The results are out for the 2017 Wine Spectator Restaurant Awards. This year saw five new Grand Award winners, which is the highest possible honor. The Grand Award goes to restaurants that make the utmost investment in their wine list, including mature vintages, large format bottles, and 1,000 or more selections across top producers.
So what wine experience will you have at the newest 2017 Grand Award winners in the U.S.? Here’s a closer look:
NYC winner Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steak House serves a selection of over 2,200 wines, specializing in California Cabernet. Major producers such as Shafer and Screaming Eagle are available in over ten vintages each. Sommeliers are also given the freedom to shape the wine list with more unique, off-the-beaten path finds such as Roagna Nebbiolo Langhe Rosso and Big Table Farm Chardonnay Willamette Valley. All front-of-house staff have the option of taking wine lessons from the restaurant’s sommeliers.
Boston’s Grill 23 & Bar offers a more in-depth approach to its wine list. The standouts on its list of over 1,900 selections are exclusive vintages coming from direct winery relationships. For example, the restaurant had a vertical of Ridge Monte Bello spanning over 20 years, with each bottle individually signed by winemaker Paul Draper. Grill 23 & Bar also boasts an impressive selection of mature wines, such as Beaulieu Vineyard Georges de Latour 1964.
For LA, it’s all about enjoying a restaurant wine list worthy of the stars. Wally’s in Beverly Hills has a selection of over 3,000 wines, but what’s most incredible is that all wines sold in the shop are also available for dinner at just a $40 surcharge above retail price. The wines are curated by President Christian Navarro, who was coined “Wine Therapist to the Stars” by the New York Times.
Find out more about the Grand Awards at restaurants.winespectator.com.