‘Truly local.’ New owners of Manatee County winery, event venue build on founder’s legacy
John and Kristin Hokanson, owners of Fiorelli Winey & Vineyard, believe that founder Antonio Fiorelli was on the right track with what he created in East Manatee.
Fiorelli, who died at 66 in 2013, opened his winery at 4250 County Road 675 on five acres in 1998, and eventually expanded the the business to 10 acres.
It was a leap of faith for Fiorelli, taking what he had learned in his native Sicily, and applying it in the Bradenton area to create Manatee’s first vineyard and winery.
“Mr. Fiorelli had great insight and imagination into what makes a great winery. We are just building on what he started,” John Hokanson said.
Instead of raising cattle or growing tomatoes like his neighbors, Fiorelli wanted to bring a bit of Italy to East Manatee with an events venue and vineyard. He chose Muscadine grapes, the variety that does best in Florida’s hot, wet climate, as the basis of his wine.
The Hokansons own the Sonny’s BBQ franchise in Manatee and Sarasota counties.
“We do a lot of catering, and one day Krisin came home and said it would be nice to have our own venue,” John said of the search that eventually led them to Fiorelli Winery & Vineyard.
The Hokansons had been looking for a barn in rural Manatee County that they could buy and use as an events venue, when they discovered that Erik and Tara Hall, who bought the winery after Fiorelli’s death, had the property on the market.
“We came here and saw it and fell in love with the property,” John said. “We didn’t realize that it would be as much work as barbecue, which takes a lot of work.”
In April 2021, the couple bought the property and have been building on Fiorelli’s vision ever since, embracing the wine making and special events potential.
When they bought the business, it was offering four different wine varieties and there are now 10, all of which are blends that use Mustadine groups grown on the property along with grapes that they buy elsewhere.
Five of the varieties are on the sweeter side, and five are on the dryer side.
The couple harvested their grapes in July and August, and made their wine in new vats they purchased as part of efforts to upgrade the property.
“We saw the potential of the property after people came and sat down and tasted the wine, and we saw how nice they were,” he said. “This is something that is truly local and gives us another opportunity to give back to the community.”
The winery now includes inside and outside tasting areas, as well as 75 seats outdoors, a new playground, and live music 1-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. A carryover from Antonio Fiorelli’s days is the covered pavilion at the back of the property, where some of the oldest grapevines grow onto the roof, and is a focal point for special events.
Somehow, the pavilion gives him the feeling of being in Italy, John said.
The winery has since hosted weddings, bridal showers, birthday parties, and a 20-year Lakewood Ranch High School reunion. Kristin Hokanson, incidentally, was a member of that first graduating class in 2001.
The Hokansons have been busy during the pandemic, welcoming their 16-month-old baby, Madison, to the world, and buying the winery, Kristin said.
The winery is open noon-5 p.m. Thursdays, noon-7 p.m. Fridays, 11 a.m.- 7 p.m. Saturdays and 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. Sundays.
For more information, call 941-322-0976 or visit fiorelliwinery.com.
