Best California Wine List Competition winners announced
(SACRAMENTO, Aug. 10, 2010) – The winners of the third annual Best California Wine List Competition have been selected.
“California restaurants prove time and again to be the best in the world,” said California Restaurant Association President + CEO Jot Condie. “This was the most rigorous competition yet, with dozens of stellar restaurants demonstrating their commitment to serving the best wines California has to offer.”
California restaurants that feature wines produced in the state were invited to submit their wine lists, along with an essay detailing their wine program and commitment to promoting California wines. Winners were selected by a panel of volunteer judges from the Wine Institute of California in four categories:
The single-location category came down to a two-way tie between Sacramento’s the Kitchen and LA Prime of Los Angeles. Both restaurants showed tremendous commitment to showcasing a wide variety of California regions and varietals, as well as staying active with creative wine promotions and events.
Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar in Fashion Island won out in the restaurant companies with 10 or more outlets category. The Newport Beach-based company offers an impressive 100 wines-by-the-glass menu that is overwhelmingly dedicated to California wines.
San Diego restaurants Top of the Market and Addison came out on top in the categories of restaurant companies with two to nine locations and annual revenue of more than $1 million and less than $1 million, respectively.
The judges also recognized Monterey’s Sardine Factory and Los Angeles-based California Pizza Kitchen with Merit Awards for each company’s dedication to keeping a highly educated staff and menu creativity.
“It was illuminating to see how restaurants showcased the diversity of California wines on their menus and increased wine sales with creative promotions and staff education” said Nancy Light, Wine Institute of California director of communications. “Our California Wine Month campaign builds consumer awareness of the state’s wines and supports restaurants as they feature the state’s exceptional array of wines.”
In its third year, the statewide competition presented by the CRA was created in partnership with the Wine Institute of California to celebrate September as California Wine Month, by proclamation of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Wine is an important part of California’s economy, as the state is the fourth largest wine producer in the world, making 90 percent of American wine and is responsible for $17.9 billion in retail wine sales in the United States.
The winners were initially announced in the August/September issue of The Restaurant Standard magazine, which will be devoted to the California wine and spirits industry.
Winners will be treated to getaway packages to some of California’s most renowned wine regions, courtesy of the Santa Barbara Conference and Visitors Bureau, the San Luis Obispo County Visitors and Conference Bureau, the Amador County Vinters Association and the Lodi Winegrape Commission.
To read more about California Wine Month, go online at www.TheRestaurantStandard.com.
About the California Restaurant Association: The California Restaurant Association is the definitive voice of the California restaurant and hospitality industry and has served to protect and promote its success since 1906. The restaurant industry is one of the largest private employers in California, representing more than 1.4 million jobs. Restaurants produce more than $54 billion in sales annually and generate more than $4.5 billion in sales tax for the state.
About California Wine Month: In its sixth year, California Wine Month is held during harvest to celebrate the state’s ideal climate for wine, beautiful wine country landscape, the state’s talented and ingenious winemaking people and California’s celebrated lifestyle and cuisine, as well as commitment to sustainability and the environment. For more information, go online at www.DiscoverCaliforniaWine.com.