The year was 1981, wine appreciation in America was on the rise, and Wine Spectator editor and publisher Marvin R. Shanken saw an opportunity to move wine into a greater spotlight.
“I had a frustration: I would go to a lot of my favorite restaurants, and they had great food, but they really didn’t pay attention to the wine,” Shanken recounts. As a way of inspiring restaurants to dedicate more resources to their wine offerings, he created the Wine Spectator Restaurant Awards.
The highly selective standards used when the program was founded remain in place today, across three award levels. To earn a Grand Award, the highest honor, a wine list will have at least 1,000 selections, although many have considerably more, but these must be of the highest caliber. There are only 63 Grand Award winners in the U.S. Three of them have maintained the award since the very first year.
Every Grand Award–winning restaurant shows devotion to its cellar, ensuring diversity in regions, styles and vintage depth as well as thoughtfully pairing with their menu. It only stands to reason that such attention to detail and quality applies to every aspect of the experience, especially the cuisine. There is no shortage of delicious food and once-in-a-lifetime meals to be had at these restaurants. In fact, when it comes to food, the U.S. Grand Award winners share a cumulative 42 Michelin stars and include some of today’s most notable chefs: Thomas Keller, Eric Ripert, Daniel Boulud and Wolfgang Puck, to name a few.
These wine-loving chefs and their wine directors often pair fine cuisine with a variety of international winemaking regions, but a list can also be intricately niche, offering a breadth of diversity within a region; Press Restaurant in Napa Valley has a list of 2,700 selections made up of Napa Valley wines entirely.
Denne historien er fra October 31, 2024-utgaven av Wine Spectator.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Denne historien er fra October 31, 2024-utgaven av Wine Spectator.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Shipwrecked Champagne Hoard Discovered Near Sweden
It sometimes feels like wine has a habit of falling into the briny deep. On July 23, Polish wreck diver and underwater photographer Tomasz Stachura announced that he and his Baltictech team had discovered the wreck of a 19th-century sailing ship near Öland, an island off the coast of Sweden—and it was crammed with bottles of Champagne and mineral water.
Openings: The Latest in Napa Tasting
Several new tasting options have opened in Napa Valley, particularly in downtown Napa where wineries are launching satellite tasting rooms. Standing out from the crowd means trying new approaches. Here are some highlights:
War in Middle East Affects Vintners
The 2024 harvest at Israel’s Dalton Winery was punctuated by nonstop rocket and drone attacks launched from just across the border in Hezbollah-controlled southern Lebanon.
Wineries Sue Napa County in Federal Court
Three Napa wineries filed a joint lawsuit in federal court in September alleging that Napa County officials violated their constitutional rights.
Savoring Persimmon Season
For many, persimmons are an enigma ingredient. Chef David Nayfeld of Award of Excellence-winning Che Fico in San Francisco and its Best of Award of Excellence sibling dangling persimmons off the tree with a stick at a childhood friend's house before realizing what they were. \"I remember his parents saying, 'Hey, don't hit the persimmons, those are food!\"\"
Tasting Plate: A German Six-Pack
Though it boasts Western Europe’s largest population and biggest economy, Germany is nowhere near the cheese juggernaut its neighbors Switzerland and France are. That said, the Germans love their fine cheeses, and they do turn out some excellent ones, fortunately including more than a handful that are currently available here in the U.S.
Gigondas Blanc Est Arrivé!
Ask winemakers in the Southern Rhône to name the most exciting white grape in their region and you will hear a growing number of them say \"Clairette.\"
Kistler's DARKER SIDE
Russian River Valley Pinot Noir ups the ante at the house that Chardonnay built
THE SPLENDOR OF CHAMPAGNE
THE REGION'S LEADING PRODUCERS DELIVER HIGH QUALITY AMID A DIVERSE RANGE OF STYLES
MICHAEL BATTERBERRY: 1932-2010 Gourmet, Journalist, Gentleman
Before Food Network, Top Chef or Yelp ... before the term “foodie\" ... before tomatoes were heirloom and sushi was fast food... back when fancy restaurants were always French... Michael Batterberry and his wife, Ariane, were working to celebrate and elevate the status of American chefs and international cuisine. Julie Mautner, Food Arts' former executive editor, looks at the life and legacy of her late mentor, affectionately known as The Bat.
