This Cape Town restaurant officially has one of the world's best wine lists

Pop the corks! ëlgr restaurant in Cape Town’s Kloof Street was among the winners at this year’s Star Wine List of the Year awards announced at a ceremony in Stockholm last week.

The local eatery received top honours in the category of best sustainable wine list, an achievement shared with Michelin star restaurant Haoma in Bangkok, Thailand, while Alchemist in Copenhagen, Denmark scooped the Grand Prix award for the best large wine list.

“We were elated with the news!” said sommelier Le Roi van de Vyver after learning about the win. “It is such an honour to be globally recognised.”

But what exactly went into this award, TimesLIVE wanted to know?

“Sustainability is a buzz word these days and I think everyone defines it differently to the same end goal. [It is] something I feel most sommeliers, winemakers and the wine industry in general aspire to — the way we work towards a better future is all we want.

“A sustainable wine list is one that supports producers that care for their land and people and everyone involved in such a way that the future of those vineyards and people are bettered. [It is] a wine list that is dynamic in the way it supports small producers, organic and natural producers but doesn’t use that as the only means to support growth. Looking into what larger-scale farms are doing and showing that on your list while keeping quality as the number one principal is what makes the list work,” De Vyver explained.

ëlgr’s wine list features mostly local wines — and they’ll always be in the majority, De Vyver says. “I don't want to say the phrase local is lekker ... but it really is. We have some of the best wines in the world and we under appreciate that.” He does, however, have plans to add more international wines after learning about sustainability efforts global producers are undertaking.