R.A.D. Winery & Cidery
Michigan Wines Crash Southwest Florida's Party
Estero · Fort Myers · Winery and Cidery · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 9, 2026
Wingman Metrics
First Impression
Walking into R.A.D. in the middle of a Florida outlet mall, you don't expect to find a legit winery tasting room — and that surprise is the whole point. The list is entirely their own production, sourced from Michigan grapes, which is either a dealbreaker or a reason to get curious. We'd recommend curious.
Selection Deep Dive
The lineup leans into approachable, fruit-forward styles: a Pinot Gris, a Chardonnay, a Cab Franc, and a Bordeaux blend called Equation anchor the dry side of things. The Bourbon Barrel Merlot is the attention-grabber — aging Merlot in bourbon barrels is a statement move that works for some people and reads as gimmicky to others. There's also a dessert tier with the Chocolate Cherry Port and the Cheers sparkling white that clearly targets the sweet-tooth crowd. Gaps are real: no Rhône varieties, no rosé beyond the Bubbly Merlot Rosé, and the Riesling-forward Elevation blend is the closest thing to an Old World nod. It's a tight, self-contained world.
By the Glass
Since R.A.D. operates as a tasting room winery, the by-the-glass experience is built around flights and individual pours from their own portfolio. Specific glass counts and pricing weren't available from our research, but the full lineup of roughly a dozen wines appears to be pourable on request. That makes the by-the-glass program more flexible than most restaurants — you're essentially tasting your way through the cellar.
Equation (Bordeaux Blend) — null
A house-made Bordeaux blend from a Florida tasting room sounds like a gamble, but this is the kind of wine that tells you the most about what R.A.D. can actually do. If the structure holds up, it's the most serious bottle on the list and likely priced accordingly for a winery-direct pour.
Elevation (Riesling Blend)
Most people walking into R.A.D. are grabbing the bourbon barrel Merlot or the dessert port. Elevation, their Riesling-forward blend, gets skipped because Riesling doesn't have a great reputation in casual tasting rooms — but Michigan Riesling is legitimately good, and a blend gives it more dimension. This is the sleeper on the menu.
Chocolate Cherry Dessert
The Chocolate Cherry Port-style wine is crowd bait — it's going to taste like a dessert topping, not a wine. If that's your thing, go for it, but if you're here to actually assess what R.A.D. can do with a grape, this tells you nothing useful and takes up stomach real estate.
Bourbon Barrel Merlot + Charcuterie Board
The bourbon barrel treatment loads the Merlot with vanilla and char notes that want something salty and fatty alongside them. A well-built charcuterie spread — cured meats, hard cheese, something briny — gives the wine a reason to settle down and show some fruit underneath all that oak. It's the most natural match on the menu.
🎲 The Bottom Line
R.A.D. is a genuine Wild Card: a Michigan winery operating out of a Florida outlet mall, making real wine and welcoming people who've never thought much about Michigan viticulture. It's not a destination wine list, but it's an honest one — and that counts for something in a market full of lazy, overpriced pours.
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