PANAMA CITY BEACH — The opening of the Duplin Winery under construction in Panama City Beach has been postponed again as the developer still has some hurdles to overcome.
Located along the Panama City Beach Parkway (Back Beach Road) near the North Glades Trail, the winery was originally scheduled to open in December or January. It was then postponed to the spring and then to around May or early June, although officials now say late June is the “best case scenario.”
“My father always said to me, ‘Son, you can plan whatever you want, but it’s God’s will for it to happen.’ So, unfortunately, The right time for us to be open is when we are open,” said Jonathan Fassel, co-owner of Duplin Winery. “If it was up to me, we would have been open all along.
“It’s frustrating, but I can see how hard everyone is working and trying to make it through.”
Initial expectations:Construction advances faster than expected: PCB’s Duplin Winery could open by year’s end
Delayed:Postponed again: Panama City Beach’s Duplin Winery to open in summer
Fassel said the main factor slowing the winery’s opening was a few small details that had to be worked out before it was allowed to occupy the building. This includes installation of required handicapped signage.
A certificate of occupancy is required to apply for a winery permit, but one more checkbox is not yet checked.
Fassel said part of the reason the winery has taken so long to open is the ongoing construction work in the Panama City Beach area. This makes it difficult to find enough staff to facilitate rapid development.
“Unfortunately, we’re just waiting for some little things to go off the list, but those little things add up and slow things down,” Fassel said. “There is a lot of construction going on in the area and people are really busy.”
The local Duplin Winery will be the brand’s third winery, along with wineries in Rose Hill, North Carolina and North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The company is the world’s highest-grossing Muscadine winery.
Duplin’s Panama City Beach store is being built on the site of the former Ombre Golf Course, which closed after Category 5 Hurricane Michael hit the area in October 2018. The development is built on land owned by Hussel Real Estate Holdings, a real estate developer. Fussell is a managing partner.
The North Carolina-registered company purchased about 70 acres of the former golf course in 2020. With approximately 3 acres in use for the winery, vertical construction of the development began in June 2022.
The local winery will feature five tasting bars, a retail store, a wine slush bar, a fudge bar, and a 13,000-square-foot pavilion. More than 60 jobs are expected to be created.
“I can’t wait to show this[winery][to you]and I’m really looking forward to sharing this dream with you,” Fassel said.
