The World of Fine Wine announced the winners of its inaugural World’s Best Wine Lists awards judged by leading industry figures like Elin McCoy, Tom Stevenson and Gerard Basset, according to Wine Searcher. The magazine rated 750 best wine restaurants from around the world out of three stars, as well dishing out awards for specific categories like Best Champagne & Sparkling Wine List and Best By-the-Glass Wine List.
The top award for the best wine list in the world went to Palais Coburg Residenz in Vienna, Austria. The hotel also won the regional award for Best Wine List in Europe. Hearth (New York City), Petrus (Hong Kong), Taste-Vin (Brazil), Royal Mail Hotel (Australia) and Rust en Vrede (South Africa) were also awarded for having the best wine lists from their respective regions.
Amongst 750 top restaurants, 225 received three-star ratings. New York City established itself as the fine-wine destination of the world with 36 three-star restaurants, dwarfing the second place London with 17. Honored restaurants include Eleven Madison Park, Morrell, The NoMad and Gramercy Tavern.
“I was most pleased with and encourage by the lists that had a very personal point of view, reflecting the philosophy of the restaurant or wine director, like Hearth (irrelevant attitude, depth of Rieslings) and Rouge Tomate (the best in natural and biodynamic wines) in New York,” said wine and spirits columnist Elin McCoy. “These are the innovative lists that reflect the zeitgeist and influence what people are drinking.” Check out the full list of results here. [Wine Searcher] [Photo: Flickr/Robert S. Donovan]