Are you really stuck in something when you have no desire to get out?<\/p>\n
Quicksand, Heather LaVine\u2019s newish wine bar in Mills 50, could easily inspire such a question if you find yourself daydreaming over your glass. And you might. Because this place is the kind of place you\u2019ve probably dreamed about, on vacation in some other city, wondering, \u201cWhy doesn\u2019t Orlando have something like this?\u201d<\/p>\n
It does. You just need to get out more. And Quicksand is a fine place to start.<\/p>\n
Appealing across age demographics, with incredible playlists that never disappoint, here you\u2019ll find intimacy, camaraderie and chill, come-as-you-are sensibility as you consider innumerable pours of low-intervention wine. Within: chill, chic, urban. Without: airy, easy, breezy. All of it is unpretentious and fun.<\/p>\n
You don\u2019t have to know about wine here. You don\u2019t even have to want to know about wine here. But if you do, the staff will educate you, helping you navigate a vast array of options. And even choose one or more to take home.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a shop, too, you see. Disguised as a neighborhood bar and cafe, where sumptuous treats from sardines and jamon beurre to housemade ice cream await.<\/p>\n
Cheers to its team, and that of runners-up newcomer Lorelei, with its boutique-hotel-on-the-Med vibe and beautiful Mills 50 patio that\u2019s mercifully off the main drag and Maggie\u2019s Attic, a cluttered wine closet of warmth and good vibes up in Mount Dora. Shout out to my perennial College Park love, Digress Wine, an Amy Drew Hall of Famer.<\/p>\n
Critic\u2019s Choice<\/p>\n
Winner: Quicksand Bar \u00e0 Vin, 1903 E. Colonial Drive in Orlando, quicksand.wine<\/a><\/p>\n Runners-up: \u00a0Lorelei Wine Bar<\/a> in Orlando and Maggie\u2019s Attic<\/a> in Mount Dora<\/p>\n Readers\u2019 Choice<\/p>\n Winner: The Crazy Cork Wine Bar<\/a>, 940 City Plaza Way in Oviedo, thecrazycorkwinebar.com<\/a><\/p>\n Runners-up: Wine Bar George<\/a> in Lake Buena Vista and The Wine Room on Park Avenue<\/a> in Winter Park<\/p>\n 2026 Foodie Awards: Click here to see all the winners!<\/a><\/p>\n Want to reach out? Find me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram\u00a0@amydroo<\/a>\u00a0or on the OSFoodie Instagram account\u00a0@orlando.foodie<\/a>. Email:\u00a0amthompson@orlandosentinel.com<\/a>. For more foodie fun, join the\u00a0Let\u2019s Eat, Orlando Facebook group<\/a>.<\/p>\n