Truffles wins prestigious award for its wine program

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Photo by Kevin A. Roberts

Congratulations are in order for Truffles in Ladue.

The fine-dining establishment announced it has won—for the fourth consecutive time—a prestigious three-star award from English publication The World of Fine Wine on its annual World's Best Wine List. Even more notable is Truffles' first win of the list's Jury Prize, which recognizes wine lists that "show distinctive character and flair, offer exceptionally good value, or were particularly strong in a specific wine style."

Truffles is one of only 50 restaurants in North America and 112 in the world to receive it.

"It's got my heart pumping, that's for sure," says Aleksandar Jovanovic, Truffles' general manager and wine director. "We've been committed to wine collection and wine service for over 17 years now, and we'll continue with that. It's not a short-term plan." He adds, "This is the biggest [award] we could possibly imagine. It's a great thing for St. Louis and for us."

So what makes the Truffles wine program stand out? Jovanovic describes himself as a "proper wine geek." He says his purveyors know he loves off-the-beaten-path selections for the ever-expanding horizons of the restaurant's customers. Two days ago, Jovanovic says, he opened a 2001 Terra Romana Cuvée Charlotte for a longtime diner.

"It's a Romanian wine," he says. "How often have you had a Romanian wine in your life? It was absolutely stunning. And it was opened for somebody who comes all the time and learns to trust us and to venture."

Truffles' wine list boasts an astounding 1,800 selections with more than 12,000 bottles. Hundreds of selections are served by the glass, including many "classic and old vintage wines you normally don't see on a list by the glass," Jovanovic says. Each wine has exactly the same representation on the list—or is "treated with equal respect to the established classics," note The World of Fine Wine editors.

For those feeling ambitious, Truffles holds informal and free wine tastings dubbed Wine Thursdays on Thursday evenings from 5–6 p.m. At the bar, attendees can try wine offerings from purveyors and vote on which is best. Truffles will then list the winning wine by the glass—and at cost—on its wine menu the following week.

"It's a unique thing that we do, and it enables our customers to actually tell us in some way what they would like to drink and see on the list," Jovanovic says.