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25 June 2026
Kuredhivaru Resort and Spa earns Wine Spectator honours for all three dining venues
Kuredhivaru Resort and Spa has received the 2026 Wine Spectator Award of Excellence for each of its three dining venues, recognising the resort’s commitment to wine selection, food pairing and cellar management.
The international recognition was awarded to Oak Lounge Wine Cellar, Bodumas and Latitude 5.5, making Kuredhivaru one of the few resorts to secure the accolade across its entire collection of signature restaurants.
For chefs, sommeliers and food and beverage professionals, the achievement highlights the growing importance of integrated wine programmes in luxury hospitality, where carefully curated wine lists are developed alongside culinary concepts rather than as standalone beverage offerings.
Presented annually by Wine Spectator, the Award of Excellence recognises restaurants whose wine lists feature a minimum of 75 labels while demonstrating quality, diversity, accuracy and a strong relationship between wine selection and cuisine.
At Kuredhivaru, the award-winning programme is led by Head Sommelier Sasho Petereski, whose wine portfolio spans more than 300 labels across the resort’s three restaurants.
Each wine list has been tailored to complement the individual identity of its respective restaurant while maintaining consistency in storage standards, service and guest experience. Wines are preserved in temperature-controlled conditions to ensure quality and optimal serving conditions, with the collection ranging from internationally recognised producers to rare vintages.
For culinary professionals, the programme illustrates the role of the sommelier as an integral member of the restaurant team. Modern wine programmes increasingly involve close collaboration between chefs and sommeliers to create pairings that enhance both the cuisine and the guest experience.
Each restaurant has been developed around a distinct culinary concept.
Latitude 5.5 combines Mediterranean-inspired cuisine with a wine list designed to complement fresh seafood, grilled specialities and regional flavours.
At Bodumas, Japanese-inspired cuisine is paired with wines selected to balance delicate flavours, umami-rich dishes and refined presentations, demonstrating the increasing acceptance of wine as a complement to Japanese gastronomy.
Meanwhile, Oak Lounge Wine Cellar focuses on curated wine experiences, including dedicated wine-pairing dinners that place the relationship between food and wine at the centre of the dining experience.
For chefs working in the Maldives, the recognition reinforces the importance of beverage programmes as a key component of contemporary fine dining. As guest expectations continue to evolve, successful restaurant concepts increasingly depend on close collaboration between the kitchen, sommelier and service teams to deliver a seamless culinary journey.
Receiving the Award of Excellence for all three restaurants also reflects the resort’s investment in cellar management, wine education and pairing expertise, demonstrating that a strong wine programme is built not only on the breadth of the collection but also on thoughtful curation, proper storage and its ability to complement the cuisine served.
