Forking Amazing Restaurants Receive Wine Spectator Awards

All three concepts in the Forking Amazing Restaurants portfolio — Ovinté, Bistro Aix and Il Desco — earned the Award of Excellence in Wine Spectator’s 2016 Restaurant Awards. The restaurants are recognized among other winners from all over the globe as top destinations for wine lovers.

The Award of Excellence recognizes restaurants whose wine lists feature a well-chosen assortment of quality producers along with a thematic match to the menu in both price and style. Matt Mannick, president of Forking Amazing Restaurants, oversees the wine programs at all restaurants; sommelier Scott Roberts also assists in shaping Ovinté’s wine menu.

The entire restaurant group will celebrate California Wine Month and its recent Wine Spectator Award of Excellence recognition in September. All month long, each restaurant will offer specially priced California wines by the glass or bottle. Selections will vary by restaurant and region: Ovinté will feature wines from Sonoma; Bistro Aix will focus on Napa wines; and IL DESCO will highlight labels from Santa Barbara.

Ovinté, which opened in 2012, has received the award every year since 2014. Bistro Aix has also been a recipient every year since 2004 (Forking Amazing Restaurants co-founders Jacques Klempf and Fraser Burns purchased the restaurant in 2014). Il Desco opened in November 2015 and joins its sister restaurants on this year’s list.

“We’re honored to receive this level of recognition for our concepts and their wine programs,” said Matt Mannick, President of Forking Amazing Restaurants. “Diners know and trust the Wine Spectator name. To have every restaurant in our group earn this award speaks to the expertise and dedication of our sommeliers, as well as our corporate commitment to providing guests with the very best options and service in Jacksonville.”

Since 1981, Wine Spectator has recognized the world’s best wine lists through its Restaurant Awards program. Recipients of the Wine Spectator Restaurant Awards must present complete, accurate wine information, showcase at least 90 wine selections on their menus and offer wine by the bottle and glass.

For more information on the Wine Spectator's Restaurant Award program, visit their website online.