Ana‑Paula Arean
Great restaurants feed our appetites. Great wine programs feed our curiosity. They’re built on the belief that your next favorite bottle probably isn’t the one you’ve been drinking for years – it’s the one you haven’t met yet, introduced by a passionate sommelier or wine director eager to share something extraordinary.
That spirit of curiosity is what Wine Spectator recognizes through its annual Restaurant Awards. This year, Madison’s Restaurant & Wine Garden, High Hampton’s Dining Room and Ristorante Paoletti each earned the magazine’s prestigious Best of Award of Excellence, while The Greystone Inn received the Award of Excellence, further underscoring the Highlands‑Cashiers Plateau’s reputation as one of the Southeast’s premier destinations for wine lovers.
At Madison’s Restaurant & Wine Garden, one of the Southeast’s most celebrated wine programs continues to evolve. Sommelier Ana‑Paula Arean oversees a wine list of more than 1,600 selections, supported by a cellar of over 10,000 bottles, spanning benchmark Bordeaux and Burgundy, California icons, Italy’s great producers and emerging discoveries from around the world. Yet even with a program of that breadth, Arean remains every bit as passionate about learning as collecting. She’s currently pursuing advanced studies through the Wine Scholar Guild with a focus on Champagne, bringing additional depth to Madison’s already exceptional Champagne program through boutique grower‑producers whose wines reflect the individuality of their vineyards and families.
“We want to set the tone for a remarkable dining experience,” she says.
For Arean, Wine Spectator’s recognition is not only a professional milestone but also a reflection of the standards upheld across the entire Old Edwards Hospitality Group.
Tyler Wesslund
At High Hampton, Wine Director Tyler Wesslund continues refining a program built around one guiding principle: wine should elevate the food. The cellar has grown to approximately 725 selections anchored by the classic regions of France, Italy and California, while increasingly emphasizing thoughtful food‑and‑wine pairings that complement Chef Scott Franqueza’s seasonal menus.
Rather than chasing trophy bottles, Wesslund looks for wines that create harmony at the table, whether pairing a crisp Riesling with trout or a robust Châteauneuf‑du‑Pape with pork. The recently opened Tavern, now serving dinner, extends that philosophy into another inviting setting where guests can further explore the restaurant’s food and wine program.
For Wesslund, earning Wine Spectator’s recognition means guests can feel confident the work has already been done – that every bottle has been selected with purpose, reflecting classic regions, evolving tastes and, above all, the dining experience.
“It tells guests they can trust what’s in the glass,” he says, a philosophy that guides every addition to the list.
Kyle Tarczynski
At Ristorante Paoletti, owner Arthur Paoletti’s passion for wine has shaped the restaurant’s identity for decades, giving Wine Director Kyle Tarczynski the freedom to continually seek out remarkable wines. The cellar has grown to nearly 8,000 bottles representing more than 1,900 selections, yet Tarczynski insists the numbers aren’t the story. Every bottle is available to guests, and while the heart of the program remains unmistakably Italian, with an emphasis on small, family‑owned wineries whose wines express the character of their regions, he spends countless hours searching for limited‑production wines guests simply won’t find at their neighborhood wine shop.
“When you’re dining out, you’re paying for an experience you don’t get at home,” he says.
At least one sommelier – and often two – guide guests through the list each evening, which also includes more than 275 wines priced under $100. The restaurant’s continuous run as a Best of Award of Excellence winner since 2005 reflects Arthur Paoletti’s enduring commitment to making wine an integral part of every meal.
Blake Porter
The Greystone Inn approaches wine with equal measures of adventure and hospitality. Food and Beverage Director Blake Porter, who laughingly credits his appreciation of wine to being raised by “a wine snob from Hickory,” has broadened the Inn’s award‑winning list by introducing wines from emerging regions while maintaining a strong foundation in the classic producers he loves.
Alongside French favorites, guests may now encounter bottles from Croatia or thoughtfully crafted natural wines. His objective, however, isn’t novelty for novelty’s sake. It’s making sure every guest feels comfortable exploring something new.
“I want there to be something everyone can try,” Porter says. “More of a feeling that you’ll be taken care of.” It’s a welcoming philosophy that has helped earn the Inn another Award of Excellence.
In the end, that’s what these awards really celebrate. It’s not simply thousands of bottles resting in temperature‑controlled cellars, but the excitement of opening one that becomes a new favorite. On the Plateau, that’s a discovery waiting at all four tables.
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