2 VA, DC Restaurants Among Wine Spectator 2020 Winners

WASHINGTON, DC — Two perennial award-winners in the region's culinary world were recently honored by Wine Spectator magazine.

The restaurant industry is perhaps the hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic, but the publications put aside the challenging year and recently released its list of 2020 Restaurant Award winners. Honors went to the best in the industry and recognized the devotion displayed by an industry that has, according to a statement posted to its website, “come together to support its members and the communities they serve.”

The annual list typically gives us a glimpse at the best spots in Virginia and the District of Washington. This year, one restaurant in DC and one in Virginia earned grand awards from Wine Spectator.

The annual Restaurant Awards honor excellence in restaurant wine lists, as well as those who have demonstrated passion and devoted extensive resources to creating outstanding wine programs.

This year, the awards honored 3,800 restaurants in 50 states and 80 countries and territories. Awards were given in three categories: Award of Excellence, Best of Award of Excellence and Grand Award.

The Grand Award is Wine Spectator’s most prestigious honor, given to the world’s most elite wine programs. Read profiles of all 100 current Grand Award winners on the magazine's website.

The regional Grand Award winners are:

Fiola in Washington, D.C.: The magazine says, "Fabio Trabocchi is a leading force in Washington, D.C.’s Italian restaurant scene. A short stroll from the National Mall, his flagship venue brings superior Italian labels and authentic regional cuisine to the heart of the capital city."

“This is the culmination of a truly special wine journey, and one which wouldn’t be possible without equally elegant food,” says Fabio Trabocchi on the restaurant website. “Congratulations to our Wine Director Casper Rice, Lead Sommelier Jennifer Foucher, Culinary Director Brinn Sinnott, and our entire team, for their continued drive toward excellence in both our culinary and wine offerings - for the essence of Italian wine is its beautiful connection to food.”

The Fiola website says: Fiola houses Washington, D.C.'s only Wine Spectator Grand Award-winning wine cellar, with 2,875 unique label selections and 10,200 bottles in inventory. Fiola's cellar is now available for online purchase and contactless pickup.

Details: Fiola Ristorante & Bar, 601 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20004 (Enter aT 678 Indiana Ave.) Phone: 202.525.1402 Email: INFO@FABIOTRABOCCHI.COM.

The Inn at Little Washington in Washington, Virginia. The magazine says, "About 70 miles from Washington, D.C., the Inn has long been a destination for serious wines and great food, thanks to chef and owner Patrick O’Connell. But rather than rest on their laurels, the team is constantly seeking cutting-edge wines from up-and-coming producers to enhance the 2,000-label list."

The inn's website says it's located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge mountains, 67 miles away from D.C. Patrick O’Connell and Reinhardt Lynch converted a former garage on the corner of Main and Middle Streets into a restaurant. The building was constructed around 1895 and was slowly turned into a charming country restaurant.

"The Inn at Little Washington opened on January 28, 1978, during the worst blizzard of the decade with no liquor license, insufficient electrical power, and a staff of three. Weeks afterwards, a Washington, D.C. restaurant reviewer dined anonymously and wrote that it was the best restaurant in a radius of 150 miles of the nation’s capital," according to its website. "At the end of the first year the partners closed for the month of January and went on a gastronomic pilgrimage to the great restaurants of France. ... These European reference points became instrumental in galvanizing a direction and in shaping an ultimate goal for the Inn at Little Washington to achieve."

In 1989 the venue made history when it became the first inn to receive the Mobil Travel Guide’s five star award. A year later, Mobil announced that The Inn had received two 5-Star Awards—one for its restaurant as well as one for the accommodations.

Details: Middle and Main Streets, P.O. Box 300, Washington, VA 22747, (540) 675-3800

Candidates for the Grand Award are required to undergo a rigorous inspection by Wine Spectator judges; however, this year, travel restrictions and mandatory restaurant shutdowns made inspections impossible. As a result, the magazine named no new restaurants to the 2020 Grand Award list.