While the wine industry is centered in the Western Cape, and the province has the reputation for having the country’s best restaurants, it is two Gauteng restaurants which won the inaugural 2018 Diners Club ICON Winelist Awards. 

Top ICON Awards went to Restaurant Mosaic in Pretoria and The Saxon Hotel Villas & Spa (Photograph right, and Award photograph left below) in Johannesburg. ‘Restaurants could achieve this Award if they met all the requirements of a Diamond List and in addition their list carried an extensive international selection; excellent wines in multiple categoriesas well as an impressive reserve or vintage selection; a deep interest in wine curation; and a sommelier on the floorby default. These are lists of true international stature and represent the peak of wine presentation‘, explains the media statement about the new iconic Winelist recognition. 

Restaurant Mosaic (Photograph left, with Chef Chantel Dartnall on the cover, and right below) recently won one of seven Grand Awards for their winelists in the world from Wine Spectator, for its 3000 bottle wine list, rubbing shoulders with Per Se and French Laundry. Owner Cobus du Plessis and Sommelier Moses Magwaza are the passionate wine lovers behind the Winelist. At The Saxon Hotel Head Sommelier Lloyd Jusa leads a team of five, wine education being a key focus in growing his team. 

Awards for Best Diamond List went to Epicure Restaurant (Johannesburg, Gauteng), Best Gold to Rissington Inn (Hazyview, Mpumalanga), and Best Platinum to new–comer, Mink & Trout (Cape Town, Western Cape).

Two ICON Awards, 41 Diamond, 157 Platinum, 43 Gold, and 1 Silver Award were presented at the 2018 Awards ceremonies, in Kwa-Zulu-Natal, Gauteng, Southern/Eastern Cape and Western Cape the past week.

The Diners Club Winelist Awards have rewarded great wine lists for the last twenty years, celebrating ‘wine lists with good selections, interesting descriptions and a clear love for wine to encourage food and wine-serving establishments to improve the standards of the wine selection they offer. The Awards categories and competition requirements are in line with global market trends and Diners Club’s contribution towards service excellence in the hospitality and tourism industries’.

Judges included restaurant and wine experts, reviewers, media members, and chefs: Jean-Pierre Rossouw (Diners Club Winelist Awards’ head judge), Chef Pete Goffe-Wood, Jenny Cryws-Williams, Karen Visser, Georgina Crouth, Pearl Oliver, and James Mukosi.

Head Judge JP Rossouw said about the 2018 Winelist Awards: ‘Our Diners Club Winelist Awards panel of judges represents a unique mix of talents and voices in today’s food and wine industry. We aim to give all participating restaurants a fair shot at winning one of the most prized awards in the industry – it’s no longer the size of the list that is the most important, but the personality of the list as well as those where the list matches the style of the establishment. The eclectic knowledge of the panel contributed immensely to identifying these lists’.

Chris von Ulmenstein, WhaleTales Blog: www.chrisvonulmenstein.com/blog Tel +27 082 55 11 323 Twitter:@Ulmenstein Facebook: Chris von Ulmenstein Instagram: @Chris_Ulmenstein