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July 11, 2014

New York Named World's Top Wine Destination

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Thirty-six New York restaurant wine lists have been honored in "The World of Fine Wine"'s inaugural World's Best Wine Lists 2014.

The award-winning wine publication has given 36 New York restaurants the top rating of three stars, ahead of other leading cities including London (16), Chicago (6), Hong Kong (5), Singapore (5), and Rome (4). With only 224 three-star ratings awarded in total, New York accounts for almost one-fifth of the world's best wine lists - the highest of any city worldwide.

The "World of Fine Wine" judging panel comprised some of the world's leading wine authorities, including Gerard Basset MS MW (former World Sommelier Champion), Andrew Jefford, Elin McCoy, and Tom Stevenson. They helped to assess well over 4000 wine lists from restaurants around the world before coming up with the final 750 worth one, two, or three stars at a judging session held at Lutyens Restaurant in London. Only 224 wine lists were recognized in the top three-star category.

New York winners included Daniel Boulud's Restaurant DANIEL and Thomas Keller's Per Se as well as Daniel Humm's Eleven Madison Park.

Head Chef Daniel Humm said: "I'm so proud of Dustin and his team for being recognized in such a prestigious way. They've worked so incredibly hard and poured a lot of time and attention into every detail of the wine program here. It is an incredibly appreciated and well-deserved honor."

Other restaurateurs honored with three stars for their wine lists included Gordon Ramsay for his eponymous London restaurant. On receiving the award, the celebrity chef said: "It's just fantastic news that the wine list at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay has been recognized in this way. The entire team there work tirelessly to deliver the ultimate experience in wine, food, and service for all to enjoy. I'm very proud of all of them."

According to "The World of Fine Wine"'s editor Neil Beckett, the awards are in important development for the wine industry: "We hope that they offer a refreshing new approach and will be seen as the industry benchmark for many years to come. They are the first awards to acknowledge the importance of a good wine selection, as distinct from a massive compilation, in the modern dining experience all over the world. As we were judging, we had in mind the wise words of our fellow judge Francis Percival about the difference between 'a great wine list and a mere list with great wines on it'.

"We were hugely impressed by the range of high-quality entries and had a pleasantly difficult time settling on our very deserving winners. We look forward to repeating the process next year and to the awards becoming an invaluable resource, not only for readers of "The World of Fine Wine," but for wine lovers everywhere."

Next year the World's Best Wine Lists award ceremony will take place at a glamorous London location.