Wine lovers know that dining and travel go hand in hand. There’s often no better way to take in a city’s culture than through its cuisine, and a particularly exquisite restaurant experience can elevate a fun jaunt to a lifelong memory. From a laboratory of gastronomic mad science tucked into a Danish football stadium, to a dining room fit for royalty in a 19th-century Viennese palace, these 12 Wine Spectator Restaurant Award–winning restaurants will stoke your wine wanderlust for their extraordinary settings, deep cellars stocked with rarities, championing of local producers and channeling of local flavors into imaginative courses.
This is just a small sampling of standout wine spots. For more wine-and-food destinations around the world, search all of Wine Spectator’s Restaurant Award–winning restaurants, including our 10 bucket list picks from around the U.S., as well as all our Grand Award recipients. (Though previously on this list, Tour d'Argent is currently closed for renovations and will be updated when new details are available.)
Do you have a favorite you’d like to see on this list? Send your recommendations to restaurantawards@mshanken.com. We want to hear from you!
Note: Opening hours and menus are subject to change.
Alfredo Di Roma Mexico
Presidente InterContinental Mexico City, Campos Eliseos 218, Mexico City, Mexico
Telephone (52) 55-5327-7766
Website www.alfredodiroma.rest/alfredo-di-roma/
Grand Award
With its dark polished wood, granite walls and leather-backed chairs, Alfredo Di Roma Mexico provides a stylish dining experience in the heart of Mexico City. In a testament to the metropolis' rising popularity as a luxury travel destination, the restaurant became the first Grand Award winner in Mexico in 2019. Wine director Luis Morones' 1,900-label list is stacked with stellar selections from Italy, Piedmont’s Gaja and Tuscany's Masseto, Ornellaia, Sassicaia and Tignanello. The 40,000-bottle cellar also features wines from France (particularly Bordeaux), California, Argentina, Chile and, of course, Mexico. Chef Mauro Chiecchio's menu is filled with classics from across the Italian peninsula, including tiramisu, bistecca Fiorentina and its signature fettuccine Alfredo, which the restaurants claims is the original recipe from the creator, passed down through three generations of family.
Antica Bottega del Vino
Via Scudo di Francia 3, Verona, Italy
Telephone (39) 0-45-800-4535
Website www.bottegavini.it
Grand Award
Antica Bottega del Vino has made its mark as one of Italy’s venerable wine institutions, providing a glimpse into Verona's history through its stunning 19th-century interior, menu of local favorites and expansive wine list. Nestled in the heart of the old town, the restaurant has earned a Grand Award since 2004 for its cavernous cellars holding 19,000 bottles, brimming with picks from the Veneto, Tuscany, Piedmont, France, Bordeaux, Burgundy and Champagne. A cohort of sommeliers—Simone Isoli, Sabina Zantedeschi, Davide Lucido and Federico Ranieri—oversees the 4,700 selections, which span more than 180 pages and include rarities from the likes of Amarone maestro Giuseppe Quintarelli. There are also many options in the $30 to $50 range. Executive chef Lucca Dalla Via’s menu is classic northeastern Italian, with regional pastas, risottos and meats taking center stage.
Atrio
Plaza de San Mateo 1, Cáceres, Spain
Telephone (34) 927-242-928
Website www.restauranteatrio.com
Grand Award
In the historic fortress city of Cáceres, you’ll find one of the most expansive Restaurant Award–winning cellars in Spain at Atrio. This temple to wine and adventurous cooking can be found just past the beautiful stone exteriors of the old town center. Inside, dine amid refined modern architecture while exploring chef Pepi Giraldo’s contemporary, regionally focused Spanish cuisine. The tasting menu is paired with selections from wine director José Luis Paniagua Martin’s 4,200-label list, which has earned the restaurant a Grand Award since 2003. The program’s main strengths are in Burgundy, Bordeaux, France, Spain, Rhône, Champagne, Germany and Port. Atrio’s 45,000-bottle cellar features gems from celebrated estates, as well as a vertical of Bodegas Vega Sicilia’s Único spanning nearly a century. There are also impressive Burgundy grands crus and an extensive Château d’Yquem Sauternes vertical.
Geranium
Per Henrik Lings Alle 4, 8., Copenhagen, Denmark
Telephone (45) 699-600-20
Website www.geranium.dk
Grand Award
In the center of Copenhagen, tucked away on the eighth floor of the soccer stadium of Danish Cup champion F.C. København, is a restaurant with a 20-plus-course tasting menu of eye-popping gastronomic acrobatics. Grand Award winner Geranium, with its wine list of more than 5,000 selections, is a far cry from a typical game-day vendor (and is not actually associated with the operation of the stadium). Once inside, diners will find a calm, contemporary dining space with floor-to-ceiling windows offering views of the tree-lined Fælledparken commons, glimpses of the city and the Oeresund windmills. Wine director and co-owner Søren Ledet’s list earned the restaurant its Grand Award in 2016, with strengths in Burgundy, Rhône, Bordeaux, Champagne, the Loire, Piedmont, Germany, Spain and California. The restaurant also champions a large number of producers using organic and biodynamic practices, and a page of the wine list is devoted to orange wines. Chef and co-owner Rasmus Kofoed’s modern Nordic tasting menu draws diners from around the world for its playful and complex dishes, joined by four wine pairing options.
Le Louis XV–Alain Ducasse
Hotel de Paris, Place Du Casino, Monte Carlo, Monaco
Telephone (377) 98-06-88-64
Website www.montecarlosbm.com
Grand Award
At the Hotel de Paris in Monte Carlo, overlooking the Mediterranean in the heart of the Riviera, Le Louis XV–Alain Ducasse feels like a portal to another era. The gilded interior—with its chandeliers, painted ceilings and flowing drapery—is a palatial setting for chef Emmanual Pilon’s menu, which showcases Mediterranean cuisine and ingredients. Signature dishes include gamberoni from San Remo, stocafi à la Monégasque (Monaco's national dish, a stew of dried cod and tomato) and seasonally changing Provence garden vegetables, with accompaniments ranging from black truffle to citrus and olives. But the dining destination’s crown jewel is its wine list, which has held a Grand Award since 1995. Overseen by wine director Gérard Margeon, the list offers 1,000 labels, with particular heft in Bordeaux, Burgundy, the Rhône, Provence and Piedmont. Hotel de Paris’s wine cellar is host to 250,000 bottles, stored in a space carved out of rock in 1874.
Les Amis
1 Scotts Road, No. 01-16, Shaw Centre, Singapore
Telephone (65) 6733-2225
Website www.lesamis.com.sg
Grand Award
Slow roasted scallops from the coast of Erquy. Black Forest venison with truffles and juniper berries. Duck breast with ginger, caramel and pear from Vendée. All can be found at Les Amis, the Singaporean institution that has been wowing diners for over two decades with its meticulous French-Asian cuisine and vast wine list. The attention to detail is evident in everything from chef Sebastien Lepinoy’s careful sourcing of ingredients in each course to the gleaming kitchen itself. A Grand Award winner since 1996, the 2,100-label wine list excels in France’s Bordeaux, Burgundy and Rhône regions, and offers more than six dozen Champagne options. Celebrating a special occasion? Peruse hundreds of large-format bottle offerings, including a jeroboam of Louis Roederer Brut Champagne Cristal 1988.
Palais Coburg
Residenz Coburg, Coburgbastei 4, Vienna, Austria
Telephone (43) 1-518-18-0
Website www.palais-coburg.com
Grand Award
Palais Coburg, the restaurant of a luxury hotel in a 19th-century palace in the center of Vienna, sits above a series of six wine cellars: the France Cellar, the New World Cellar, the Old World Cellar, the Champagne Cellar, the Rare Wines Cellar and the Yquem Cellar, all housing the restaurant’s 60,000-bottle inventory. Overseen by wine director Wolfgang Kneidinger, the 5,100-selection list has earned a Grand Award each year since 2007 and offers extensive options from around the world. But its collections of wines from Bordeaux, Austria, California, Italy, Burgundy, Spain, Germany, the Rhône, Champagne and Port are particularly outstanding. Chef Silvio Nickol’s international cuisine is offered in seven- and nine-course tasting menus with optional pairings. But save room for an extra sweet at the end: The Yquem cellar contains at least one bottle of every vintage produced, going back more than 100 years.
Robuchon au Dôme
Grand Lisboa Hotel, Avenida de Lisboa, Macao, China
Telephone (853) 8803-7878
Website www.grandlisboahotel.com
Grand Award
Situated in the opulent glass dome of the Grand Lisboa Hotel, with sweeping views of the city of Macao, is France-focused gem Robuchon au Dôme, an outpost founded by the late legendary chef Joël Robuchon. Sharing the hotel and cellar with fellow Grand Award winner Casa Don Alfonso, the fine-dining institution offers both à la carte and tasting menus of four to nine courses that blend Robuchon’s signature French cuisine with influences from the restaurant’s Macanese setting. Wine director Paul Lo’s program has earned a Grand Award since 2005; with 17,800 selections and an inventory of more than half a million bottles, the two restaurants share the most expansive list and inventory across all Wine Spectator Restaurant Award winners. Regions from around the world are abundantly represented on the 640-page list, particularly Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne, the Rhône, Australia, Germany, California, Tuscany, Piedmont, Spain and Portugal.
Eden
Rimrock Resort Hotel, 300 Mountain Ave., Banff, Alberta, Canada
Telephone (403) 762-1848
Website www.rimrockresort.com
Best of Award of Excellence
Smack dab in the Canadian Rockies and two hours west of Calgary, Eden at Rimrock Resort is a celebration of French dining that's worth the trek north. Right off the Sulphur Mountain Trail, Rimrock is cradled between dozens of mountains, making it a can't-miss spot for skiers, climbers and wine lovers alike. With more than 1,300 labels, cellar master Rob Irving's wine list devotes close attention to France, with ample selections from the likes of Bordeaux’s Château Margaux, Château Mouton-Rothschild and Château Haut-Brion, as well as a horizontal from Alsace’s Domaine Zind-Humbrecht. Chef de cuisine Brandon Clemens' tasting menus have a bistro flair, with options like Burgundy-style escargot roasted with bone marrow, celeriac pithivier with salt plum and Canadian duck with sea buckthorn and terrine.
Il Gallo d’Oro
The Cliff Bay, Estrada Monumental 147, Funchal, Madeira, Portugal
Telephone (351) 291-707-700
Website www.portobay.com
Best of Award of Excellence
For one of the finest wine selections in Portugal, head to the south coast of the island of Madeira, where the luxurious Cliff Bay hotel sits. Enter its Il Gallo d’Oro restaurant through its wine cellar for a look at the Best of Award of Excellence–winning collection. Led by sommelier Sérgio Márques, the list includes verticals of the island’s famed fortified wines dating to the 1860s and is also particularly strong in other Portuguese wines. Equally singular is the view at the restaurant; those lucky enough to snag an outdoor table will enjoy an evening overlooking the expanse of the Atlantic Ocean. The interior, redesigned in 2021, now has a more modern look, with a chef's table in the center of the room where up to four people can have a more interactive experience. Incorporating ingredients from Madeira, chef Benoit Sinthon presents Iberian-inspired cuisine both à la carte and via multiple tasting menus, with optional wine pairings.
Quay Restaurant
Upper Level Oversees Passenger Terminal, Sydney, Australia
Telephone (612) 9-251-5600
Website www.quay.com.au
Best of Award of Excellence
Close to Sydney Harbour Bridge, with breathtaking waterfront views of Sydney Opera House, Quay Restaurant embraces its setting in its modern Australian cuisine and a wine list highlighting the country’s star producers, grapes and styles. Guests can enjoy executive chef Peter Gilmore’s culinary innovations and careful ingredient sourcing over six- or eight-course tasting menus with four tiers of optional wine pairings. Holding a Best of Award of Excellence since 2019, group wine director Willem Powell’s 520-selection list also focuses on France (particularly Champagne) and Italy. The list spotlights producers using biodynamic and natural production techniques. There is also an impressive collection of about 40 large-format bottles and, for the end of the meal, more than 50 dessert and fortified wines from Australia, Portugal and beyond.
Restaurant Tantris
Johann-Fichte Strasse 7, Munich, Germany
Telephone (4) 89-361-9590
Website www.tantris.de
Best of Award of Excellence
With such a celebrated winemaking history, Germany offers no shortage of excitement for wine lovers. You would do well to start your journey there? at Best of Award of Excellence winner Restaurant Tantris in Munich, which boasts a 40,000-bottle cellar distilled into 2,500 selections overseen by wine director Julian Grunwald and the sommelier team. The main focuses are on Burgundy, Bordeaux, Champagne, Italy, California and, yes, Germany. This includes the cream of the local crop with wineries such as the Mosel’s Egon Müller and Joh. Jos. Prüm, as well as Bordeaux's Château Palmer and other leading estates. For the French-cuisine, six- and eight-course tasting menus (plus a vegetarian option), chef Benjamin Chmura prepares dishes such as eggs with Ossetra caviar, scallops en croûte and venison with quince and sauce poivrade. For an à la carte menu, look to Tantris’ adjoining sibling restaurant, Tantris DNA, or grab a drink at the cocktail- and wine-focused Bar Tantris.
Edited by Collin Dreizen, Emma Grant and Julia Larson
Keep up with the latest restaurant news from our award winners: Subscribe to our free Private Guide to Dining newsletter, and follow us on Twitter at @WSRestoAwards and Instagram at @WSRestaurantAwards.
