The 2010 Diners Club Winelist Awards winners for the Western Cape region were announced on Monday, 13 September at the Vineyard Hotel in Claremont. There were no less than four national category winners from the Western Cape.
The award for the best winelist countrywide went jointly to Zachary’s Restaurant at the Pezula Hotel & Spa in Knysna and Bosman’s Restaurant at the Grande Roche in Paarl. They were followed by The Turbine Hotel & Spa in Knysna with the Best Platinum award.
Glenroy du Plessis from Bosman’s Restaurant also received the award as best wine steward.
Top performers received Diamond certification, followed by Platinum, Gold and Silver. View all the winners here.
According to chairman of the judging panel, Dave Hughes, the Western Cape should take great pride in their restaurants with two of the establishments winning the top-ranking positions in the national category.
Commenting on the standard of the competition he said that many of the wine lists entered this year offered a wider choice in terms of price, with entry-level and mid-level wines now providing a proper balance for the award-winning ones at the top.
“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 themselves 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 and more restaurateurs take a lot of 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.”
Diners Club Western Cape regional manager Jane Ledger said they were delighted by the sizeable increase in the number of entries.
“For nearly 20 years we have strived to recognise those establishments offering the best dining experience for our card holders and this year the increased number of entries bears testimony to the value these awards hold for the hospitality industry. We would like to thank all the restaurants for entering and their continued efforts in raising the standards and variety of wines on offer across South Africa.”
In addition to Hughes the judging panel for this year’s awards consisted of 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 2010 Diners Club Winelist Awards will be made available on 17 September on the Diners Club website (www.dinersclub.co.za) after all regional ceremonies have been completed.
The Kwa-Zulu Natal and Gauteng regional awards ceremonies will be held respectively on 15 and 17 September.
