{"id":102340,"date":"2018-09-27T11:51:04","date_gmt":"2018-09-27T09:51:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.chrisvonulmenstein.com\/blog\/?p=102340"},"modified":"2018-11-26T09:50:40","modified_gmt":"2018-11-26T07:50:40","slug":"gauteng-restaurant-winelists-achieve-inaugural-diners-club-winelist-awards-icon-status-the-peak-of-wine-presentation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.chrisvonulmenstein.com\/blog\/cape-town\/gauteng-restaurant-winelists-achieve-inaugural-diners-club-winelist-awards-icon-status-the-peak-of-wine-presentation\/","title":{"rendered":"Gauteng Restaurant winelists achieve inaugural Diners Club Winelist Awards ICON status, the \u2018peak of wine presentation\u2019!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"While the wine industry is centered in the Western Cape, and the province has the reputation for having the country\u2019s best restaurants, it is two Gauteng restaurants which won the inaugural 2018 Diners Club ICON Winelist Awards. <\/p>\n

Top I<\/span>CON<\/span> Awards went to Restaurant Mosaic in <\/span>Pretoria <\/span>and The Saxon Hotel Villas & Spa (Photograph right, and Award photograph left below) in \"\"<\/span>Johannesburg. \u2018Restaurants could achieve this <\/span>A<\/span>ward if they met all the requirements of a Diamond <\/span>L<\/span>ist and in <\/span>addition <\/span>the<\/span>ir<\/span> list carried an extensive international selection<\/span>; excellent <\/span>wines in multiple categories<\/span>as well as an <\/span>impressive reserve or vintage selection<\/span>;<\/span> a <\/span>deep<\/span> interest in wine curation; and a sommelier <\/span>on the floor<\/span>by default. These are lists of <\/span>true \"\"<\/span>international stature<\/span><\/i> and represent the peak of wine presentation<\/i>\u2018, explains the media statement about the new iconic Winelist recognition. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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. <\/p>\n

A<\/span>wards for Best Diamond <\/span>L<\/span>ist went to Epicure Restaurant (J<\/span>ohannesburg<\/span>, Gauteng<\/span>), Best Gold to <\/span>Rissington<\/span> Inn (<\/span>Haz<\/span>y<\/span>view<\/span>, <\/span>Mpumalanga), and <\/span>B<\/span>est Platinum to new<\/span>–<\/span>comer, Mink & Trout <\/span>(<\/span>Cape Town<\/span>, Western Cape<\/span>)<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

The <\/span>Diners Club Winelist <\/span>A<\/span>ward<\/span>s<\/span> ha<\/span>ve<\/span> reward<\/span>ed <\/span>great<\/span> wine lists <\/span>for the last twenty years, <\/span>celebrating \u2018wine lists with <\/i><\/span>good<\/span> selections, <\/span>interesting<\/span> descriptions and a clear love for wine to<\/span> encourage food and wine-serving establishments to improve the standards of the <\/span>wine <\/span>selection they offer. The <\/span>A<\/span>ward<\/span>s<\/span> categories and competition requirements are in line with global market trends and Diners Club\u2019s<\/span> contribution \"\"towards service excellence in the hospitality and tourism industries\u2019.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Judges <\/span>included<\/span> restaurant and wine experts, reviewers, media members, and chefs: <\/span>J<\/span>ean-<\/span>P<\/span>ierre<\/span> Rossouw<\/span> (Diners Club <\/a><\/span>Winelist<\/span> A<\/span>wards\u2019 <\/span>head judge)<\/span>, Chef <\/span>Pete Goffe-Wood<\/span>, <\/span>Jenny Cryws-Williams<\/span>, <\/span>Karen Visser<\/span>, <\/span>Georgina Crouth, Pearl Oliver, and <\/span>James <\/span>Mukosi<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Head Judge JP Rossouw said about the 2018 Winelist Awards: \u2018<\/span>Our<\/span> Diners Club <\/span>Winelist Awards panel of judges represents<\/span> a unique mix of talents<\/span> and voices<\/span> in <\/span>today\u2019<\/span>s food and wine industry<\/span>. We aim<\/span> to give all participating restaurants <\/span>a fair shot at <\/span>win<\/span>n<\/span>ing one of the most prized awards in the industry<\/span> \u2013 it\u2019s no longer the size of the list that is the most important, but the personality of the list <\/span>as well as<\/span> those where the list matches the style of the establishment<\/span>. The eclectic knowledge of the panel contribute<\/span>d<\/span> immensely to<\/span> identifying these lists\u2019.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

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

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

While the wine industry is centered in the Western Cape, and the province has the reputation for having the country\u2019s best restaurants, it is two Gauteng restaurants which won the inaugural 2018 Diners Club ICON Winelist Awards. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false},"categories":[37142,3,124,20,32565,19],"tags":[32378,3265,12308,15681,37144,37145,2688,8426,34678,20791,37143,4440,1458,22121,212,1528],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t