New panel of experts to judge Diners Club Winelist Awards 2016

29 Jun 2016

A new panel of judges will adjudicate the Diners Club Winelist Awards this year. For the last two decades, the Awards have rewarded restaurants that take great care in their wine descriptions, selections and food and wine pairing.

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This year’s judges comprise a broad spectrum, including restaurant and wine experts, reviewers, media members and chefs. The judges are: JP Rossouw (Diners Club Winelist Awards’ head judge), Benny Masekwameng, Neil Grant, Jenny Crwys-Williams, Kim Hoepfl, Georgina Crouth, and Lloyd Jusa.

“Following on from our previous panel of judges, Diners Club has again assembled a unique mix of talents and voices in today’s food and wine industry to give all participating restaurants a fair shot at winning one of the most prized awards in the industry. The eclectic knowledge of the panel will contribute immensely to the development of the restaurant industry,” says Ebrahim Matthews, MD of Diners Club South Africa.

The recently revamped Winelist of the Year criteria will place more emphasis on suitability, just one of four criteria used to judge the lists. The other criteria are content, balance and presentation. The revised judging criteria were developed with the help of the South African Sommeliers’ Association (SASA) who brought their extensive practical experience to bear to ensure that the criteria are fair and fitting to restaurants.

Entries for this year’s competition closed on the 15 June 2016. Judging will take place at the Saxon Hotel and Spa in Johannesburg on 29 and 30 June 2016, with the winners expected to be announced in July and August 2016.