Want an excellent wine and meal? These Jackson area restaurants won Wine Spectator awards

Kiara Fleming, Mississippi Clarion Ledger
·3 min read
Amber Woods of Clinton, an employee at CAET in Ridgeland, pulls a bottle of wine from the restaurant's wine room.
Amber Woods of Clinton, an employee at CAET in Ridgeland, pulls a bottle of wine from the restaurant's wine room.

Wine lovers in Mississippi have lots of options to get dinner with a good glass of wine.

The state of Mississippi has thousands of restaurants from which to choose offering not only an array of cuisines, but also some of the best wines to sip on the side of a delicious meal.

Wine Spectator magazine, the premier magazine focused on wine and wine culture, on Monday, June 26, released a list of winner's of the magazine's 2023 Restaurant Awards, recognizing excellence in wine programs of more than 3,500 restaurants throughout the nation, including nine restaurants in the Jackson metro area and 22 throughout Mississippi.

Awards given:

  • The Grand Award, the highest honor, was awarded to just 93 restaurants in the world this year. It recognizes recipients with 1,000 or more wines that demonstrate an "unwavering passion and perseverance in strategically building thoughtful, impeccable wine programs," according to Wine Spectator's website. No Mississippi restaurants earned a Grand Award.

  • The Best of Award of Excellence, the next highest honor, was awarded to 1,411 restaurants, including three restaurants in the Jackson metro area. It recognizes recipients with 350 or more wines of various regions and styles that offer training to staff in order to help guests select the best wine.

  • The Award of Excellence was awarded to 2,001 restaurants, including six in the Jackson metro area. It recognizes recipients with around 90 wines that complement their menus.

Below are the restaurants taking honors in the Jackson metro area.

Best of Award of Excellence

Caet [Seafood I Oysterette]

Caet [Seafood I Oysterette] 1000 Highland Colony Parkway, Ridgeland, Best of Award of Excellence since 2017. The wine strengths are inexpensive prices, wines from California, Washington and France. The restaurant serves farm- to-table cuisine and seafood.

Caet, the name is pronounced like "Kate," offers 770 wine selections and is known for upscale casual seafood and oysters.

For location, reservations and bookings, visit caetseafood.com.

CAET, 1000 Highland Colony Pkwy. Ste. #9015, Ridgeland
CAET, 1000 Highland Colony Pkwy. Ste. #9015, Ridgeland

Koestler Prime

Koestler Prime 1000 Highland Colony Parkway, Ridgeland, Best of Award of Excellence since 2003. The wine strengths are expensive prices and wines from California, Bordeaux, France and Australia. The restaurant serves American steak house cuisine.

Koestler Prime offers more than 535 wine selections and is a family-owned restaurant known for some of the finest steaks and seafood in the Jackson area.

Reservations and bookings can be made at Koestlerprime.com.

A plate of house cured bacon, prime cut filet and Colorado lamb from Koestler Prime in Renaissance at Colony Park awaits diners who for weeks have had to settle for curbside pickup instead of dining in.
A plate of house cured bacon, prime cut filet and Colorado lamb from Koestler Prime in Renaissance at Colony Park awaits diners who for weeks have had to settle for curbside pickup instead of dining in.

The Manship Wood Fired Kitchen

The Manship Wood Fired Kitchen, 1200 N. State St., Jackson. The wine strengths are moderate prices and wines from California and France and the restaurant serves Mediterranean cuisine.

The Manship Wood Fired Kitchen offers 470 wine selections and is known for Mediterranean food and Southern classics in the Belhaven area.

For location, reservations and bookings, visit Themanship.com.

Award of Excellence

  • Estelle Wine Bar & Bistro, The Westin Jackson, 407 S. Congress St., Jackson, Award of Excellence since 2018. The wine strengths are inexpensive prices, wines from California, France and the restaurant serves American regional cuisine.

  • Walker's Drive-In, 3016 N. State St., Jackson, Award of Excellence since 2015. The wine strengths are moderate prices, wines from California, Oregon, Washington, France and the restaurant serves American regional cuisine.

  • Bravo! located in Highland Village at 4500 I-55 N., Jackson, Award of Excellence since 1997. The wine strengths are inexpensive prices, wines from California and the restaurant serves American Italian cuisine.

  • Shapley's Restaurant, 868 Centre St., Ridgeland. This is the first year for the restaurant to earn an Award of Excellence. The wine strengths are expensive prices, wines from California and the restaurants serves seafood and steaks.

  • Char Restaurant, located in Highland Village, 4500 I-55 N., Jackson, Award of Excellence since 2018. The wine strengths are moderate prices, California, and the restaurant is a steak house. The wine strengths are expensive prices, wines from California and the restaurant serves seafood and steaks.

  • Local 463, 1000 Highland Colony Parkway, Ridgeland, Best of Award of Excellence since 2022. The wine strengths are inexpensive prices, wines from California, France and Oregon and the restaurant services American regional cuisine.

To see the full list of Mississippi award winners, visit the Wine Spectator website.

Have a story? Reporter Kiara Fleming can be reached via email KDFleming@jackson.gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Jackson MS restaurants won Wine Spectator 2023 Restaurant Awards