Diners Club Winelist Award winners selected

This year, a variety of restaurants vied for top honours, including brasseries and bistros, cafés, chain restaurants, destination and fining-dining eateries.

Twenty-five restaurants achieved Diamond status, the highest accolade with a total score of 91% or higher, while 24 restaurants were awarded Platinum, Gold winners tallied to 13, and Silver, three.

Diners Club Winelist Awards not only attract restaurants eager to gain recognition for their class and style, they also attract an ever-growing number of patrons who understand that the perfect meal is greatly enhanced by a matching fine wine.

This year a panel of judges led by by veteran wine critic and author Dave Hughes assessed hundreds of restaurant menus that had been submitted by licensed local restaurants that met the entry criteria.

Commenting on the quality of the entries, head judge Dave Hughes said: "Each year it becomes increasingly difficult to select the best restaurants that offer outstanding wine lists. However, the cream always rises to the top and this year has been no different. The winning restaurants are tenacious, almost pedantic, in ensuring that their offering continues to excite the palates of their customers."

The Diners Club Winelist Awards acknowledge excellence in participating restaurants in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, the Western Cape, and the Eastern Cape.

Selection criteria

Restaurant wine lists are evaluated according to four criteria:

• Content: Content includes the number of wines on the list, number of wines served by the glass, original and innovative choices, and cultivars sourced from appropriate regions;
  
• Balance: Balance relates to the relationship between modestly and expensively priced wines, overall value, presence of local and imported varieties, and balance between established and new labels;
  
• Suitability: Suitability measures the suitability of the wine list with the cuisine, as well as the fit with the image of the restaurant; and
  
• Presentation: Presentation is judged according to vintages, regions, accurate information, correct spelling and a clear design that is easy to read and navigate.

Diamond Winners

Pierneef a La Motte
Karibu Restaurant
One and Only Cape Town - Reuben's
Birkenhead House
Grande Roche Hotel
Aubergine Restaurant
Grootbos Proivate Nature Reserve
The Square Restaurant - Vineyard Hotel
Greek Fisherman
Meloncino
City Grill Steakhouse
The Mount Nelson Hotel
Bombay Brasserie
Kitima at The Kronendal
Bientang's Cave
Bushman's Kloof Wilderness Reserve
Azure Restaurant
B's Steakhouse
Indochine Restaurant, Delaire Graff Estate
Den Anker Restaurant
Ellerman House
The Marine Hotel
Signal at The Cape Grace Hotel
Karoo Art Hotel
The Raj Camps Bay

Platinum Winners

One and Only Cape Town - Nobu
The George Restaurant, Romney Park
Pigalle Greenpoint
Pastis
The Andros Deluxe Boutique Hotel
Hussar Grill - Green Point
Hussar Grill - Steenberg
Hussar Grill - Somerset West
Hussar Grill - Rondebosch
Hussar - Grill - Paarl
Hussar Grill - Camps Bay
Hussar Grill - Willowbridge
Hussar Grill - Stellenbosch
Planet Bar at The Mount Nelson
Mint
Blowfish Restaurant
La Pentola - Hermanus
Abalone House & Spa
The Garden Lounge at the Vineyard Hotel
French Connection Bistro
The Greenhouse Restaurant
The Wild Fig Restaurant
Table Bay Hotel
Lanzerac Hotel & Spa

Gold Winners

The Rusty Oak Bistro
Col'Cacchio pizzeria - Blouberg
Col'Cacchio pizzeria - Camps Bay
Col'Cacchio pizzeria - Canal Walk
Col'Cacchio pizzeria - Cape Town
Col'Cacchio pizzeria - Cavendish
Col'Cacchio pizzeria - Franschhoek
Col'Cacchio pizzeria - Hermanus
Col'Cacchio pizzeria - Stellenbosch
Col'Cacchio pizzeria - Westlake
Col'Cacchio pizzeria - Willowbridge
Equus
Mezepoli Meze & Wine Bar

Silver Winners

Lagoon Beach Hotel
The Piano Bar
Quayside Cabin

www.dinerclub.co.za