The Grapevine Lounge at Wineport Lodge in Glasson was crowned ‘Bar of the Year’ in the Georgina Campbell Irish Food & Hospitality Awards 2023.
Celebrating 25 years in their current incarnation, the independent Georgina Campbell Awards represent the four corners of Ireland and are the country’s longest running food and hospitality awards. They recognise and honour the standard-bearers in food and hospitality with particular focus, this year, on genuine hospitality, consistency, innovation and good value. They also pay special tributes to some of the giants of Irish food and hospitality – and the brave newcomers who, against the odds, continue to delight with inspiring new businesses.
“It’s been a joy to travel freely again this year but accommodation shortfalls (partly due to the continuing negative effects of short lets replacing serviced B&B ), short weeks, reduced hours, early kitchen closures, minimum two-night stays and other restrictions related to staff shortages and high costs, notably energy costs, have been challenging to work around.
“As always, we have been seeking out genuine hospitality and those striving to give the best possible guest experience, ahead of convenience to the host business. Each year a theme emerges in the awards, reflecting the weight of nominations proposed by the assessment team.
“This year suggests a swing away from cities towards rural destinations and smaller towns, possibly reflecting post-pandemic preferences and/or a levelling up of standards. And words like unshowy, consistent, genuinely hospitable, customer-focused, and kind are typical of our nominations,” food writer and author Georgina Campbell, speaking at the awards held recently at the new Bord Bia Global Hub in Dublin, said.
The individual citation for the award winner read:
GEORGINA CAMPBELL BAR OF THE YEAR 2023
The Grapevine Lounge Wineport Lodge Glasson Co Westmeath
‘Ray Byrne and Jane English never stand still at the wonderful Wineport Lodge. What started out as a rustic little shoreside restaurant 30 years ago has been reinvented and upgraded time and again, keeping it fresh and – especially since the addition of the beautiful Cedarwood Spa and outdoor seaweed baths - increasingly luxurious.
‘And recent reconfiguration of space and refurbishment has changed the flow at Wineport, creating a whole new dynamic to the property, with The Grapevine Lounge a particular hit. Another of those places that seem impossible to capture in photos, it has to be experienced for the lough view, the relaxed ambience, the super staff, tasty food and terrific range of drinks to come together and make sense.
‘The sheer quality and the thoughtfulness of the many subtle references to the beautiful setting are impressive too, and first-time guests soon want to return. As they say on their own website “very often, a quick pitstop at the Grapevine Bar morphs into something much more lingering and relaxed.” So true. You may well end up staying the night.’
