The Wine Spectator’s annual “Award of Excellence” awards for restaurant wine lists was published this week. Metro St. Louis garnered 17 awards, six of them new this year.
Wine Spectator, arguably the world’s leading authority on wine, has bestowed awards on restaurants around the world in three tiers since 1981: the Grand Award (93 establishments worldwide for 2023, none in St. Louis—or Missouri), the Best of Award of Excellence (1,411 worldwide, eight in St. Louis), and the entry-level Award of Excellence (2001 worldwide, nine in St. Louis).
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The metro area restaurants that won awards this year are listed below. Those new this year are noted in boldface. Wine Spectator‘s criteria for a Best of Award of Excellence is “a wine list of 350 or more selections, with significant vintage depth or superior breadth in one or more major wine regions.” Note that four of the eight entries are located within walking distance of each other along Carondelet Avenue in Clayton.
- 801 Chophouse, 137 Carondelet Plaza (winner since 2014)
- 801 Fish, 172 Carondelet Plaza (2017)
- Annie Gunn’s, 16806 Chesterfield Airport (2003)
- Blood & Sand, 1500 St. Charles (2022)
- Casa Don Alfonso, 137 Carondelet Plaza (2023)
- The Capital Grille, 101 S. Hanley (2019)
- Elaia, 1634 Tower Grove (2023)
- Truffles, 9202 Clayton (2004)
The criteria for an Award of Excellence is for “restaurants offering well-curated lists with approximately 90 selections or more,” featuring “quality producers and wines that diners wouldn’t easily find at local wine stores and drink at home,” lists that deliver sufficient choice to satisfy discerning wine lovers.
- Cinder House, 999 N. Second (2020)
- Eleven Eleven Mississippi, 1111 Mississippi (2005)
- Grafted Wine Bar & Lounge: 310 E. Washington, Belleville, Il. (2023)
- Herbie’s, 8100 Maryland, (2019)
- Morton’s, The Steakhouse, 999 N. Second, (2016)
- Porter’s Steakhouse: 1000 Eastport Plz., Collinsville, Il (2018)
- prasino, 1520 S. Fifth, St. Charles, (2023)
- Sasha’s on DeMun, 706 DeMun (2023)
- Sasha’s on Shaw, 4069 Shaw, (2023)
The list of winners in Missouri (and details about the establishments) can be found here. The complete list of winners can be found here.
