July 05: Akira back at JW Marriott Delhi and The Table in Mumbai debut in the 2019 edition of Wine Spectator Restaurant Awards for India while the two Le Cirque Restaurants at the Leela Mumbai and Delhi repeat their earlier performance with Artusi Ristorante joining the team of five Indian Restaurants in Delhi and Mumbai getting an Award of Excellence, writes Subhash Arora
Wine Spectator has been recognizing and honouring restaurants with awardable wine programs. There have been 8 new Grand Award (3-glasses) winners, bringing the Grand Award total to 100 so far. The Grand Awards are shared equally by the USA (4) and one each by Italy, Austria, France and Mexico. Houston is the only city that has two of them. For a list of the Awardees, visit:
Among the Awardees in India, Artusi is the oldest one in the current list with the first recognition coming its way in 2016 as did Le Cirque Signature at The Leela in Mumbai. Le Cirque in The Leela Delhi debuted last year. https://restaurants.winespectator.com
This year's 3800 winning restaurants, each offering a special programme have been given in all 50 states of the US and 79 countries and territories, including India. The awards are given across three categories: Award of Excellence (1-glass), Best of Award of Excellence (2-glasses) and Grand Award (3-glasses).
The Award of Excellence recognizes restaurants whose wine lists feature a well-chosen assortment of quality producers along with a thematic match to the menu in both price and style. Ranging in size from 90 labels to several hundred, these lists are well-focused and tend to emphasize discovery. This year 2,447 restaurants achieved the Award of Excellence.
The Best of Award of Excellence, granted to 1,244 restaurants in 2019, honours wine programs that take their commitment a step further. It recognizes lists that display excellent breadth across multiple regions and/or significant vertical depth of top wines, along with superior presentation, according to the company’s website.
The Grand Award, the program’s highest honour, is the ultimate recognition for restaurants with world-class wine programs. This sought-after award is presented to restaurants that show uncompromising, passionate devotion to the quality of their wine program. These wine lists, which typically have 1,000 or more selections, deliver serious breadth of top producers and outstanding depth in mature vintages, in addition to selections of large-format bottles. Along with superior presentation of the wine list and its excellent harmony with the menu, these restaurants offer the highest level of wine service.
Wine Spectator inspects all candidates for the Grand Award (perhaps only) to evaluate the overall dining experience and cellar.
For a complete List, visit
For an earlier Article with history behind the Awards and referencing several previous Articles, please click
Pluck of Pullman debuts in Wine Spectator Restaurant Award List 2018
Congratulations to all the winners-especially the five from India.
Subhash Arora
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