Knysna, Paarl have best wine lists

De Hoek Country Hotel in Magaliesburg received the award for the best new entry. Glenroy du Plessis from Bosman's Restaurant received the award as best wine steward.

Commenting on the standard of the competition Dave Hughes, chairman of the judging panel, said that many of the wine lists that entered this year offered a wider choice in terms of price, with entry-level and mid-level wines providing a proper balance for the award-winning ones at the top.

Offering value is key

"These are establishments who understand that in the present economic climate offering value is key and has as much influence on the dining experience as the food itself. Another heartening sign was that restaurants seem to be increasingly offering wine by the glass. In my experience, people don't readily order a bottle of wine they don't know. Wine by the glass gives them the freedom to experiment without having to commit to a considerable expense."

Hughes also praised the closer correlation developing between menu and wine list. "Wine, after all, is there to complement the food but for years wine lists and menus were treated as unrelated offerings. Now more restaurateurs take care in assembling a range of wines they believe complement their food and then guide the patron by means of the wine list in making an appropriate choice."

In addition to Hughes, the judging panel for this year's awards included JP Rossouw, editor of Rossouw's Restaurants Guide and wine commentator; former editor of WINE magazine and wine judge, Fiona MacDonald; garagiste winemaker and wine educator, Clive Torr; and wine critic and former principal of the Cape Wine Academy, Christine Rudman. At the request of the chairman of the panel, Gawie Marx, general manager of Grande Roche, was co-opted as an advisor.

The complete list of the Awards is available from the website www.dinersclub.co.za.