Wine tastings at Jiko!

[k5jm]

I know my DW will love this!

Raise a Glass at Jiko – The Cooking Place at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
posted on April 8th, 2011 by Pam Brandon, Disney Parks Food Writer

With one of the finest collections of South African wines in the U.S., sommeliers at Jiko – The Cooking Place at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge love sharing tastes.

Each Wednesday from 3-4 p.m., take a journey through the wine regions of South Africa and sample three delicious vintages paired with cheese and fruit. Reservations can be made at 407-938-7149.

It’s easy to plan ahead for a delish dinner – six already are planned featuring delicious South African-inspired cuisine paired with South African wines, with the winemakers and chef describing each course.

• June 8 – Featuring Alex Dale, founder of Radford Dale Wines with Vinum vintages from the Stellenbosch region.
  
• June 15 – Ken Forrester Wines from the slopes of Helderberg Mountain in the heart of the Stellenbosch region, often referred to as the home of Chenin Blanc and other award-winning wines.
  
• September (date to be announced) – Mulderbosch Vineyards featuring from the Stellenbosch area, featuring winemaker Richard Kershaw
• who creates handcrafted and individual wines
  
• October 27 – Robin Back with popular Spice Route and Fairview Winery in the Paarl wine district of South Africa. (This dinner is part of the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival events.)

For reservations, email megan.c.devries@disney.com.

 

[OKW Lover]

Thanks for posting this Mike.

 

[SamSam]

Dh and I would enjoy this. Thanks for posting.

 

[myweegirls]

Ooh, we just did this! DH (DEA here) and I signed up and did this during our May trip to WDW. It was fantastic. The sommelier was extremely knowledgeable, and the group is small enough for conversation and joking around. There were three wines - and they kept 'em coming! - as well as plates of cheese and fruit to sample with the wines. It was a great crash course in wine tasting, and we really enjoyed it. We definitely plan to do this again!

We had our two young (6 1/2 and 4) daughters in tow, and we planned ahead for them by packing a bag with coloring stuff. When we reserved, we asked about bringing them along and whether there would be space nearby they could hang out. We were told this wouldn't be a problem, and it was absolutely fine. The wine tasting was at a large table in the middle of the front section of Jiko, and the staff set the girls up at a table in the back section. They came to visit once or twice, especially once they realized we had fruit, but they were well occupied with their coloring books, and it worked out really well.

After the tasting, we did the culinary tour of Boma and Jiko - a very nice finish to the experience.

XO
Liz

 

[k5jm]

Corey, I smell a review in the works!

 

[DVC Kathy]

DH and I are scheduled for the dinner on the 15th. Anyone joining us?

Kathy

 

[*NikkiBell*]

 

[miksilver]

I did this as well in May when we stayed at AKV and it was a highlight of my trip. My DH doesn't really drink wine so he stayed back and watched my DD6 while I went down to Jiko to check it out. My only snafu was snagging a reservation. I went to the front desk and asked about it and how if it would be a problem to get a reservation. They told me "no problems at all". I called the number that was listed in the hotel guide and left a message about it. No one called us back. I thought they got the message and it was fine, but when I went down there they initally said they didn't have any more room left and tried to turn me away. I say tried because a very kind guest was standing next to me and heard the sommelier try to turn me away and he mentioned that his friend wasn't coming and if I wanted to take his place instead. It all worked out in the end. They pre-set the wine out for the reservations and after it was all said and done there were still 2 seats available. So, my recommendation is if you want to do this and can't get through to that wine tasting number ask if you can stick around to see if everyone shows up. It worked out for me! After talking to my table-mates it seemed that I wasn't the only person who had trouble making a reservation. I hope they get this system worked out soon.

Now for the tasting itself. This was IMO the best $25 I spent at WDW this trip. They had a pre-printed sheet with the wines that we were tasting -- 2 whites and a red and gave us pens so that we could take notes. These were some of the largest tasting glasses I've ever seen and the pours were very, very generous. They were all South Africian wines are were pretty good. A chef came out and delivered plates of cheese, fruit and crackers to the table. We had 12 people at our tasting and like most events that include wine what started out as a quiet tasting soon become fun, loud and happy. I would have liked the cheeses labled though as the chef went through them so quickly and not in the order that they were on the table. As the tasting progressed the sommelier would also refill our glass if we liked that wine. At the end of the tasting all the cheeses were gone as was all of the wine! Even the 6 glasses that were pre-poured for the missing guests was gone. Our sommelier even placed the still half-full bottles of wine for us to finish!

For all that we got at that table I thought it was well worth the $25. In fact, I might even call it a bargain and that's saying something at WDW.

It was a great experience and I highly recommend it. At the beginning of the tasting a sheet was sent around for us to put our name and e-mail on it. When I arrived home there was an e-mail from our sommelier thanking us for attending the event. I thought that was a great finishing touch!

Kim

 

[vwlfan]

We'd love to this in August which is the only time we can come! But as you may have also noticed august typically gets short shrift for disney events. Another example is no concert series in EPCOT that month.

The wine tasting looks like a great offer. Enjoy!

 

[MyMuse]

I did this during my May trip as well!

It was a wonderful experience and probably the best value on disney property!