The Sunday Business Post annual wine awards 2008 have been published and with the venerable Tomás Clancy as the main (or only?) judge, they’re probably the best independent awards in the country.

However, in the spirit of transparency and openness, I’d love to see the criteria used to judge the winners and the list of all entrants to the Sunday Business Post wine awards.

Anyway, despite my small issue with the awards, here are the winners of the Sunday Business Post wine awards.

National fine wine merchants winner 2008

Berry Brothers & Rudd, Harry Street, Dublin 2

Best fine wine merchants (Dublin)

1. Berry Brothers & Rudd, Harry Street, Dublin 2
2. Redmonds of Ranelagh, Dublin 6; In joint second with Fallon & Byrne, Dublin 2
3. Terroirs, Donnybrook, Dublin
4. O’Briens Wine, Beacon Branch, Sandyford, Dublin 18
5. McCabes, Mount Merrion, Blackrock, Co Dublin
6. Searsons Wine Merchants, Blackrock, County Dublin
7. Jus de Vine, Portmarnock, Co Dublin
8. Gibneys of Malahide, Co Dublin
9. Mitchell & Son, Glasthule, Co Dublin
10. Sixty Four Wine, 64 Glasthule Road, Glasthule, Co Dublin

Best fine wine merchants (Outside Dublin)

1. Le Caveau, Kilkenny
2. Wicklow Wine Company, Wicklow
3. Greenacres, Wexford
4. James Nicholson, Crossgar, Co Down
5. David Dennison Fine Wines, High Street, Waterford
6. Wine Centre, Kilkenny
7. Joe Karwig Wines, Carrigaline, Cork
8. World Wide Wines, Waterford
9. Bubble Brothers, English Market, Cork
10. Mortons of Galway, Salthill

Best multiple wine chain

1. O’Briens Wines, nationwide
2. Molloy’s Liquor Stores, Dublin
3. Carry Out, Cork
4. O’Donovan’s Wine Stores, Cork
5. Harvest Wine Stores, Galway

Best supermarket wine outlet

1. Dunnes Stores
2. Tesco
3. Superquinn
4. Supervalu/Centra/Londis
5. Marks & Spencer

Best Wine importer of the year

Wicklow Wine Company

Best specialist drink outlet

Celtic Whiskey Shop, Dawson Street, Dublin 2

Best wine website

1. www.winedirect.ie
2. www.booze.ie
3. www.bbr.ie
4. www.obriens.ie
5. www.terroirs.ie

Best wine bar (Dublin)

1. Ely, Ely Place, Dublin 2
2. Fallon & Byrne, Basement Wine Bar, Dublin 2
3. Ely at the IFSC, Dublin 1
4. Eno Wine, IFSC, Dublin 1
5. The French Paradox, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4
6. Ely, Grand Canal Basin, Dublin 2
7. George’s Wine Bar, South Frederick Street, Dublin 2
8. La Cave, South Anne’s Street, Dublin 2
9. Ella Jazz and Wine, Main Street, Howth, Co Dublin
10. Port House, South William Street, Dublin 2

Best restaurant wine list and wine service (Dublin)

1. Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud, 21 Upper Merrion Street, Dublin 2
2. L’Ecrivain, 109a, Lower Baggot Street, Dublin 2
3. Mint Restaurant, 47 Ranelagh Village, Dublin 2
4. Seasons, The Four Seasons, Simmonscourt Road, Dublin 4
5. Thornton’s, St Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2
6. Chapter One, Basement of Writers Museum, 18-19 Parnell Square, Dublin 1
7. Shanahan’s, St Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2
8. The King Sitric, East Pier, Howth, Co Dublin
9. Harvey Nichols Restaurant, Dundrum Shopping Centre, Dublin 14
10. Le Pearl Brasserie, 20 Merrion Street Upper, Dublin 2

Best restaurant wine list and wine service (outside Dublin)

1. Ashford Castle, Co Galway
2. Sheen Falls Lodge, Kenmare, Co Kerry
3. Kelly’s Resort Hotel, Rosslare, Co Wexford
4. Ritz-Carlton, Powerscourt, Co Wicklow
5. Deane’s, 36-40 Howard Street, Belfast, Co Antrim
6. K Club, The Byerley Turk Restaurant, Co Kildare
7. Wineport Lodge, Athlone, Co Westmeath
8. Dromoland Castle, Co Clare
9. Mount Juliet, Co Kilkenny
10. Jacobs on the Mall, South Mall, Cork city

Tomás Clancy discusses some of the winners in greater detail in his Sunday Business Post article