2022 Top 5 Winner: LEO HILLINGER WINESHOP & BAR, Vienna, Austria

After a week in three cities in Croatia in September three of the panelists parted ways: one went on to do some wine stomping in Spain a week later while another jetted off to Slovenia, then two reunited in time for a quick stop to Germany into October, but the same three panelists then reunitedContinue reading “2022 Top 5 Winner: LEO HILLINGER WINESHOP & BAR, Vienna, Austria”

2022 Top 5 Winner: CONSONANCE, Bordeaux, France

When you stumble onto a classy wine bar establishment with super-friendly service and you aren’t hungry but can’t stop ordering their tasty menu treats, you know you’ve stumbled upon the next Thacks Awards winner! Whilst the word Consonance means ‘agreement or compatibility between opinions and actions’ our opinion has been that we need to takeContinue reading “2022 Top 5 Winner: CONSONANCE, Bordeaux, France”

Ets Vallauri Wine Bar and Shop (Cannes) Review

When you’re in Cannes for a day and want some good wine, this is your place! We saw an online review simply reading “A bit snobby”. When someone who visited in January 2021 (when Covid was still lurking around) posts a rubbish 3-word review like that, you wonder what they thought to be so rude.Continue reading “Ets Vallauri Wine Bar and Shop (Cannes) Review”

Vinorte Wine Bar (Valencia) Review

For something to be featured on Thacks Awards, it needs to be good. And ‘Vinorte’ in Valencia won’t disappoint!Last night two of the panelists and their friends stumbled upon this gem. And we’ll be back… very soon. We had a 21:30 dinner show reservation nearby and it turned out that the highlight of our eveningContinue reading “Vinorte Wine Bar (Valencia) Review”

2022 Top 5 Winner: VINOBIEN, Mendoza, Argentina

Thacks Awards panelist Hassan M lived and worked in Argentina through March and April 2022. In that time he and panelist John T undertook a trip to Mendoza for a few days in search of amazing experiences. They found one at VinoBien in Mendoza: “When it comes to wine bars, it takes a lot toContinue reading “2022 Top 5 Winner: VINOBIEN, Mendoza, Argentina”

2022 Top 5 Winner: CHATEAU MONTELENA WINERY, Napa Valley, USA

On a recent business trip to the USA, Thacks Awards panelist Anita (who has visited many, many wineries in her lifetime and did some keen research on this one) covered a few US states and cities – and she was most impressed with this gem in her outing to Napa Valley. “Luck was clearly onContinue reading “2022 Top 5 Winner: CHATEAU MONTELENA WINERY, Napa Valley, USA”

2022 Top 5 Winner: TIERRAS DE UVA, Mexico City, Mexico

One would think that it’s easy to find many wine bars offering a selection of great wines by the glass and bottles in a wine-producing country but to my disappointment, that is not the case in Mexico City. Visit cities in France, Italy, South Africa, Australia, Argentina, and other wine-producing countries and you will findContinue reading “2022 Top 5 Winner: TIERRAS DE UVA, Mexico City, Mexico”

2021 Top 5 Winner: Culture Wine Bar, Cape Town, South Africa

At the top of a staircase, off Cape Town’s foodie street (Bree street), sits an oasis of relaxed chic. Here the truism “less is more” applies, since they don’t stock everything, but the wines they do stock are thoughtfully curated by expert sommeliers: some bottles rare and hard to find. Simply put, you can’t goContinue reading “2021 Top 5 Winner: Culture Wine Bar, Cape Town, South Africa”

2021 Top 5 Winner: L’OZZI WINE LOUNGE, Valencia, Spain

The port city of Valencia lies on Spain’s eastern coast, where the Turia River meets the Mediterranean Sea. It’s known for its old historic city contrasted by the modern City of Arts and Sciences, with futuristic structures including a planetarium, an oceanarium and an interactive museum. Valencia is the third largest city in Spain andContinue reading “2021 Top 5 Winner: L’OZZI WINE LOUNGE, Valencia, Spain”

2021 Top 5 Winner:  DE GUSTIBUS, Alba, Italy

Forget Tuscany!  Its underrated Italian sibling in the north-western corner of the country offers many quality treats and surprises which exceeded our expectations compared to Tuscany.  So much so that two of the Thacks Awards panelists have been back to the area twice in four months, during the covid pandemic, to investigate the truffle hype and discoverContinue reading “2021 Top 5 Winner:  DE GUSTIBUS, Alba, Italy”