Jiko Wine Tasting

[sookie]

Has anyone done the Jiko Wine Tasting experience? Can you describe the experience? I did go ahead and book the kids as well, but I'm not sure what they will serve there... except for special cheese (which hard cheeses can trigger migraines for me, so I'm not sure I can indulge in that offering).

 

[monorailmom]

How old are the kids? If they aren't of drinking age, they are going to be terribly bored. The food they serve are really just tiny bites of things to sample with each of the wines...nothing that a child is going to enjoy nibbling on for more than a minute or so.

My DH and I did this a couple of years ago, and plan to do it again in August when we stay at Kidani. We had a fabulous time. It was us and about 8 other couples (all adults, no kids, not even teens). The sommelier gives a short talk about each wine, and then you sample with the recommended nibble on your plate. You are provided with a list of the wines you try so you can make notes of them. We were seated at one long table, and fortunately the couples around us were very friendly, and also DVC members so we had some things in common to chat about. The wines were all excellent as well! We are really looking forward to doing this again.

 

[whitepicketfence]

We have done this twice, most recently last month. At our second experience, there was one very well-behaved tween girl who was not allowed to sit at the table with her parents. She had to sit alone at a nearby table. I don't think it bothered her one bit as she was busy with what she was doing, but I think some kids might feel left out.

As far as food/cheese, we got 3 small pieces of cheese, some crisps and a berry or two. I recall a soft ripe cheese, something blue and the third I don't recall. It really is all about the wine and learning about the evolution of South African wine. We loved it and would do it again but only when we were without our young adult kids. Now if there was a beer garden.....then I would bring them.

 

[sookie]

No, they are 8 and 13 years old. Both are very well behaved, but hearing that they will be seated separately with nothing to do sounds like it would be - different. But this sounds to be a very adult Disney experience (and rightfully so).

The 13-year-old could relax in our room (AKL) for a while, and I could check the 8-year-old into Simba's.

That being said... it sounds very fun. I think my husband would enjoy it. But is this a pretty short experience? I would also hate to have to request / get an alternate pairing just because of my dietary needs.

I only very recently realized how badly aged and specific cheese - specifically blue - could trigger a migraine for me. I'm glad someone mentioned that this was one of the pairings. I was at DL and having a great time, had a salad with blue cheese during our lunch reservation, and then promptly spent the next several hours of our park day in first aid having a horrible migraine. One of the quickest onset migraines of my life. I usually have an aura and vision changes beforehand, which at least helps a bit... I can take medicine at the beginning of the headache to help decrease the severity (and I can even redose in an hour to help if I'm not getting relief).

This one just slapped me right in the face. I know that they put the wine and the specific cheese together for a very specific purpose, so requesting other changes sounds counter productive. Plus I love cheese and I know I would be a sad girl to see it and not have it!

I'm leaning towards maybe cancelling. I guess if I really want to do it, I can pick it up as a reservation at an "adults only" vacation in the fall...

 

[whitepicketfence]

That being said... it sounds very fun. I think my husband would enjoy it. But is this a pretty short experience? I would also hate to have to request / get an alternate pairing just because of my dietary needs.

It lasts about an hour. I am sure they could give you cheeses that you can enjoy. They may just not pair as well with the wine they are serving. Or maybe they would choose the wines to go with the cheeses you can eat if you let them know in advance! If you decide to do it, I hope you enjoy.

 

[UCFGrad01]

I've done it twice, it's a really neat experience. I would not take children, as I don't think they're able to sit at the table with the adults, as a prior poster mentioned. There is one large table used for the entire tasting, and the event is one hour long. It can't go much over, as the restaurant then has to open for dinner service.

There are usually like 5 small pieces of different cheeses, not sure if they would be able to accommodate changes to the selections. There are also like 5 other nibbles, like a crisp, a strawberry, a cube of gelee, etc.

 

[gwynne]

No, they are 8 and 13 years old. Both are very well behaved, but hearing that they will be seated separately with nothing to do sounds like it would be - different. But this sounds to be a very adult Disney experience (and rightfully so).

The 13-year-old could relax in our room (AKL) for a while, and I could check the 8-year-old into Simba's.

That being said... it sounds very fun. I think my husband would enjoy it. But is this a pretty short experience? I would also hate to have to request / get an alternate pairing just because of my dietary needs.

I only very recently realized how badly aged and specific cheese - specifically blue - could trigger a migraine for me. I'm glad someone mentioned that this was one of the pairings. I was at DL and having a great time, had a salad with blue cheese during our lunch reservation, and then promptly spent the next several hours of our park day in first aid having a horrible migraine. One of the quickest onset migraines of my life. I usually have an aura and vision changes beforehand, which at least helps a bit... I can take medicine at the beginning of the headache to help decrease the severity (and I can even redose in an hour to help if I'm not getting relief).

This one just slapped me right in the face. I know that they put the wine and the specific cheese together for a very specific purpose, so requesting other changes sounds counter productive. Plus I love cheese and I know I would be a sad girl to see it and not have it!

I'm leaning towards maybe cancelling. I guess if I really want to do it, I can pick it up as a reservation at an "adults only" vacation in the fall...

I wouldn't bring children. I think it would be asking a lot to have kids sit quietly (away from the big table) and read a book or something.
It lasts at least an hour. The ones I've attended have been closer to an hour and a half. It's really fun, lots of discussion, usually friendly folks.
I understand about migraines, I get them. I just enjoy the other cheeses, and skip the blue. As mentioned above, there are other nibbles besides the cheese on the plate.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

It was fun, had some nice wines and paired cheeses. DO NOT bring the kids. They will be bored out of their skulls. If they're little maybe put them in Simba's Clubhouse for a while.

 

[sookie]

Between the cheese and the kiddos, I decided to release the reservation. We might try it in the fall for just the two of us.