The Rees Hotel Queenstown’s True South Dining Room has won the Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence for the second year in a row. This is the eighth consecutive year the award-winning the fine dining, New Zealand restaurant has won a Wine Spectator award for its wine list. It is the only restaurant in Queenstown to achieve a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence in 2018 and 2019 from the top selling US wine and lifestyle magazine.
The Wine Spectator Restaurant Awards are in their 38th year and encompass more than 3,500 award-winning lists from over 70 countries. The awards acknowledge restaurants whose wine lists offer interesting selections, complement their cuisine and appeal to a wide variety of wine lovers. The Best of Award of Excellence recognises wine programs which “display excellent breadth across multiple winegrowing regions and/or significant vertical depth of top producers, along with superior presentation. Typically offering 350 or more selections, these restaurants are destinations for serious wine lovers, showing a deep commitment to wine, both in the cellar and through their service team.” To be considered a wine program must have vintages, appellations and prices for all selections—including wines by the glass.
True South Dining Room has a private cellar of one of the most comprehensive collections of fine Bordeaux wines in the Southern Hemisphere along with Burgundy wines and vintages from many of the great houses. Wines from world-renown chateaux such as Romanee Conti, Chateau d’Yquem, Latour, Margaux, Mouton Rothschild and Lynch Bages and some of the best wines from the different sub-regions of Central Otago New Zealand, Australia and Italy are kept in the professionally-managed, temperature-controlled wine cellar and can also be tried in The Rees’ Bordeau Wine Lounge.
CEO and GM of The Rees Hotel Queenstown, Mark Rose, says the restaurant’s extensive collection of fine wines from around the world, the ability to pair these with fresh, locally sourced, seasonal food along with its variety of wine experiences make it an exceptional destination for wine lovers. The restaurant’s tastings, wine pairings, Winemaker’s Culinary Series Dinners and knowledgeable sommeliers take it to the next level for wine lovers and connoisseurs. The Best of Award of Excellence gives recognition to the effort put into building and maintaining a cellar which has over 500 different types of wines. It also rewards the the support True South gives to local vineyards and the delicious dining experiences it offers guests.
“To receive the prestigious Best of Award of Excellence for the second year in a row by top-selling, international wine publication Wine Spectator is an amazing and humbling accomplishment for The Rees and its staff. We strive to exceed all guest expectations in all facets of the hotel experience and continually work hard to update and maintain our wine program. For True South Dining room to be the only restaurant in Queenstown to achieve the Best of Award of Excellence for the past two years in a row is an outstanding result and an honour.”
True South Dining Room’s other recent awards include the 2019 ‘Beef and Lamb Excellence Award’ for the 8th consecutive year and 2018 The World of Fine Wine ‘2 Stars – World’s Best Wine Lists’ for the 3rd consecutive year. Executive Chef of True South Dining Room, Ben Batterbury received the 2017 HM Award for ‘Best New Zealand Chef’ and was a Mentor in the Ora King Next Gen Programme in 2018.
True South Dining Room holds exclusive Winemaker’s Culinary Series Dinners which pair delicious dishes with top wines from local and international winemakers and offer insight into how the wine is produced. The Rees Hotel Queenstown holds Heli Wine Tasting Experiences hosted by Mark Rose which offers 180-degree panoramic views of Queenstown from a six-seater helicopter, a delectable gourmet lunch and the opportunity to sample a variety of award-winning wines from local regions.
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