16 Sarasota-Manatee Restaurants Earn 2026 Wine Spectator Awards for Outstanding Wine Programs
Sarasota and Manatee counties have once again earned national attention for their dining scene, this time for what is in the glass.
Sixteen local restaurants have been named winners in Wine Spectator’s 2026 Restaurant Awards, the magazine’s annual recognition of restaurants with outstanding wine programs. The awards highlight restaurants around the world that offer carefully selected wine lists, strong service and wine programs that pair well with their menus.
This year, Wine Spectator recognized 4,012 restaurants worldwide. In Sarasota and Manatee counties, the honorees include long-established fine-dining restaurants, popular steak and seafood destinations, Italian favorites, downtown staples and two Seasons 52 locations.
Best of Award of Excellence Honorees
The local list is especially notable because four area restaurants received the Best of Award of Excellence, the second-highest level in Wine Spectator’s three-tier awards program. Those restaurants are Michael’s On East, Marcello’s Ristorante Italiano, The Capital Grille and CW Prime at The St. Regis Longboat Key Resort.
CW Prime is one of the biggest local stories on the list. The steak and seafood restaurant at The St. Regis Longboat Key Resort earned recognition in its first year on the list and did so at the higher Best of Award of Excellence level. Wine Spectator lists its wine strengths as California and Bordeaux. The honor adds another dining note to The St. Regis Longboat Key Resort’s arrival on the Suncoast.
Michael’s On East, one of Sarasota’s best-known fine-dining restaurants, continues its long history of wine recognition. The restaurant has been associated with Wine Spectator honors for decades and has been recognized at the Best of Award of Excellence level in recent years.
Marcello’s Ristorante Italiano, The Capital Grille at University Town Center and CW Prime also represent the type of restaurants Wine Spectator often highlights: places where the wine list is not an afterthought, but part of the dining experience.
It is important to note that Wine Spectator’s Restaurant Awards recognize wine programs, not overall restaurant quality. The awards evaluate wine lists for accuracy, selection, depth, breadth, presentation and how well the wine program fits the restaurant’s cuisine and style. The program includes three levels: Award of Excellence, Best of Award of Excellence and Grand Award. No Sarasota-Manatee restaurant received the Grand Award in 2026.
2026 Wine Spectator Winners in Sarasota County
- Alpine Steakhouse – Award of Excellence
- Cafe Gabbiano – Award of Excellence
- CW Prime – Best of Award of Excellence
- Duval’s Fresh. Local. Seafood. – Award of Excellence
- Marcello’s Ristorante Italiano – Best of Award of Excellence
- Michael’s On East – Best of Award of Excellence
- Osteria 500 – Award of Excellence
- Sage – Award of Excellence
- Seasons 52 at University Town Center – Award of Excellence
- Selva Grill – Award of Excellence
- Siesta Key Summer House Steak and Seafood – Award of Excellence
- The Capital Grille – Best of Award of Excellence
2026 Wine Spectator Winners in Manatee County
- Grove – Award of Excellence
- O’Bricks Irish Pub & Martini Bar – Award of Excellence
- Pier 22 – Award of Excellence
- Seasons 52 in Bradenton – Award of Excellence
What the Recognition Means for Local Diners
For local diners, the recognition is more than a badge on the door. A strong wine program can help turn a good meal into a memorable night out, whether the occasion calls for a familiar California cabernet, a French Bordeaux, an Italian red, a crisp white for seafood or a bottle selected with guidance from a knowledgeable service team.
Several of this year’s local winners have been recognized by Wine Spectator for multiple years. Duval’s has previously promoted its Wine Spectator Award of Excellence recognition, while Osteria 500 has announced that it has earned the Award of Excellence every year since opening.
The 2026 list also reflects the continued growth of the Sarasota-Manatee dining scene. From downtown Sarasota to Siesta Key, University Town Center, Longboat Key, Lakewood Ranch and Bradenton, the region now offers a deeper mix of restaurants where wine plays a central role in the experience. Recent dining coverage has also tracked how Savor Sarasota continues to showcase local restaurants and how Florida’s Gulf Coast has appeared on national restaurant lists, including OpenTable’s Top 100 Restaurants recognition.
Wine lovers looking for a special night out now have 16 local reasons to raise a glass.
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