VERO BEACH — Gone are his assortment of ties. These days the man who spent 30 years in public service, including a seven-year stint as Vero Beach’s assistant city manager, puts on a Hawaiian shirt before heading out the door to work.
Jim Bursick is now in the wine business.
A broad smile splits his face when he talks about his new life as owner of the Vero Beach Winery, 3132 Ocean Drive.
His most recent public service job ended a year ago as the Melbourne Beach town manager.
“Oh this is much more enjoyable,” he says of his new venture that opened Oct. 8.
Bursick’s store is one of roughly 60 stores throughout the country that sell tropical wines from Florida Orange Groves Inc. and Winery.
The winery, one of the largest in the state, is based in St. Petersburg and its origins grew from an orange grove.
The company started developing its wines in 1991 and established itself as a winery six years later.
Today, it offers more than 40 different wines and has hundreds of awards under its belt.
The wines are not grape wines, but 100 percent tropical fruit wines. Most of the fruit used comes from Florida.
While fruit wines by nature tend to be sweeter, they have come a long way.
Bursick’s banking that his selection can even appeal to those who prefer a chardonnay.
“For some people, when you say fruit wine, they think Boone’s Farm,” he said. “This is totally different. The fruit is almost an afterthought.”
Bursick currently has more than two dozen different varieties of wine in stock with more on the way. Prices range from $18 to $25 a bottle.
The Florida White Sangria, which won the Best of Class and Concordance at the Indiana International Wine Competition in 2007, is proving to be popular.
Another wine winning over locals – Mango Mamma – won over the judges when it was named the Gold Medal winner at the Florida State Fair in 2003, 2005 and 2006.
In Indiana, it took the top prize for three straight years.
Bursick teamed up with Mulligan’s for the Taste of Vero recently.
He was pleased with the reaction from the locals and visitors.
On Nov. 5, he’ll be joining several artists for jewelry, art and wine show at the Surf Club Hotel Lounge, a benefit for the Juvenile Diabetes Awareness Corporation.
