Multiple Johnson County eateries have earned top recognition in the international wine world.
American lifestyle magazine Wine Spectator released its 2024 picks for the world’s best restaurant wine programs — which include seven local restaurants this year.
JoCo restaurants won in two categories
- Three more Johnson County restaurants made the publication’s “Best of Award of Excellence” category, including: 801 Chophouse in Leawood, Story in Prairie Village and Vintage ’78 Wine Bar in Overland Park.
- Four other Johnson County eateries made the publication’s “Award of Excellence” list, including: Scratch Gourmet Kitchen and Verbena in Prairie Village, Sullivan’s Steakhouse in Leawood and Wandering Vine at the Castle in Shawnee.
- These two categories represent, respectively, as the second and third tier lists in Wine Spectator’s annual rankings, behind the “Grand Award” category, described by the magazine’s editors as their “most prestigious honor … only bestowed upon the world’s elite wine programs” that carry wine lists of 1,000 or more.
Wine Spectator highlighted nearly 4,000 restaurants worldwide
- Wine Spectator chooses its winning restaurants based on how well its wine selections complement the restaurant’s cuisine, and how diverse the wine options are.
- “Award of Excellence” winners have wine lists that feature at least 90 “well-chosen” selections that have a “thematic match” to the menu’s price and style.
- “Best of Award of Excellence” winners take this a step further with 350 or more wine options on their list — which must show “excellent breadth” across multiple wine growing regions.
Several of this year’s winners have won before
- Verbena established itself with spots ont Wine Spectator’s annual lists in 2022 and 2023.
- 801 Chophouse’s history as a Wine Spectator winner goes back even further, having made the “Best of Award of Excellence” list for the first time in 2015 — as did Story in Prairie Village, at that time.
- Vintage ’78 Wine Bar also made the “Best of Award of Excellence” list for the first time in 2023.
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