Central Kentucky restaurants — two in Lexington — win prestigious wine award

Wine Spectator, the world’s leading authority on wine, has announced the 2024 Restaurant Award winners, and nine of the winners are Kentucky restaurants.

The award honors 3,777 dining destinations from all 50 states and more than 75 countries each year. They are assigned on three levels: the Award of Excellence, the Best of Award of Excellence and the Grand Award with 2,150, 1,531 and 96 winners respectively.

Two Lexington restaurants won awards: Coles 735 Main, at 735 Main St., and Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse, 101 W. Vine St. And Ouita Michel’s Holly Hill Inn in Midway was another Central Kentucky winner.

Six winners are in Louisville, including Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse, Repeal Oak-Fired Steakhouse, Cuvée Wine Table, Morton’s The Steakhouse, Swizzle Dinner & Drinks, and The Capital Grille.

Coles 735 Main also won Wine Spectator Award of Excellence in 2018

Coles 735 director of operations and sommelier Chris Hutchison said the team was “delighted” to see the wine program recognized and they are “honored to be among such an elite group of restaurants.”

“We really work hard to make sure guests have an array of selections in varietals and regions, and we’re constantly training to make sure we can keep what is probably one of the largest lists around as approachable as we can,” Hutchison said. “We know wine can be intimidating, and we want everyone to feel comfortable and enjoy their experience.”

Coles 735 Main opened in 2012 and previously won a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence in 2018. The restaurant serves classic Kentucky Proud cuisine with local meats cured in-house, vegetables pickled onsite, and breads baked fresh daily. The restaurant’s wine program is curated by wine specialist Rita Kraynak, under the guidance of Chris Hutchison, and boasts an inventory of 1,110 wines and 225 selections.

One of Coles 735’s more unusual, but popular, wines is an Areni Noir from Paul Hobbs Winery, Hutchison said. It’s an Armenian wine that staff is quite proud of.

Another thing they are proud of is the 1920s limestone cellar tucked deep underneath the restaurant that houses many rare wines available for diners.

As far as menu pairings, Hutchison said the Coles staff believes “there is no perfect pairing because everyone’s palette is different.”

“The key is knowing the wine list enough to know that if you like it, it’s the right wine for you,” he said. “We take our wine list seriously, but we try not to take ourselves too seriously, and that’s a key to our success in town.”

Jeff Ruby’s, Holly Hill Inn boast large wine selection

The other area winners also have extensive wine lists: the Jeff Ruby’s in Lexington has an inventory of 2,505 wines and 400 selections, curated by wine director Jon Maiden and sommelier Garret Coats. Holly Hill Inn has an inventory of 1,200 and a selection of 200 wines, curated by wine director Chris Michel.

Wine Spectator’s editor noted that restaurateurs have been investing in their wine programs lately, and that “restaurants that make wine a priority are what the Wine Spectator Restaurant Awards program is all about.”

The Restaurant Awards issue, which features chef and restaurateur Daniel Boulud on the cover, becomes available to readers July 9.

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