2009 Wine Spectator Grand Award Toronto's Opus Restaurant on Prince Arthur has been awarded Wine Spectator's 2009 Grand Award, the highest distinction that the powerful US based magazine ever bestows on a restaurant. Opus joins an honour roll of just 72 worldwide Grand Award recipients since 1981, when Wine Spectator first introduced its multi-tiered Award of Excellence program. Coveted by restaurants around the world, Grand Award finalists are subjected to scrupulous onsite inspection. In a letter to Tony and Mario Amaro, the two brothers that own Opus, Wine Spectator's Editor and Publisher, Marvin R. Shanken, wrote, "Congratulations to you and your staff for the effort and passion you have put into your wine program." He noted that the standards for the Grand Award had never been higher, and added, "Wine lovers around the world join me in assuring you that your achievement is understood and appreciated." Wine Spectator, the world's most popular wine magazine, has its work cut out when it chooses the most outstanding wine lists from dining establishments all over the globe. With less than one thousand new restaurants applying for this year's awards program, Wine Spectator drew its largest number of entries ever. Among the important factors considered in the judging were breadth, depth and overall quality of the wine selection, as well as its appropriateness for the restaurant's cuisine. In order to achieve the highest Grand Award, a restaurant must offer a large and varied selection along with a substantial inventory. Wine lists have to be international in scope and include many "collector's items" to inspire even the finest wine connoisseur. "Since the inception of the Wine Spectator Restaurant Awards Program in 1981, the accolade has become a strong motivating factor for restaurateurs to expand and improve their wine lists," said Marvin R. Shanken, Editor and Publisher of Wine Spectator. As a restaurant's wine list becomes one of its most important attributes and keys to success, obtaining a Wine Spectator Award is as good as it gets.     <<back