Four SoDel Concepts restaurants honored for wine selection excellence

For the fourth consecutive year, four SoDel Concepts restaurants have received the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence. Only seven Delaware restaurants were honored this year.

SoDel Concepts award-winners include Bluecoast Seafood Grill + Raw Bar and Lupo Italian Kitchen in Rehoboth Beach, Bluecoast Seafood Grill + Raw Bar in Bethany Beach, and Catch 54 in Fenwick Island.

Wine Spectator’s Award of Excellence is given to restaurants with thoughtfully chosen selections appropriate for the cuisine and representative of a range of regions and styles. These lists typically offer 90 or more options. This year, 1,673 restaurants earned the Award of Excellence.

Sommelier Mike Zygmonski is the director of SoDel Concepts’ wine program.

“Mike Z. and the beverage team are wine industry experts who excel at sharing their knowledge with the rest of our company,” said Scott Kammerer, president of SoDel Concepts, which has 12 – soon to be 14 – restaurants and three concession operations.

“Mike has developed exceptional wine lists that complement the menu at each restaurant,” said Kammerer. “And everything is selected with our guests’ tastes in mind – we want them to have the best experience possible when they visit a SoDel Concepts restaurant.”

Zygmonski, who has overseen the wine program since 2014, said the wines must match SoDel Concepts’ mission to offer beautiful, simple food.

Even rare wines must be approachable. “Fine dining and fine wines don’t need to be intimidating,” Zygmonski said. “And from our menus to our wine lists, we want our guests to find something that suits their budget and their palate.” The award recognizes the team’s efforts to curate the collection, he said.

All SoDel Concepts restaurants are open for dining and carryout. For more information, go to sodelconcepts.com.