San Baylon, the restaurant at the five-star Palazzo Ripetta in central Rome, has earned a 2026 Wine Spectator Award of Excellence, the American magazine's recognition of restaurants with outstanding wine programs. Wine Spectator's Restaurant Awards, given since 1981, are among the most trusted benchmarks in American wine culture. This year, more than 4,000 restaurants across all 50 states and 87 countries earned recognition. The Award of Excellence honors wine programs that offer a well-chosen range of quality producers and thoughtful pairing to the menu in both style and price.
A Wine List Organized by Journey San Baylon's 170-label list distinguishes itself through its structure.
Rather than organizing by region, the list is divided into chapters grouped by character and place: Il Tempo dello Champagne, Vini di Altitudine (high-altitude wines), Vini di Mare (coastal, saline wines), Vini di Vulcano (volcanic-soil wines from Etna, Vesuvius and Vulture), Le Grandi Famiglie Italiane, and Sguardi dal Mondo. Italy's landmark estates—Sassicaia, Masseto, Ornellaia, and Biondi-Santi, alongside great names of Barolo, Barbaresco, and Amarone—sit alongside houses of Champagne, Burgundy, and Bordeaux classics, with small artisanal growers throughout. The list closes with house-made and nonalcoholic fermentations, including kombucha and water kefir, designed to pair with the kitchen.
The Venue and Kitchen San Baylon occupies a 17th-century building between Piazza del Popolo and the Spanish Steps, renovated in the 1960s to a design by Italian architect Luigi Walter Moretti. The property is part of the Relais & Châteaux collection. Executive Chef Christian Spalvieri leads the kitchen, turning out contemporary Italian cooking rooted in seasonal Italian ingredients. According to Alessandro Strazzanti, food and beverage manager: "Wine is part of how we tell the story of a meal here. We built the list as a conversation with the kitchen—Italy's great estates and the houses of Champagne next to small growers and even our own fermentations—so every bottle has a reason to be on the table. To have that recognized by Wine Spectator means a great deal to our team." San Baylon will be featured among the 2026 winners in Wine Spectator's Restaurants issue.
Why It Matters
For hospitality operators, San Baylon's award underscores the market value of thoughtfully curated wine programs that align with kitchen direction and customer demographics. The restaurant's integration of house-made fermentations and lower-alcohol options reflects shifting consumer preferences that savvy wine directors increasingly recognize as commercially and culturally relevant.
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Written by FBM Publications Editors
