Gosforth restaurant Ophelia awarded White Star in worldwide wine guide

A Newcastle fine dining restaurant has been awarded a prestigious rating for its quality wine list and it is now inspired to even greater starry heights.

Ophelia in south Gosforth, has achieved White Star status from The Star Wine List and now will be in with a chance to go one better and reach Red Star level. Local chef Nick Grieves' French-style brasserie, which he launched in January 2023, is delighted at the news which has seen the efforts to source top wines to complement its menu pay off.

General manager Matt Francombe said the team is "really happy" at the listing, saying: "It goes some way to recognising the work we’ve done in pulling together a really interesting wine programme. We’ve taken a great deal of care sourcing from among our favourite regional vineyards, predominantly from France, to deliver wines that marry perfectly with Nick’s French-inspired regional cuisine."

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Interesting wines are what the White Star looks for and its star awards recognise venues whose wine lists have been reviewed and approved for inclusion. The Star Wine List is an independent guide and star status is awarded by its team and its ambassadors.

Ophelia's success means that it is now being put forward for a next stage, which will involve a visit to the Newcastle restaurant by one of the award team so it has a chance of winning the coveted Red Star status.

The guide, which covers top wine-led bars and restaurants in 40 countries over every continent, also can be accessed by app so customers can check out notable wine selections before visiting a venue. Its UK launch came at the end of 2020, following around 20 years of increasing quality in the wine selections of British venues and the growing trend in sommeliers focused upon seeking out the best.

It also runs a round of yearly awards in each country it operates in. Its star listings involve a stringent evaluation process, with selections being continually monitored so there may updates - both adding and removing venues - throughout the year.

With Ophelia now hoping to bag Red Star status, Matt added: "We’ll continue to push and hope that in the fullness of time we can achieve further recognition for our wine list."