Locavino wine café in Downtown Silver Spring has received Wine Spectator’s fifth consecutive Award of Excellence.
In the 2024 Wine Spectator awards announced last month, more than 3,700 restaurants worldwide were recognized for their wine programs. Locavino was once again the only locally owned restaurant among the five restaurants in Montgomery County, which includes The Capital Grille, Fogo de Chão, Morton’s The Steakhouse, and Seasons 52.
Wine Spectator presents two higher levels of awards: the Best of Award of Excellence and the Grand Award. The highest level is typically given to restaurants with wine lists that exceed 1,000 labels.
The 2,150 Award of Excellence winners in 2024, including Locavino, include wine lists that “should offer at least 90 selections, feature a well-chosen assortment of quality producers, along with a thematic match to the menu in both price and style. Whether compact or extensive, focused or diverse, these lists deliver sufficient choice to satisfy discerning wine lovers.”
Co-owners Jarrod Jabre and Justin Wallace opened Locavino in the former Adega Wine Cellars space at 8519 Fenton St. in Downtown Silver Spring in August of 2019. Locavino first received the Award of Excellence in 2020 and specializes in wines from Maryland, Italy, and Spain.
Washington Family Magazine honored the wine café as the area’s “Best Local Romantic Restaurant” in 2022.
“We’re a wine café. We specifically use that word,” Jabre said to the Source in 2019. “We’re laid back. We don’t take ourselves seriously. What we do take seriously is our wine and our food.”