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 Le
Cirque Signature and Artusi Ristorante on their
maiden Award last year whereas Wasabi by Morimoto at
the Taj Mumbai has been a regular recipient since 2011.
Taj group used to be the uncrowned king of this Award for its various
restaurants in India. All three have received a ‘single
glass’ Award. No one from India has received ‘two
glasses’ Award of Excellence or the ‘Three Glasses’
Grand Award. Maestro Chef Vikas Khanna -run Junoon Restaurant in New York
has received the usual 2 glasses that it debuted with, in 2015.
There are 5
Grand Award Winners this year- from Paris, New York, Beverly
Hills and Växjö (Sweden).
Since 1981, Wine Spectator has been ‘honouring restaurants with
extraordinary wine programs’. Congratulations to this year’s
five new Grand Award winners, bringing their Grand Award total to 89.
For the complete list since 1981, please click:
The 2008 Sham
The Award lost its sheen globally to an extent in 2008 when a fictitious
restaurant in Milan calling itself ' Osteria L'Intrepido'
was given an ‘Award of excellence’ (single glass- same as
our above 3 recipients) despite the wine list that featured a 1993 Amarone
Classico Gioe S. Sofia, which the magazine had earlier said, tasted like
paint thinner and nail varnish. It also included a 1985 Barbaresco Asij
Ceretto, which Wine Spectator had described as "earthy, swampy, gamy,
harsh and tannic”.
A wine critic Robin Goldstein had conducted the ‘sting operation’
and entered the fictitious List from a non-existent restaurant. He claimed
that the Awards were merely a tool of making money from the participants
and advertisements. The so- called fiasco was reported in delWine.
Getting the award by Wine Spectator Awards isn't like winning a Gold,
Silver or Bronze in Rio or a wine Award received from blind tasting by
a panellist of internationally acclaimed jurists. According to Chicago
Tribune at that time, nearly 4,500 restaurants spent $250 each
to apply for the Wine Spectator Award 2008. All but 319 (7%) restaurants
reportedly won the Award of Excellence or greater kudos’. Wine
Spectator collected over a million dollars for the fees. (Entry charges
for 2017 were even higher at $375/325 early birds. The same shall continue
for 2018).
This is only tip of the iceberg. Here are excerpt from the eMail sent
promptly to the award winning restaurants: Congratulations, your restaurant
has been selected as a Wine Spectator 2008 Restaurant Award winner! All
award winners will be listed in our Annual Dining Guide of Wine
Spectator, and will be mentioned in our restaurant database and
online... to ask if you have an interest in publicizing your award by
placing an ad in the upcoming Restaurant Award issue. We will be creating
a special advertising section where ads will receive premium positions.....Special
rates start at only $3,090 (Rs. 2 lakhs at today’s rates) for a
1/8 page 4-color.
DelWine started following the Awards since inception in 2006 and
generally reporting every year. Ritu Dalmia of Diva, who was recipient
of the Award (One Glass) more than once, was proud and pleased. She deserved
it with her interesting, Italian- heavy price lest with very good
prices to boot.
Ritu decided not to participate in the Awards from 2010 onwards after
winning the ‘single glass’ for several years. Referring to
the reported
scandal of 2008, she said, ‘When they don’t bother
to check the details and want only the money, where is the satisfaction
when I win an award, that I have achieved something?’‘I’d
rather spend the $250 they charge for application fee on something more
productive. I am happier with my clients being satisfied,’ she told
delWine.
Any Restaurant that feels it has a wine list worthy of the Award can
enter the programme by sending $375 ($325). For details, please click
Entried open on December 1.
DelWine has been covering the Awards since 2007, practically every year,
though with less gusto for the reasons noted.
WS
Wine List Awards- Why this Kolaveri, Kolaveri Di!
Taj
Wine List gets a Taj from Wine Spectator
Subhash Arora |