Each year, Wine Spectator bestows its Award of Excellence to restaurants with wine lists that meet the magazine’s high standards. To qualify, a restaurant must offer at least 90 selections from quality producers that complement both the menu and ambiance.
Of the 13 Delaware restaurants recognized in 2024, nine are located in eastern Sussex County.
1. Benvenuto
Owners Lisa and Walton “Poncho” Johnson created this Milford restaurant to honor their love affair with Tuscany – a romance kindled by Lisa’s parents, who lived in Italy in the 1950s. The Johnsons have maintained relationships with many of their friends overseas.
Lisa, a talented designer, used trompe l’oeil techniques to transport guests to Tuscany. The restaurant features four distinct dining areas, including one with a view of the open kitchen, a bar, and outdoor seating. Chef Jesus “Zeus” Gordiany, a local TV personality, has crafted a menu that blends Italian cuisine with local fare, including crab cakes.
There are at least 14 Italian wines available by the glass, and bottles are offered in various sizes. The restaurant also hosts wine-centric events and offers a wine club.
2. Lewes Oyster House
This downtown Lewes restaurant was inspired by Colonial public houses, but the wine list is far more refined. Credit goes to wine steward Diego Lascano, whose program takes a global approach. Most would agree that wine and oysters go together like peanut butter and jelly. The list also includes bottles of natural wine that continue to ferment in the bottle.
3. Bluecoast Seafood Grill & Raw Bar
There are two Bluecoast restaurants. The original is in North Bethany, overlooking the marshes. (Snag a deck or window seat for a stunning sunset.) The second location sits on Route 1, near the entrance to downtown Rehoboth Beach, and features a covered porch and outdoor bar.
The Bethany location has received the Award of Excellence every year since 2017, and the Rehoboth spot quickly followed in its sister’s footsteps. Both specialize in seafood and raw bar selections. The Rehoboth location is open for lunch and regularly hosts wine dinners.
4. Lupo Italian Kitchen
Lupo’s Italian wine list is divided into white and red selections, and further categorized into light, medium, and full-flavored styles. (The whites also include a sparkling section.)
The kitchen makes pasta daily and covers all the classics – gnocchi, fettuccine, bucatini, and linguine. Entrées include eggplant parm, steak, whole branzino, and braised short rib.
5. Blue Moon
The grand dame of fine dining in Rehoboth Beach has frequently earned accolades for its wine program. Curating a list here is no easy feat – the menu is highly diverse. On any given day, options might include colossal shrimp stuffed with crabmeat, blackened mahi, duck breast, a bacon cheddar burger, or chicken pot pie.
Wines by the glass are 50 percent off during happy hour, from 4 to 6 p.m. in the atrium.
6. Eden Restaurant
Eden’s wine-by-the-glass offerings are especially impressive given the breadth of its culinary menu. Thanks to the Coravin system, bartenders can pour wine without removing the cork – which preserves the wine and prevents oxidation.
Eden offers half-bottles and, in the off-season, hosts monthly wine dinners.
7. Nantuckets Restaurant
Founded in 1990 by David and Janet Twining, this Fenwick Island restaurant is known for quahog and scallop chowder, lobster rolls, steaks, and oysters – including bivalves topped with caviar and vodka sour cream.
The wine list features more than 100 selections and denotes whether each is American or “worldly.”
8. Catch 54 Fish House
A repeat award winner, Catch 54 categorizes wines by grape – from Chardonnay to Cabernet – with a section of alternative varietals that don’t fit traditional categories. The list also features a Malbec from Sposato Family Vineyards, an Argentina-based winery owned by a local Delaware family.
True to its name, Catch 54 specializes in seafood, including Chesapeake blue catfish – an invasive species that also happens to taste great. Buttermilk-dipped fried shrimp and calamari are also fan favorites.
