Rees Hotel chief executive Mark Rose holds a $4000 bottle
of wine in the award-winning cellar yesterday. Photo by
Olivia Caldwell.
A Queenstown restaurant has received a United States
magazine award for excellence.
True South Dining Room, inside The Rees Hotel in Frankton Rd,
was awarded the 2012 Award of Excellence by US wine and
hospitality magazine Wine Spectator.
Wine Spectator's international award is presented
annually to recognise a restaurant's wine list of 100 or more
high-quality wine selections that thematically match its
cuisine.
True South Dining Room has a cellar of vintage wines from
world-renowned Bordeaux chateaux, including Latour, Margaux,
Mouton Rothschild, Gruaud Larose, Malescot St Exupery and
Lynch Bages.
They also stock wines from Central Otago and wider New
Zealand.
The Rees Hotel and True South Dining Room food and beverage
operations manager Candice Chow said the award recognised the
restaurant's skill in matching its wine with fresh local
fare.
The True South Dining Room's wine programme includes
tastings, wine pairing and its own culinary series.
The Rees chief executive Mark Rose said the award was a
recognition of the effort put into building the cellar and
confirmed it was one of New Zealand's elite wine accolades.
"Wine Spectator is known as an industry bible, so to
have this tribute from such a widely read and esteemed
reviewer is huge kudos," he said.
The restaurant was named as a premier award winner in the
inaugural Taste of New Zealand Awards last year and head chef
Ben Batterbury was selected as an Ambassador Chef in the 2012
Beef and Lamb Excellence Awards.
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