Cheers! Barolo Grill in Cherry Creek Wins Top Honor for Wine — Again

Since 1981, Wine Spectator has honored the world's best restaurant wine programs with its prestigious Grand Awards. The magazine's latest list has just been announced, and Cherry Creek institution Barolo Grill has been named a Grand Award winner for the seventh year in a row.

Barolo Grill is one of only 97 restaurants around the globe to attain Wine Spectator’s highest honor. The award recognizes the world’s best wine programs, which deliver quality wines and vintages that match the menu. In Barolo's case, that's Northern Italian cuisine, with thousands of bottles in the cellar ready to pair with dishes. Barolo is the only restaurant in Denver city limits to win this award, though Boulder's Flagstaff House has been on the list since 1983, and Aspen's Element 47 since 1997.

Barolo Grill owner and wine director Ryan Fletter is philosophical about the award; he knows these honors can be fleeting.

"I try not to be presumptuous and feel that we are entitled to anything," he says. "So it's always a nice validation. I try to teach the staff that, especially in our industry, a lot of folks can sit on their laurels, whether it's a chef or restaurant or staff. So it's a good exercise to stop and show gratitude and give thanks."
After all, he adds, "It was a huge thing to get it in the first place. And I always tell the staff, like Michelin or anything that they give us, they can take any accolades away."

Fletter acknowledges the award-worthy elements that Wine Spectator sees in Barolo Grill.

"I know consistency and longevity and dedication are some of the components to this, and older vintages and library wines and tenure and tradition, I think, is a big part of it," he says. "Not a lot of restaurants that might be open for two years or five years can try to assemble a gray list, but it's impossible to have a list that has all the depths and breadth without going a long distance and running a marathon rather than a sprint."

In a restaurant industry that often seems to focus on the sprint, changing names and cuisines every few years, Fletter accepts Barolo's reputation as an institution in Denver's modern fine-dining scene. Restaurateur Blair Taylor opened Barolo in 1992 and Fletter started working there in 1994, then shifted his career to California before returning to Denver and Barolo in 2003. He trained as a Master Sommelier and, in 2015, when Taylor decided to leave Barolo to become a full-time wine importer with his company, Enotec, he asked Fletter to buy the restaurant and continue its legacy.

Part of that legacy includes carrying on a tradition that Taylor started early on: The entire staff of Barolo Grill goes to Italy for an annual learning, eating and drinking trip, from chefs to servers to bus staff and even a valet. This year, a hostess is joining the journey. Fletter has kept up the tradition because he was on the very first trip in 1995, and he was inspired by it.
"This is the thirtieth anniversary of that first trip," he recalls. "We thought it would be our first and only trip. We didn't think that you could afford to do it. And then we did a second trip, and it went well, too. And then we did the third trip. Everybody loved it. Now here we are on our thirtieth, so I've continued it in my ownership for the last ten years." Barolo Grill will close this Sunday, June 29, and stay shut for ten days while the staff is away.

Fletter says they plan to soak up the Northern Italian fare (and wines) for which Barolo is famous. "No sushi or McDonald's," he says with a chuckle. He believes the bonding experience helps Barolo Grill maintain its quality and reputation, and motivates the staff for the restaurant's marathon.

"Michelin or not, and I always feel like it takes a lot more than just by accident (to earn an award)," he adds. "It takes a lot of long-distance perseverance to get to a point where you can keep doing this. I mean, we had the best year we ever had last year, and this year's on track."

Despite the many sad stories about restaurants closing, each year of the past decade at Barolo Grill "blew every previous year out of the water," he concludes.

So here's a toast to the continuing upward trajectory.

Barolo Grill is at 3030 East Sixth Avenue; when the staff isn't away, it's open from 5 to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and 5 to 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. For more information, visit the website at barologrilldenver.com.