By Jameson Moyer
L’uva Wine Room is a sophisticated – yet understated – new Starkville restaurant.
L’uva, which is Italian for grape, serves a niche demographic. Robbie Coblentz, majority owner of L’uva said, “I wanted to open a professional, adult-oriented space in North Mississippi.”
As soon as I walk into L'uva Wine Room, the atmosphere is immediately relaxed. Low-rise wooden tables are scattered throughout the dimly lit room with cozy fabric chairs. The dim lighting enhances the intimate feel of the setting. Couples throughout the space are leaning in, making muffled conversation. Strong jazz emanates from an electric blue Gibson Firebird played by a man sporting a grey fedora. The fedora matches the curtains behind him. In the corner of the space is a giant glass-fronted wine cellar full of various spirits mounted against a black accent wall. Black minimalist chandeliers dangle from the cream-colored ceilings.
Once we are seated, we order our wine. For me, the Jam Jar Sweet Shiraz (Western Cape, South Africa) and for my friend, the Willamette Valley Vineyards Riesling (Oregon, USA). The others joining us decided to go with L'uva's spin on an old fashioned, and an espresso martini.
We decided on the L'uva charcuterie board, the contents of which would be picked by the chef. Sipping on the $12 Jam Jar, I'm hit with a medium-bodied semi-sweet flavor. Notes of berries provide sweetness, while hints of dark chocolate support the slightly bitter taste. Afterward, I asked my friend for a sip of her $15 Riesling. This wine puzzled me because it was far less sweet than other white wines I've tried – but still sweeter than the Jam Jar. The sweetness came from more tropical fruits, reminiscent of peach, pineapple and citrus. I tried the others’ cocktails, but both were liquor-heavy and didn't appeal to me.
The $28 charcuterie board arrived with various cheeses, meats, olives, fruits and more. We decided to split the large board, but there was a smaller option for $18. Accenting the board were a pepperoni “rose” and glass bowls of stone-ground mustard and date preserves.
For my first creation, I paired creamy, tart goat cheese, a sourdough toasted cracker, wispy thin prosciutto, coarse stone-ground mustard and a garnish: a sweet and crunchy gherkin pickle. Under a pile of multi-colored olives was a clove of garlic saturated in olive juice. A large block triangle of peculiar-looking cheese took up the right side of our board. The cheese was white, with prominent green veins running throughout, resembling the appearance of blue cheese. After asking our friendly waitress, she informed us that the strange block was a smoked brie.
After splitting the large charcuterie board and ordering three drinks (two for my boyfriend), my total at the end of the night was $55.
The live jazz elevated the space. L’uva hosts various live performers often.
Dining at L’uva was an affordable way to unwind after a long week of classes.
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L’uva is located across from Little Dooey, off University Drive at the bottom of Grand Junction, with parking spaces lining the building down University Drive. L'uva's majority owners, Robbie and Bonnie Coblentz, own several other businesses, including the adjacent Dolce gelato shop. For the time being, L'uva is open on Thursday 5-9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday 5-10 p.m., with a Wednesday dining option coming soon.