PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - If you’ve driven by the old Hombre Golf Clubhouse in Panama City Beach, you’ve seen a huge change. That’s because Duplin Winery is being built on the property, but it’s taking longer than expected.

Panama City Beach will soon be home to a Duplin Winery. It’s the third one in the country. However, the owners had planned to open the winery months ago.

“Our goal was to be opened up last year but unfortunately permitting kept us from you know being able to open up as soon as we wanted to,” said Fussell.

The land, that was once home to the Hombre Golf Club, was bought in 2020. But they just began building the large structure to house the winery in July.

Now, the opening date is spring 2023.There will be a lot to experience when the winery opens.
Fussell stated, "The experience will be a two-to-four-hour visit here at the winery."
Naturally, there will be wine tasting, wine bottling, live music on the patio, and many other activities.

They need workers for all of those services, from customer service to management.
Co-owner Jonathan Fussell believes that the $15 million investment will benefit the city and the economy. "We are going to be hiring somewhere between 50 and 60 people that are full time and part time combined."

"It’s definitely going to be a great long-term not only for Duplin winery but also for Panama City Beach and the community of Bay County."At the point when the winery is all set Fussell accepts individuals will rush to the office.

"Once we get established and everything is going," "we are hoping for between 300,000 and 500,000 you know to come through."

According to Fussell, there are plans to expand those 70 acres.Fussell stated, "We're probably going to have 150 or more jobs in this area in the end."

According to representatives, there are plans to construct a restaurant, vineyard, and other additions behind the winery. However, this could take eight to ten years, or even twenty, and will cost approximately $100 million.According to Fussell, you might also find their wine in some future grocery stores.