Wherever you see a Diners Club Winelist Award certificate prominently displayed, you know you’re about to enjoy a meal at a restaurant that takes enormous pride in matching its menu to its Winelist to make everything taste even better.
Every year an eminent and independent panel of wine and food experts identify restaurant wine lists that are interesting, varied, original, easy-to-use, informative, accurate and well matched to the cuisine on offer. They evaluate how well the wine list reflects trends in still, sparkling and fortified wines and grape-based spirits. They look for balance, to see how well the wines pair with the dishes on the menu, and they judge the presentation of the list.
The Diners Club Winelist Awards attracts restaurants eager to gain recognition for their class and style, as well as an ever-growing number of patrons who understand that a delicious meal is greatly enhanced by a matching fine wine.
Winners to be announced in September
The 2015 winners will be announced on Monday, 14, Wednesday, 16, Friday, 18, and Monday, 21 September 2015 in Johannesburg, KwaZulu-Natal, Cape Town and the Southern Cape respectively.
Restaurants are evaluated according to four criteria:
Content: Content includes the number of wines on the list, number of wines served by the glass, original and innovative choices, and cultivars sourced from appropriate regions.
Balance: Balance relates to the relationship between modestly and expensively priced wines, overall value, presence of local and imported varieties, and balance between established and new labels.
Suitability: Suitability measures the suitability of the wine list with the cuisine, as well as the fit with the image of the restaurant.
Presentation: Presentation is judged according to vintages, regions, accurate information, correct spelling and a clear design that is easy to read and navigate.
How the Awards categories work:
Diamond Award
The Diamond Award requires a final score of over 90%.
Platinum Award
The Platinum Award requires a final score between 81% and 90%.
Gold Award
The Gold Award requires a final score between 71% and 80%.
Silver Award
The Silver Award requires a final score between 61% and 70%.