Restaurant Wine List Awards

2009 Entry Guidelines

The following materials are required for entry into the program:

Your current wine list
Your current dinner menu
A one-page cover letter on your restaurant letterhead describing your storage conditions, inventory, pricing and any other information you feel is relevant to your wine program. This cover letter must be in English and include a phone and fax number and e-mail.
Your nonrefundable entry fee of $250, payable by check (in $US) or credit card to M. Shanken Communications. (This processing fee will be retained whether or not you win an award.)

Note: Entrance is limited to restaurants open to the public as of the program's deadline on Feb. 2; entries from private clubs, cruise lines and sporting arenas are not eligible.

After we receive the above materials, we will e-mail you a listing form to confirm the receipt of your materials and the accuracy of your restaurant's information. You must complete and return this form before your wine list will be considered for judging.

Entries are accepted from Jan. 1, 2009, to Feb. 2, 2009. All entries must be postmarked by Monday, Feb. 2. There are no exceptions. Faxed or e-mailed entries will not be accepted.

Wine lists must provide vintages, appellations and prices for all selections—including wines by the glass. Spelling is also taken into consideration, as is the overall presentation and appearance of the list. The submitted wine list must be an exact copy of what is currently in use in your restaurant. Lists entered for judging must accurately reflect what your customers will see and have access to. Once past these initial requirements, lists are then judged for one of our three awards.

All award winners will be notified by mail in May, and then listed in the Aug. 31 issue of Wine Spectator. Award certificates are mailed in July. Our website's Restaurant Search database, at www.winespectator.com/restaurants, will be updated with the new winners when the Aug. 31 issue is made public.

All new entries should be addressed to:

Wine Spectator
Restaurant Wine List Awards
387 Park Ave. South
New York, NY 10016

For queries, e-mail restaurantawards@mshanken.com.

Awards Are Given on Three Levels:

Award of Excellence
3,249 current winners
Our basic award, for lists that offer a well-chosen selection of quality producers, along with a thematic match to the menu in both price and style. Typically, these lists offer at least 100 selections.

Best of Award of Excellence
797 current winners
Our second-tier award, created to give special recognition to restaurants that clearly exceed the requirements of the Award of Excellence. These lists typically offer 400 or more selections, along with superior presentation, and display either vintage depth, with several vertical offerings of top wines, or excellent breadth across several wine regions.

Grand Award
72 current winners
Our highest award, given to restaurants that show an uncompromising, passionate devotion to the quality of their wine program. These restaurants typically offer 1,500 selections or more, and feature serious breadth of top producers, outstanding depth in mature vintages, a selection of large-format bottles, excellent harmony with the menu and superior organization, presentation and wine service.