Sure, Tucson restaurants are known for having delicious cuisine, savory bites, and bright flavors that burst throughout the city, but some are also recognized for having an incredible wine selection.
This year’s Wine Spectator Award of Excellence is honoring eight restaurants in the Tucson area, which includes PY Steakhouse, Maynards Market & Kitchen, Kingfisher, Feast, Primo, The Grill at Hacienda Del Sol, The Lodge at Ventana Canyon, and CORE Kitchen & Wine Bar.
Every year, the Wine Spectator group scours the globe for restaurants with wine lists that offer unique selections, have a mass appeal to a wide range of wine lovers, and go hand in hand with their cuisine.
For example, PY Steakhouse continues to expand its wine list with carefully selected verticals (vintages in a row) such as 2014, 2015, and 2016 vintages of the same producer.
“We currently have over 540 different varietals of wine and feature 3,780 bottles of wine in our inventory,” said Jennifer Aspery, manager and sommelier at PY Steakhouse. “PY Steakhouse has a wine list that is carefully selected and is eager to please all of our guests from wine novice to those that have a more mature pallet.”
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The 2020 awards program is also paying tribute to the restaurant industry during the current global pandemic for the changes each business has made to keep everyone safe.
“I love what I do and most importantly, I love others to enjoy what we have to offer,” said Aspery. “It’s a constant work in progress. Over the past four months, we have taken all the precautionary measures to ensure the safety of our team members and guests.”
Some local spots in town either have limited hours, are strictly to-go only, or have temporarily closed their doors — much like Maynards Market & Kitchen, who is remaining closed until this fall.
Keep an eye out for any changes made to the hours of operation at any of the honored restaurants, and also check out some of the deals they’re offering right now. For instance, Kingfisher is having a sale on their bottles of wine — to-go only.
For more information on the awards, visit winespectator.com.
Article written by:
Matt Sterner
More about MattAt a very young age, Matt Sterner was gifted with the artistic ability to masterfully roll a burrito to the highest of standards, but the wrapped medley of delicious innards wasn’t his first love. Matt’s first true love was a combination of reading, writing, and creating. He grew up reading comics, the ingredients list of his shampoo and conditioner bottles, choose-your-own-adventure books, and the Scrabble dictionary — something he found useful when challenging his grandmother to a game.
He attended college at New Mexico State University and graduated with a degree in Digital Filmmaking. One of his favorite classes was screenwriting because he became responsible for the story’s birth before it came to life on-screen. After school, Matt took on numerous positions at a local television station in Tucson. From dealing out stories about heartbreak to producing “fluffier” content for a lifestyle broadcast, he learned what it takes to adapt to the many emotions the world of media can stir. Since 2017, Matt has dabbled in the culinary world of Tucson as well as San Diego, California from time to time.
If you’re in the mood for strange stories, head over to his pride and joy, wonkytimes.com. And in case you’re curious — yes, after all of this time, he still manages to roll a killer burrito.
