Strength in numbers.

• Author: Smith, Kathy
• Position: Venice Ristorante and Wine Bar - Broadmoor Hotel (Colorado Springs, Colorado - Flagstaff House Restaurant (Boulder, Colorado - Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steak House - Restaurant review

The four Colorado restaurants with the largest wine cellars made themselves that way for a reason: to serve their customers with the largest choice of wine to match with their food.

Each of the four have garnered various awards from Wine Spectator, the national wine magazine, indicating their ability to match food to wine and wine to their food.

James Molesworth, of the magazine, says the awards are given in three tiers, the most prestigious and coveted being the Grand Award, which Molesworth says is distinguished by a wine list that displays an exceptional range of wines, well-organized and well-presented. Two of the Colorado restaurants with the biggest wine cellars hold the award, with one of them receiving it every year since 1983. The second- and third-tier awards are Best of Award of Excellence, and the Award of Excellence. Here, in order, are the state's top restaurants by size of wine cellar:

THE BROADMOOR

1 Lake Ave., Colorado Springs

719-634-7711 * www.broadmoor.com

Wine Spectator Grand Award

It's not surprising that the Broadmoor has one of the largest wine cellars in Colorado, as it is the largest purchaser of wine in the state. The central wine cellar is actually a warehouse holding 20,000 bottles of wine in an area kept at a perfect-for-wines 55 degrees. Three restaurants benefit from this extensive wine supply: the Summit, Charles Court, and the award-winning Penrose Room. According to the Broadmoor's director of wine, Tim Baldwin, "We tailor wines to the food and theme of each of our distinctive restaurants."

The Penrose Room has captured two of the food world's most prestigious designations: AAA four diamonds, and Mobil four stars. According to Baldwin, "We couldn't have won these awards without the connection of the wine to the food. We're striving to get the five-star rating by improving our selection of wine and the service of wine." No other Colorado restaurant has achieved that rating, although the Broadmoor resort has won the five-star accolade for lodging.

Of the 500 bottle selections in the Penrose Room, many are European wines, which marry well with the continental menu, executed by French executive chef Bertrand Bouquin. Wines range from $60 to $5,000.

Charles Court serves traditional American fare with 500 selections of wine, ranging in price from $60 to $110.

Centering the stand-alone Summit restaurant is a rotating turret wine cellar that holds 500 bottles of wine. American brasserie is the style of food served...