When winemaker Andrew Meggitt was growing up in New Zealand, he didn't picture himself making wine or ending up in Florida. Yet here he is, managing winemaking operations at Lakeridge Winery in Clermont.

"I went from the land of the long white cloud to the land of the long white beach," he jokes.

Andrew took the helm at Lakeridge when legendary winemaker Jeanne Burgess retired last year after 41 years of making award-winning wines with her creative and influential use of the Muscadine grape. 

"Jeanne's are some big shoes to fill," he admits. "She built a true farm-to-table operation because we grow the grapes, make the wine, bottle it and sell it, which makes it a very special place."

Lakeridge Winery, founded in 1988 by the Cox family, has become an institution, setting the standard for the state's emerging wine scene in which 24 of 40 wineries statewide are Certified Florida Farm producers.

Now an integral part of the Lakeridge team, Andrew brings a global perspective and 30 years of experience working in regions like Alsace, Burgundy, and more recently, Missouri's Ozarks.

He began his new role by fine-tuning operations and he hopes to ease into anything new creatively when it comes to winemaking. He also relies on his down-to-earth Kiwi sensibilities and checks his ego at the door.

"Wine doesn't have to be pretentious to be exceptional," he says. "It should always be accessible and a part of every celebration."

Beyond the vineyard, he's settling into life in Howey-in-the-Hills, where he and his family live. While he sometimes feels nostalgic for New Zealand, he's found a true sense of home here.

"Where I live is a little slice of Mayberry," he says. "It's a great town with people who care, residents who are involved and a strong community spirit."

Photos: Nicole Hamel