Occoquan Restaurant Honored With Wine Spectator Award

OCCOQUAN, VA — A restaurant in Occoquan was among 64 in Virginia and thousands worldwide honored for excellence in their wine programs.

Wine Spectator’s 2024 Restaurant Awards had award winners are from all 50 states and more than 75 countries and territories. The awards date back to 1981 as the only worldwide program focused solely on wine service.

The Award of Excellence was presented to about 2,150 restaurants; the Best of Award of Excellence was presented to about 1,531 restaurants; and the Grand Award was presented to 96 restaurants, including Virginia's The Inn at Little Washington.

Occoquan's Bottle Stop Wine Bar won an Award of Excellence. According to Wine Spectator, the wine bar was originally a retail shop and expanded to a restaurant in 2013. It was first honored by Wine Spectator in 2017.

Wine Spectator said the Award of Excellence winners generally have a wine list of at least 100 vintages, while the Best of Award of Excellence winners generally have at least 350 selections. The Grand Award winners have 1,000 or more selections, presenting diners with a depth of vintages from some of the world’s most acclaimed winemakers.

"The restaurant industry is growing and thriving, with restaurant openings surpassing pre-pandemic levels for the first time," said Marvin Shanken, the editor and publisher of Wine Spectator. "To take advantage of the uptick, restaurateurs are investing in their wine programs. Restaurants that make wine a priority are what the Wine Spectator Restaurant Awards program is all about."

Award winners will be featured in the issue of Wine Spectator available on July 9.