By Kristen Kuchar

Every year, Wine Spectator announces its annual Restaurant Awards, which highlight the best wine lists and wine experiences throughout the world. This year, 68 Colorado spots made the cut, with three receiving the most prestigious accolade of all – the Grand Award. Only 100 restaurants in the world earn the distinction. This year, Aspen’s Element 47, Boulder’s Flagstaff House, and Denver’s Barolo Grill earned the award.

Barolo Grill

Denver’s first recipient of the prestigious award is Barolo Grill, which serves Northern Italian Cuisine to pair with a thoughtful, intentional wine list. The restaurant, on East 6th Avenue in the north Cherry Creek neighborhood, is a repeat winner of the Grand Award, and has won other major awards for its food and wine.

Despite the 120-page wine list, owner and wine director Ryan Fletter wants people of all wine levels to feel welcome and not intimidated if they don’t have a lot of prior wine knowledge. Flettler is a CMS Advanced Sommelier. The passionate wine connoisseur, who recalls Barolo’s one-page wine list back in the 1990s, says it’s an honor to receive the award and feels it’s a collective effort – from the wine experts, chefs and wait staff down to the community and guests who support the restaurant.

Since 1995, the entire staff at Barolo has ventured abroad annually to immerse themselves in the unforgettable experience of eating and drinking in Italy, because Italians don’t think about food without wine and vice versa, Fletter explains. Weaved throughout the impressive wine list are small, family-owned wineries, which Fletter says was natural as they are a small business, too.

Patrons can choose from a comfortable dining room, an inviting bar, an outdoor patio or even private dining rooms. “I think the dining experience is special and celebratory,” Fletter says – whether it’s a special occasion accompanied by a bottle of Dom Perignon or a Tuesday evening with a simple glass of chianti.

Flagstaff House

The breathtaking mountain views at Boulder’s Flagstaff House are just the icing on the cake of the memorable wine and food experience, says Ali Yakich, wine and beverage director.

“The wine experience at Flagstaff begins right when you enter the restaurant, you see the display of the world-famous Mouton-Rothschild collection ranging from 2015 vintage all the way to a rare bottle of 1899 vintage,” says Yakich, who personally brings a love for wines of Burgundy, Oregon, and the Finger Lakes to the Flagstaff House.

Eager sommeliers are ready to help patrons navigate the list and pair the perfect bottle to the flavorful menu. Yakich credits founder Don Monette with the prestigious award, citing his passion and vision for creating one of the best destination restaurants in the country. “We hold ourselves to high standards because we know our diners expect the best from us and we want to continue to impress and surprise them in the best ways for many more decades to come,” she adds.

Element 47

Element 47 is tucked inside Aspen’s only five-star and five-diamond hotel, The Little Nell. The restaurant describes its food as “Colorado contemporary cuisine, focusing on local wagyu beef, house-made pasta and seasonal produce.

But of course, the wine magazine judges are more interested in the cellar than the kitchen. Element 47 has repeatedly received the top Wine Spectator award since 1997, as it houses 20,000 wines from all over the world in that cellar.

“The Nell's knowledgeable wine team, led by Chris Dunaway as wine director, is focused on giving the very best in service and creating an engaging guest experience,” says May Selby, corporate director of public relations at The Little Nell Hotel Group. Guests can enjoy personalized wine tastings after a consultation with one of the expert sommeliers, or a customized wine pairing with a menu designed by the executive chef.

In recent times, the wine list has broadened to include a wider audience with specific tastes – such as kosher wines, as well as natural and organic wines. “Our team is constantly striving to learn more, enhance their accreditation and travel to wine regions of the world - all with the goal of being as informed, exposed and interactive as can be,” Selby says.