Maui Eateries Dominate Wine Spectator List for Hawaiʻi

Wine Spectator. Courtesy photo.

By Wendy Osher

Maui restaurants dominated a list of winning eateries honored for their extraordinary wine lists in Wine Spectator‘s 2015 Restaurant Awards.  The winners are featured in the magazine’s August 31, 2015 issue, which hit newsstands this week.

Out of the 33 honorees in Hawaiʻi, 20 of them are located here on Maui.  Two of the Maui restaurants also earned the elite distinction as winners of the Best of Award of Excellence, including: Longhi’s Wailea and Nick’s Fishmarket at The Fairmont Kea Lani.

Maui Restaurants featured on the list include:The Banyan Tree at the Ritz-Carlton Kapalua; Capiche? at Hotel Wailea; Castaway Cafe at Maui Kāʻanapali Villa Resort; Fleetwood’s on Front Street in Lahaina; Gerard’s at The Plantation Inn; Haliʻimaile General Store in Makawao; Honu Seafood & Pizza in Lahaina; Kaʻana Kitchen at the Andaz Maui at Wailea; Kō at the Fairmont Kea Lani; Lahiana Grill on Lahainaluna Road in West Maui; Longhi’s Lahaina on Front Street; Longhi’s Wailea; Māla Ocean Tavern in Lahaina; Merriman’s Kapalua; Molokini Bar & Grille at the Mākena Beach & Golf Resort; Morimoto Maui at the Andaz Maui at Wailea; Nick’s Fishmarket at the Fairmont Kea Lani; Pacific’o in Lahaina; Pūlehu, An Italian Grill at the Westin Kāʻanapali Ocean Resort Villas; and Sarento’s on the Beach on South Kīhei Road.

The publication’s program to recognized the world’s best wine lists began in 1981, and now features three award levels: the Award of Excellence, the Best of Award of Excellence, and the Grand Award.  Wine Spectator recognized more than 3,600 restaurants from around the world this year.  There were no Grand Award winners from Hawaiʻi.

Other Hawaiʻi restaurants on the list were: Alan Wong’s Honolulu; Beach House Restaurant on Kauaʻi; BLT Steak on Oʻahu; Chart House Waikiki; Gaylord’s on Kauaʻi; Il Lupino Tattoria and Wine Bar on Oʻahu; Jackie Rey’s ʻOhana Grill in Kailua Kona; La Mer on Oʻahu; Manat & Pavilion Wine Bar on Hawaiʻi Island; Merriman’s Fish House on Kauaʻi; Merriman’s Restaurant in Kamuela on Hawaiʻi Island; and Morimoto Waikiki.

“Once again, Wine Spectator congratulates each and every Restaurant Award winner on a job well done,” said Marvin R. Shanken, Editor and Publisher, Wine Spectator in a press release statment. “With this year’s list spanning all 50 US states and over 75 additional countries and territories, we hope wine lovers will use this issue, alongside WineSpectator.com’s Restaurant Awards database, as guides to finding the perfect restaurant for any occasion,” said Shanken.

In addition to the featured restaurants, the issue also include a detailed analysis of wine list trends and full profiles of this year’s new Grand Award winners.