Neighborhood wine bar The Huguenot opens on Jacksonville's Southbank

An intimate European-inspired wine, artisanal cheese and charcuterie bar from a Michelin Guide-recognized Jacksonville restaurateur and his wife is now open on the Southbank in historic San Marco.

The Huguenot debuted Tuesday, Sept. 29 at 1039 Hendricks Ave. No. 5 in the former Reddi-Arts building complex.

Founded by husband-and-wife co-owners Chad and Lauren Munsey, the wine bar showcases a sommelier-curated selection of wines by the glass and bottle, as well as artisan cheeses, cured meats, composed boards and shareable plates.

"We want people to come and relax and enjoy conversations with the people they are with," Chad Munsey said.

The Huguenot grew out of the couple's shared dream of creating a neighborhood wine bar — "a place for a good glass,

a good board, and good company."

"Wine is a gateway to a great conversation," Munsey said of his philosophy. "Really, that's all I'm trying to create is connection with friends and family and meeting new friends. And if that glass of wine creates that connection, I think that's important."

'Good pours, thoughtfully paired snacks, and long conversations'

The Huguenot offers 45 different varieties of wine — available by the glass, bottle or by a 500-milliliter (three-quarters of a bottle) decanter. In addition, another 55 wines are available just by the bottle.

The wine list is comprised of about 70% "Old World," which are European wines. But their bigger focus is on the vineyard farming practices.

"We solely use wines that utilize either sustainable organic or Biodynamic farming practices. Why that's important to us is, if a producer is willing to take care of the grapes in the vineyard, they're more than likely to take care of the wine in the winery. So, we focus on the farming practices of the vineyards," Munsey said.

That means the wines served at The Huguenot don't have additives such as sugars, sulfides, preservatives, flavor enhancers, color enhancers or other chemicals.

"We're using real wines made properly … These wines are properly made with minimal intervention. They're not these big mass-produced wines, that I like to call homogenized wines," said Munsey, who has an extensive background in wine and winemaking, including serving as director of education for a group of wineries.

The couple said the whole idea is to offer wine that a guest will like whether they are a newcomer, connoisseur or aficionado.

"Our wines by the glass start at about $9 a glass and go up to $19 a glass. Wines on the wine list start at about $34 a bottle and they go up to maybe $175 a bottle. But the bulk are under $100. Probably 90% are under $100 for a bottle," he said.

The Huguenot is "aggressive" when it comes to its price point.

"I want to make wine accessible, and I feel like too many places are, for lack of a better term, gouging wine prices. They are pricing wine out of the market … so we want to make wine accessible from a price point," Munsey noted.

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Grazing menu of 'nibbles and noshes'

The Huguenot is not a restaurant. It doesn't have a kitchen. They don't cook anything. So, a meal would be a series of "nosh and nibbles."

"It is classic. We call it noshing dinner. It's all little things to munch on," he said. "It ranges from olives to Marcona almonds to caviar."

The wine bar features "sharing boards" comprised of artisan cheese and charcuterie as well as gourmet tinned seafood selections. They focused on high-quality ingredients and charcuterie meats sourced from small family farms that have humanely raised animals, Lauren Munsey said.

Intimate, elegant and welcoming ambiance and decor

Lauren Munsey, an artist and art teacher for 20 years, always had an interest in interior design. She had taken some online interior design classes "just for fun," then helped family and friends with small projects. The Huguenot was an opportunity to expand on that experience.

She led the selection of the decor, furnishings and interior design of the wine bar. Dialing in the design plans took about a month. Tracking down the right furniture and fixtures took about six months.

Their goal was a refined yet relaxed setting.

"The vision was to blend modern with more classical Old World European pieces," she said, noting a summer visit to family in Paris yielded some vintage prints, drawings, and other artwork for the wine bar. They also commissioned a local artist to create an original work for The Huguenot.

We wanted to create a space that was elevated but comfortable and casual at the same time," she said, adding that she also found some original reclaimed wooden doors in Callahan.

The roughly 1,500-square-foot space can seat about 44 people in the main lounge area, 25 out on the patio and another 30 in the Salon Privé, a private event space.

'Bridging the gap' between winemaker and consumer

People might know Munsey because of barbecue, but his roots run deep in Jacksonville's dining scene.

He is the co-founder and co-owner of nearby The Bearded Pig barbecue at 1808 Kings Ave., which recently earned a spot in the prestigious Michelin Guide along with seven other Northeast Florida restaurants.

Munsey is also a former owner of The Grotto, which was one of Jacksonville’s first wine bars. A neighborhood mainstay, The Grotto closed in 2016 after 15 years.

Before The Grotto, he helped open Bistro Aix in 1999, a dining fixture in the neighborhood for 25 years. He also previously managed Biscottis and was a managing partner at Ovinte at St. Johns Town Center.

Munsey's career also took him to Santa Barbara, Napa, and Sonoma as the director of education for a group of wineries.

"I want to teach the average person about wine. I don't want to make it overly intense and overly complicated … I think if we can do that, it will make people feel more comfortable and open to trying more wine," he said.

Why it's named The Huguenot

The wine bar's name pays homage to the area's French Huguenot settlers, who were also winemakers.

 In 1564, French Huguenots settled Fort Caroline on the banks of the St. Johns River, which they called Rivière de Mai (River of May).

"The French Huguenots at Fort Caroline are credited as the first Europeans to make wine in the New World," said Munsey, who was a history major.

When he made wine in California years ago, Munsey called it Huguenot Cellars. Since then, he's carried the Huguenot name for use on a future project. That time has come with the wine bar, the couple said.

What to know if you go

The Huguenot is the second business to open in the four-building former Reddi-Arts complex being revitalized and redeveloped into Hendricks Place. The wine bar neighbors Tavola San Marco, a family-owned Italian restaurant that opened Aug. 3.

Next door to landmark bb's Restaurant and Bar, Reddi-Arts had been a Southbank institution for 67 years before relocating to Springfield and reopening under new ownership in 2021.

Free parking is available at the front of the complex off Hendricks Avenue and at the rear off of Kings Avenue. In addition, guests can park a half-block north under Interstate 95, he said.

The Huguenot is open from 3 p.m. until close, Tuesday through Saturday, and closed on Sunday and Monday. The daily closing time hasn't been finalized.

Seating is walk-in only, but groups of six or more are asked to call ahead.

Teresa Stepzinski is the dining reporter for the Times-Union. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @TeresaStepz or reach her via email at [e-mail].

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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Neighborhood wine bar The Huguenot opens on Jacksonville's Southbank