Our Award Winners

KelseyHoffman, TheDiningRoomatHighHamptonBeverageDirector

Wine Spectator offers a toast to a quintet of extraordinary restaurants.

Wine Spectator, the bible of wine enthusiasts everywhere recently announced its 2023 restaurant award winners, with honors going to five restaurants on the Plateau.

Launched in 1981, the Restaurant Awards are the world’s only program focused solely on wine service. Recognition is assigned on 3 tiers: the Award of Excellence, the Best of Award of Excellence, and the Grand Award.

Local recipients of the Award of Excellence, given to restaurants with wine lists of 90 or more selections, are Wild Thyme in Highlands and the Greystone Inn in Lake Toxaway.

Although no area restaurant received the Grand Award, the next best, Best of Award of Excellence, was given to three in Highlands/Cashiers - the Dining Room at High Hampton, Madison’s Restaurant at Old Edwards, and Paoletti’s. These properties take their efforts a step further – their lists must include 350 selections or more and represent a breadth of wine regions and styles.

Indeed, receiving a Best of Award of Excellence is a testament to a restaurant’s commitment to a memorable wine list, and an indication that significant thought and resources are being devoted to wine.

Recently I talked to the Sommeliers at the three Best of Winners on the Plateau and asked them about their wine programs and what the ranking meant to them.

For nearly two decades, Madison’s Restaurant at Old Edwards Inn has presided over Main Street, cossetting guests with extraordinary food, exemplary service and a curated wine list that has since 2008 earned the Best of Award of Excellence. Head Sommelier Jared Lorenz regards receiving the award, “As an immense honor, it signals to our guests that for over a decade, we’ve been committed to offering world-class winemakers, regions, and vintages. We take pride in offering classic, recognizable wine producers alongside emerging wineries, allowing us to educate and appeal to every palate.”

The restaurant’s 1,200-bottle list shows the greatest depth in Red Burgundy, Bordeaux, and Napa Cabernet Sauvignon.

Several years ago the historic High Hampton Inn in Cashiers partnered with Blackberry Farm and underwent a refresh. Completed in 2021, the resort now enjoys luxe sensibilities while remaining a charming mountain gem.

At the top-notch, The Dining Room at High Hampton, Beverage Director Kelsey Hoffman explained that “Our 450 bottle wine list features thoughtful winemakers, small production wineries that are focused on creating great wine while concentrating on making sure they’re having a great impact on the world as well. We feature wines from around the world, but because we want to mirror our culinary program, we have a stronger presence in French, Italian, and California wines.”

Arthur Paoletti, owner of his namesake restaurant, has been passionately collecting wine since the late 1980s, as is evident by the Best of Award he’s received annually since 1987. Today the restaurant has an inventory of 7,000 bottles housed in two temperature-controlled cellars and a 1,000-bottle list. Director of Operations Gina Paoletti, said that “The award is a product of our continuing commitment to not only offering an extensive wine list but a primarily European wine list in keeping with our Italian roots and traditions. Sommelier Kyle Tarczynski, who manages the wine program elaborated, “Because Italy is a complicated wine region and many of our wines are not widely available, my goal is to put the best wine in your glass.”

Clearly, the Plateau is a wine-loving community with the rankings to prove it.

by Marlene Osteen