South Africa’s Orient Boutique Hotel – home of the acclaimed Restaurant Mosaic – has won the Best Hotel Wine List in the World for 2018 beating off strong competition from around the globe.
ALSO READ: Inside Sindi Dlathu’s Farewell Party At Destiny Exclusive Hotel Johannesburg
In a remarkable achievement, Restaurant Mosaic at the Orient also received a Jury Prize and a further five World’s Best Wine List Award accolades for its world class wine list and service.
The 2018 Fine Wine World’s Best Wine List Awards, now in its fifth year, honoured Restaurant Mosaic in the following categories:
- Best Hotel Wine List in the World 2018.
- Best Long Wine List in Middle East and Africa 2018.
- Best Champagne & Sparkling Wine List in Middle East and Africa 2018.
- Best Dessert & Fortified Wine List in Middle East and Africa 2018.
- Best By-the-Glass Wine List Without Coravin in Middle East and Africa 2018.
- Jury Prize
Mosaic’s competition in the Best Hotel Wine List category included Amber at the Landmark Mandarin Oriental (Asia); Jonah’s (Australia); Grand Hotel (Europe) and The Barn at Blackberry Farm (North America).
Cellar master Cobus du Plessis, Chef Chantel Dartnall and Restaurant Mosaic’s Mari Dartnall attended the awards ceremony which was held at Vintner’s Hall in London on Tuesday.
Regarded as the sommelier’s version of Michelin stars, the World’s Best Wine Lists Awards is the most rigorous and prestigious wine list accolade in the industry. It is organised by the multi-award-winning publication, The World of Fine Wine, which assembles an independent panel of prestigious international wine experts to judge the various categories.
This year they included the Chinese wine writer Chng Poh Tiong, columnist for Wine Life and RVF China which published the world’s first Chinese Bordeaux Guide in 2000; award-winning English wine writer and columnist for Decanter.com Andrew Jefford; Swedish sommelier Andreas Larsson, previous winner of Best Sommelier of the World; American wine and spirits columnist for Bloomberg Markets, international wine judge and a contributor to publications such asFood & Wine and The New York Times, Elin McCoy; American wine and restaurant blogger and publisher of Vinography, Alder Yarrow and the UK’s Francis Percival from The World of Fine Wine.
This honour follows on from Restaurant Mosaic’s 2018 Grand Award from the highly-acclaimed US publication Wine Spectator for its incomparable wine list and cellar, a first for an establishment on the African continent. It joins a very elite group – being one of only 85 restaurants around the world – in holding this highest honour, out of more than
3 500 global restaurants that have earned Wine Spectator awards for their wine lists.
Next month the Mosaic team will be attending the New York Wine Experience Grand Awards Banquet to receive their award.
The award-winning Gauteng-based restaurant has been celebrated for its wine cellar which boasts more than 75 000 bottles and nearly 6 000 different labels.
Image Courtesy: Supplied