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Seven Glaciers Restaurants Recognized by Wine Spectator, Recipient of 2011 Best of Award of Excellence Honor

July 13, 2011 (Girdwood, Alaska) – Wine Spectator Magazine recently named Seven Glaciers

Restaurant at Alyeska Resort one of its winners of the 2011 Best of Award of Excellence Honor.

In its 30th year, the Wine Spectator’s Restaurant Wine List Awards program has remained the

pinnacle of recognition in the fine-dining industry. Wine Spectator plans to release the complete

list of 2011 award winners on August 31, 2011 a part of its 2011 Dining Guide Issue.

 

The restaurant wine list award program has three distinct levels: Award of Excellence, Best of

Award of Excellence, and Grand Award with 2,827, 833 and 74 winners in each level

respectively for 2011. Each level follows select qualifications utilized by a multi‐judge panel.

The criteria range from quantitative measurements such as number of wine selection to depth,

range and display of the list. Wine strength is typically based on format, vertical offerings or

breadth across wine regions.

 

A long-time recipient of Wine Spectator’s Award of Excellence, Seven Glaciers’ recent

achievement to the next level represents continued effort by restaurant management and staff in

the areas of customer service, culinary execution and wine selection. The restaurant’s wine

cellar currently holds over 10,000 bottles, representing over 700 selections, with a significantly

upgraded large format and split program. As of 2010, the resort has a dedicated wine director

and sommelier who oversees the wine program across all resort restaurants.

 

Within the Best of Award of Excellence category, winning restaurants are recognized for clearly

exceeding the requirements of the Award of Excellence and offering wine lists that typically

offer 400 or more selections. In addition, restaurants will feature superior presentation and

display, either vintage depth, with several vertical offerings of top wines, or excellent breadth

across several wine regions. Seven Glaciers joins Marx Bros. Café and The Crow’s Nest as

Alaska’s only restaurants to receive this recognition.

 

Seven Glaciers has also been identified as having a moderate price rating by Wine Spectator.

Restaurant wine list pricing is gauged against the wine industry norm for markup, and those

receiving a moderate price rating typically offer a range of both less expensive and expensive

offerings with select offerings over $100 a bottle.

 

“We are excited to be able to offer our guests amazing wines at a great value,” says resort wine

director and sommelier Eric Myers. “This award represents an important step forward for

Seven Glaciers’ wine program.”

 

Perched atop Mt. Alyeska at 2,300 feet above sea level, Seven Glaciers is well-recognized for its

unique mountain‐top location. The restaurant is surrounded by seven hanging glaciers, peaks of

the Chugach mountain range and views of the Turnagain Arm. The restaurant first opened its

doors in 1994 and has continued its tradition of excellence to this date under the tutelage of

Executive Chef Jason Porter.

 

The current dinner menu focuses on local ingredients and fresh seasonal seafood from Alaska.

Chef Porter personalizes the menu with his love for comfort foods and appreciation of the

current farm-to-plate philosophy. The prix fixe Chef’s Tasting Menu has become one of the

restaurant’s best sellers providing dining guests the opportunity to explore the menu’s full

range.

 

Under the director of the sommelier, Seven Glaciers introduced a new wine menu format this

year in an effort to help dining guests find and identify wines more easily. The menu also

includes wine flights providing guests an even greater opportunity to taste a wide range of

wines available. Finally, the wine list features a special monthly wine or vintner to coincide

with the popular Seven Glaciers Wine Dinner series introduced two winters ago. These dinners

offer guests a custom chef’s tasting menu paired with the featured wine, as well as special guest

speakers from the featured winery or vineyard.

 

The wine dinners have included international and national wineries and vineyards including:

Silver Oak, Banfi Vintners, Rodney Strong and Stags Leap Wine Cellars. These dinners have

been lauded as educational and inspirational by repeat guests. The next wine dinner is

scheduled for Saturday, September 17 and features a dual format of Tablas Creek of Paso

Robles, California, and Chateau de Beaucastel from the Rhone Valley, France. The dinner will

start at 7:00 P.M. and seatings are $140 per person. Wine dinner reservations can be made by

calling 907-754-2237 or online at OpenTable.com.

 

Seven Glaciers offers dinner daily in the summer season, and lunch and dinner on Friday to

Sundays during ski season. The restaurant staff highly recommends advanced reservations for

wine dinners and dining anytime of year which includes complimentary scenic tram ride to the

restaurant. Restaurant reservations can be made between 9:00 A.M. and 5:00 P.M. by calling

907-754-2237 or online at OpenTable.com. For general information about the resort, please visit

www.alyeskaresort.com or call resort central reservations at 907-754-2111 or 800-880-3880.

 

About Alyeska Resort (www.alyeskaresort.com)

Alyeska Resort is Alaska’s premier year-round destination featuring The Hotel Alyeska, an

award-winning 304 room full-service property. Located just 40 miles from Anchorage and Ted

Stevens Anchorage International Airport, Alyeska Resort is your base camp for summer and

winter excursions. The resort is within close proximity of three national parks and the Kenai

Peninsula, and is home to the northernmost temperate rainforest, part of the Chugach

Mountains. Alyeska Resort stands out in ski season with 650” of average snowfall annually and

the longest-continuous double black diamond ski run in North America. Learn more about the

resort and plan your Alaskan adventure at www.alyeskaresort.com or 800‐880‐3880.