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We realize that food and wine has become a major influence of pop culture, expanding into everything from all over TV, the subject of best selling books, several magazines are devoted to the subject, and the big screen is capitalizing on it.   Is this art reflecting reality, or the other way around?  Either way it’s a good  thing  because  we have  always  been passionate about  the subject and now have the opportunity to

share our love for food and wine with you.  We were the first to feature premium wines in Coral Bay and the first to have a generous by-the-glass offering.  Sweet Plantains is also the first (if not only) restaurant with food and wine pairing options on our dinner menu. Our wine selection is focused, where quality and food friendliness is paramount over the trend towards who has the most bottles.  The list comprises producers of both old World and New World, with classic regions and up and coming terriers mixed in.  Our selection is primarily based on the synergy that can be achieved between the foods we pair with the wine; while also taking into consideration the varietal and regional integrity, and   winemaker’s   expression.   We have classics   food   wines   such   as   Burgundy

 (Pinot Noir) representing different country and regions (Argentine, Chile, France, California, Oregon); Bordeaux (Cabernet Sauvignon), and  cuisine specific wines like Malbec, Tempranillo, and Rieslings are represented.    There   are   a   few small producers that we’ve developed a special relationship with (Vision

Cellars, Barnett, Hook & Ladder, Hunterdon, Hallack).  We have larger well established brands that always deliver  (Cakebread, Sokol Blosser, Montes, Clos du Bois, Kenwood, Wente, J. Lohr, etc.);  Highly allocated wines such as Concha  Y Toro’s top wine the Don Melchore Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile (2005 Wine Spectator sore of 95 points) and from Chile the Montes Purple Angle (Wine News 94 points)—please reserve in advance. We list wine from light to full body and include tasting notes, wine scores and food pairing suggestions.   We believe that our suggested wine and food combinations enhance each element to a higher level whereas resulting in an epicurean experience that is greater than the sum of its parts.

We have a close relationship with our wines.  The wine industry is ever changing and we love the challenge of keeping pace.  Wine changes form vintage to vintage for better or worst; new producers come and go; new blends appear to disappear; some fads turn into important trends others fade away. 

The sure notion is that wine with food in American and globally for that matter is growing strong with no signs of tapering off.     Food and wine are the ultimate table companions.  They complement each other while comforting and giving you pleasure.  A big Argentine Malbec with Rose’s braised short ribs of beef or an aromatic Riesling with our golden spicy shrimp curry—all are working together to please you.  Wine is as essential to an enjoyable dinning experience as our food, service and ambiance are.   When these sensory elements are in harmony the result can be a transcendental  experience to utopia.   We attend wine shows, meet with winemakers, taste new and old wines with our distributors; we have ongoing staff training 

to better service your wine needs.  Most importantly we taste test a lot of wine with our foods to ensure the proper match.  We always taste the new vintages and check on how some older wines are maturing.  (And we update our wine list accordingly).  We are all fortunate to live in a time where the world’s appreciation for wine (especially in America) is at an all time high, and I believe that wine recently surpassed beer as the most consumed alcoholic beverage in the US.  In our opinion, the spirit made from fermented grapes is the ultimate food companion, along with good company and a relaxing atmosphere. When the wine ran out in that Biblical day, JESUS kept the wedding party going by performing one of his first miracle and turned water into wine.   And  according  to  that  same  scripture  (John 2:10)   it  was  some  great  wine,  perhaps  a heavenly vintage and   grape varietal; age in a special otherworldly cast.

A passionate award winning winery specializing in Pinot Noirs (8 different versions).  Vision Cellars is a young boutique winery, formed in 1995 producing a total cases 1,500 cases a year;  Sonoma, Napa, Mendocino, and Santa Lucia Highlands of Monterey County are their growing regions.   

It was our day off when the good people of Dionysus Wines came by and introduced us to Mac McDonald and his wife Lil. Mac McDonald was destined to make fine wines.  Mr. McDonald was born the son of a Texas moonshine maker who was considered the finest moonshine maker in all of Texas;  Mac’s mother made tasty wine from just about any fruit available. Mac developed his passion for wine when he tasted his first Burgundy at age 12.  Since then he began a life long pursuit to make world class Pinot Noirs.  And he has succeeded.  His entire wine portfolio has an average Wine Spectator wine score of over 91 points;   Not bad considering him and his beautiful wife  Lil  makes  over  12  different labels. This is a 

true mom and pop, boutique operation.   All wines are hand blended, bottled, and I can say almost hand delivered.  Mac and Lil’s warm greeting made me feel as if I’ve known them for a long time. Mac’s signature overalls and straw hat, easy going nature and no-frills, down-to-earth approach to talking about wine was most refreshing.     Mac  said  to  us  at  our  restaurant    “I  love  making Pinots  because it is a very food  friendly

varietal.”  This is true only when its made by a winemaker with exceptional skill, patient, knowledge and talent.  Mac is that magic person.  He makes 8 different Pinots, each with unique terrier characteristic, subtle oak, and Mac’s sophisticated style.   The three pinots we tasted were exceptional. They were nice, velvety-round with perfect terrier nuances; Well balanced to match our food.  Mac’s a true farmer that turned his love for the soil into great wine making.  When discussing wine he focuses on agricultural elements and terrier, like climate, elevation, roots, precipitation, stems, sunlight and soil. Mac breakdown the complicating wine making process

in a plain language, enabling you  to make the connection between terrier, expression and the wine in your glass.  As a farmer, his   day   starts  at   5  am  out  on  the  vineyards, continuing till dusk. Vision Cellar wines are highly allocated and served at serious restaurants like Spago Beverly Hills, and Charlie Trotter’s in Chicago and now you can have the opportunity to enjoy Vision Cellar wines at Sweet Plantains Restaurant in St. John, USVI.  (If you like dry Rose' try Vision Cellar's Rose, which is not on the wine list because it is very, very limited and special...  I buy it only for Chef Rose, but she is always willing to share great wine with friends and customers.) 

Mac is a founding members of the Association of African American Vintners (AAAV) a membership based organization working to change the face of an industry that until recently has been devoid of minority ownership.  The goal is to expose all minorities to wine, which will in turn further grow the wine industry.

Established in 1971, Sokol Blosser is a family-owned and run operation and one of Oregon first winemakers. Producing 85,000 cases per year.  Sara Daigler is their beautiful regional brand ambassador. Sokol Blosser is known for their Pinot and great Oregon style whites.  We love their white wine blend called Evolution.  It’s a sublime blend of 9 grapes that goes perfectly with our cuisine.  It’s off-dry, with flavors of exotic fruit, pairs with our citrus and spicy Seviche,  hot full flavored curries and all of our Indo-Caribbean and some Latin dishes. 

"In vino veritas" (in wine is truth) says an old Latin proverb.  And truth be told, Montes' Purple Angle  could be the only true Bordeaux.  Carmenere resurfaced in Chile only about 12 years ago, after being believed extinct since phylloxera hit Bordeaux, its original home, around 1880.  In Chile, its sole home at the moment, it’s considered to be a “Chilean variety.”  Chileans call Carmenere the “Jurassic Park” grape, because  it  returned  from  extinction.   Montes   pioneered   the   Chilean   wine  scene  by  creating  super-

premium wines,  including the Montes Alpha range, and icons such as Montes Alpha M and Montes Folly.  Montes also led the way to quality by planting on steep mountain slopes.  But Montes, Chile’s wine pioneer, also knows when to wait—Aurelio Montes preferred to take his time and develop the Carmenere variety until he was satisfied that it could be a top contender, the very best Montes could possibly produce.  It was worth the wait… this new beauty (a blend of 92% Carmenere and 8% Petit Verdot, with 18 months in new French and American oak barrels) is touched by the wings of an angel. . . .  a PURPLE ANGLE.  

Montes winery  has  taken  has taken the wine industry by storm; their wines are consistently super premium, yet very approachable in terms of their pricing.  We feature their Cabernet, Pinot Noir  and the Purple Angle which consistently scores in the mid to high 90s via professional wine rating sources.  A great value compared to Bordeaux wines with similar score costing hundreds.   A big, rich, full bodied, red wine… please  call  ahead  to  have  us  decant  the  Purple  Angle,  since  it  needs  a  little  to  'open'.   

Growers of one of Napa Valley’s world-renowned Cabernet Sauvignon.   Barent uses microbiodinamic farming (leaps above organic) to produce small amounts of hand crafted Cabernet Sauvignon wine from their estate.  The vineyards are elevated 2000 feet atop Spring Mountain, overlooking the Napa Valley below, where vines rise above the fog and receive up to 3 hours additional sunlight per day.  Spring Mountain has its own AVA because of its unique microclimate for producing exceptional Cabernet Sauvignons and Merlots.  (We’ve also enjoy their Pinot Noirs.)  Do to the high elevation and perfect sun exposure Barnett Vineyards’ grapes ripen more evenly and consistently producing intensely flavored fruit from vintage to vintage.  The estate is a 100% hillside vineyard with a dramatic series of steep terraces planted exclusively to the red Bordeaux varietals of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot.  The

original Cabernet Sauvignon cuttings came from Heitz’s famous Martha’s and Bella Oaks vineyards. We met with Barentt’s “rock star” winemaker David Tate in January 2009, at our restaurant here on St. John.  He’s young and talented.  His background includes winemaking in Australia, Province (Domaine Richeaume), New Zealand, and a degree in Enology and viticulture from Brock University.  We sampled a few of his Pinots and his wonderful Cabernet of which we are fortunate to have on our wine list.  The demand for Barnett Cabernet always outstrips their supply…and we are pleased to have a small allocation for our wine list.  Be sure to reserve your bottle in advance.    

person, even down to his winery’s logo which is a H for Hallack, graphical illustrated to represents a 1 to 1 relationship with the people who enjoy his wine.  Ross wants to personally meet with everyone who touches his wines. And he’s on a mission to do just that. Halleck  Vinyard is a small artesian family own winery.  Their wines are very limited in production since quality is paramount.  You won’t find any Halleck wines at your local wine & sprit shop. They sell directly online and on wine lists at select restaurants such as The French Landry, Per See, and Sweet Plantains.  Halleck is located on a one acre site above the Russian River watershed, flanked on the west by  the  slopes  to   the   Pacific   Ocean.    The  vineyard is to serve as a  collage  fund for  his three boys,  and a passion

for great food friendly Pinot leads the charge.  Winemaker Ross composes award winning Pinot Noirs that typically scores in the mid to high 90s (Halleck Vineyard Estate Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast 04, 96 pts. The Pinot Report.)   We had the good fortunate of meeting with Ross Halleck at our restaurant and trying a few of his handcrafted wines.  Being that it was our Indo-Caribbean themed night we had the right foods to taste with.  Ross is a big fan of spicy East Indian foods and an avid home-chef.  We started with his Little Sister Sauvignon Blanc 2006 which went quite well with our aromatically spiced local pumpkin and orange lentils soup.  This wine is a Sancerre style Sauvignon with tropical fruit aromas, citrus and nice refreshing minerals flavors.  It paired nicely with the earthy spices of the soup, and the wine complemented Rose’s Pork Vindaloo as well.  The two Pinot we’ve tasted were The Farm 2006, and The Hallberg Vineyard 2006, both exceptionally made in a true Burgundy Pinot manor.  I can’t wait to try his Three Brothers Cuvee Pinot Noir and Dry Gewurztraminer. 

 by Prince Adams ©

TROPICAL AMBIANCE / AUTHENTIC FLAVORS / COOL LIBATIONS
16118 little plantation, coral bay, st. john, usvi / tel: 340-777-4653 / em: roger372@hotmail.com