-foot facility may have "sick building syndrome," meaning that the building might be contaminated with airborne spores that could cause respiratory and other illnesses.

None of the company’s bottled wines have been tested yet, and Tampa Bay Winery said it has received no complaints of illness. The company said it issued the recall notice "in the interest of abundant caution."

Anyone who owns a bottle of wine labeled "Tampa Bay Winery" is advised not to drink it. The company will decide later how to resolve any issues concerning the wine recall.

Tampa Bay Winery was founded by 44-year-old Palm Harbor businessman Arnie Zweben, who has a background in hotel and restaurant management.

Zweben said he has invested more than $100,000 in the winery, which makes 28 different wines, including chardonnay and merlot. Prices for most wines average $10 per bottle.

Zweben and his four staffers make the wines from grapes that Zweben imports from different parts of the world in a concentrated form. The technique used to process the grapes takes just 60 to 90 days, while traditional winemaking techniques can take years to yield a finished product.

— Staff writer Julie Church contributed to this report.

Author: Contributor