Double Musky Inn builds new wine cellar:
Receives two national awards from prominent wine magazines

Ken Smith/Turnagain Times Justin Persons, co-owner of the Double Musky Inn restaurant in Girdwood, stands inside the new wine cellar, which was designed by his wife, Kinzee. The room was formerly a gift shop and was converted into a state of the art wine cellar, which was completed in the second week of December. It holds 2,300 bottles of wine.

By Ken Smith
Turnagain Times

Soon after Justin Persons, co-owner of the Double Musky Inn restaurant in Girdwood, opened his new wine cellar Dec. 12, he also got the news that the restaurant received Wine Enthusiast magazine’s “Award of Distinction.”
The prestigious award recognizes the nation’s most wine friendly restaurants of the year.
And if that weren’t enough, the nation’s other popular wine magazine, Wine Spectator, selected the Musky for the “Award of Excellence” for having one of the most outstanding restaurant wine lists in the world—that award was actually presented back in Sept.
The awards and the wine cellar can all be attributed to Justin, the son of Bob and Deanne Persons, who co-founded the restaurant. However, before Justin came aboard as co-owner a few years ago, the double Musky served a good, but not great wine list.
“Bob and I didn’t have time to devote to it because we had to concentrate on the food,” Deanne said. “We’ve always had a good wine list, but never outstanding.”
Enter Justin, the 29-year-old Sommelier—a fancy name for someone who’s really knowledgeable about wine. Actually, the title is one highly sought after by wine specialists. Justin is a level one Sommelier, but on Jan. 17 he took a test to reach level two, and then it’s on to level 3.
“Level 3, you’re suppose to be able to tell the year, the type, and where a wine is from, any wine of its kind,” he said. If Justin reaches level 3, he will be in a very exclusive club—only 100 in the entire U.S. Level 2 is very difficult too, “not many at that level,” he said.
Justin has been studying wine for five years and said he’d be quite happy to reach level 2.
Which leads us to his new wine cellar. That too was a dream when he took over as co-owner—to build a world class wine cellar that the public could see when they enter the restaurant. The Musky is already world renowned for its Cajun cuisine and monumental servings of its staple dishes: pepper steak and filet. But what is a great meal without a great accompanying wine. Now you have both at the Musky.
The new wine cellar, which was designed by Justin’s wife Kinzee, is small but well organized, with soft lighting that illuminates wooden racks that hold up to 2,300 bottles of wine. In addition, The Double Musky has another stand-up wine cellar that holds 800 wine bottles.
Visitors entering the restaurant through the front door pass right by the new wine cellar and can peer into it through a large glass window—a nice selling point when it comes time for the wait staff to solicit prospective wine connoisseurs in the dining room.
“I’d say it’s the most wine friendly wine cellar in the state,” Justin said. “We also have a wine selection of all prices and values. I try to get the best quality top price ratio for everything, and I think I have that—the best eclectic variety.”
Oh yes, it is eclectic, and allows the wine enthusiast to experiment and go on a voyage of discovery for the unique flavors of wines from around the world.
“I try to have all the limited ‘cult’ wines, like Plump Jack Cabernet from Oakville in Napa, which is extremely rare and difficult to get,” he said with a wry smile. “I try to have wine from every wine producing country.”
And depending on your wallet size, you can enjoy any of one of the multitude of reds and white wines offered at The Double Musky with prices ranging from an affordable $18 per bottle up to the wines that require a small loan at $2,150—that wine, by the way, is the 2000 Chateau Lafite Rothschild from Bordeaux, France (I found it subtle yet pleasant to the palate).
Wine is bliss, and it can change the atmosphere of any dining experience whether at home or at a restaurant.
“I try to add to the whole ambiance of the Musky,” Justin said, “because good food and good wine go hand and hand.”
Justin concluded by welcoming the public to the restaurant to see his new wine cellar. When you exit the door to the cellar, you’re sure to have wine on your mind, and most likely a fine wine on your dinner table shortly afterwards.