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While 2020 has been unlike any other in decades, internationally acclaimed Wine Spectator is reminding the world that wine, specifically high quality wine, is a timeless source of comfort and heralded stamp of special moments. With that, Bucuti & Tara Beach Resort is the proud recipient of the Wine Spectator 2020 Award of Excellence for Elements restaurant.
Behind the menu
Bucuti & Tara Chef Marc Giesbers is the professional behind our celebrated wine menu. Marc is a Michelin trained veteran chef and our director of food and beverage and has approached the menu design by incorporating the desires of our worldwide clientele where on any day guests hail from any of 25 countries along with the globally accepted strict standards Wine Spectator demands for a high-quality wine menu. Element’s wine-sipping guests span the casual to the oenophile seeking a wine experience as stunning as our restaurant’s Eagle Beach setting.
Universal appeal
Striking the balance, Chef Marc sources wines from all over the world, from lightly styled, easy going to fuller bodied, more powerful wines. As the Caribbean’s most eco-certified hotel, Marc finds our guests are more apt to seek sustainably produced, vegan and/or organic vintages such as Vietti Barbera d’Alba Tre Vigna from Piemonte Italy and Marques de Caceres BIO Rioja of Spain. These easily pair with dishes on our Element’s award-winning vegan/vegetarian menu.
While some wines are sourced from famous locales, such as Viognier from the Rhone region of France, Marc also surprises wine-lovers with a Viognier from the Yalumba Winery of Australia. Another unexpected reveal is white wines from the New York Finger Lake district. The region is associated with Dr. Konstantin Frank, the pioneer first to grow the vitis vinifera, the delicate European grape varieties, in the cold Northeast climates. The area became the first to produce sought-after European varieties of wines. To Marc's recent delight, he met Dr. Frank when he was dining at Elements earlier this year. 
Paired or solo
Element’s mostly offers food wines such as the powerful Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon from Silverado Vineyards that when paired with a choice steak, is a match made in heaven according to Chef Marc. Yet, for lounging while enjoying Bucuti’s Beach Butler Service, or a romantic stroll along the white sands of Eagle Beach, our resident wine connoisseur also features the perfect stand-alone delight, like a flute of Bollinger Champagne.
Procuring wines worldwide on our small island is a feat upon itself, properly serving them in a tropical environment is another. Storing wines in the tropics is a bit different than a traditional wine cellar. Chef Marc and his team keep all the wines chilled at the correct temperatures - even the reds are slightly chilled – to ensure every glass is served at the right temperature for the optimum taste experience for that certain wine.
“At Bucuti & Tara Beach Resort, being honored with a Wine Spectator 2020 Award of Excellence is the pinnacle validation that we’re orchestrating not just a wine list that adheres to the highest standards, rather a wine experience that delights our worldwide guests,” shares Chef Marc Giesbers, director of food & beverage, Bucuti & Tara Beach Resort. “Pairing a wine with a dish is a true relationship and truly, what better way place than at the most romantic resort in the Caribbean.”
The Wine Spectator awards will appear in the July-August issue, due on newsstands on July 14, informing its 3.5 million readers about the finest experiences in the global restaurant industry.