McCall, ID – Wine Spectator has recognized The Narrows at Shore Lodge in McCall, near Brundage Mountain ski area and a short drive from Tamarack Resort in Donnelly, with an Award of Excellence in the 30th Anniversary edition of the magazine’s coveted Restaurant Wine List Awards issue, on newsstands now.

John Wood, restaurant and wine manager at The Narrows, couldn’t be happier.

“Getting recognized by Wine Spectator is a key milestone for our wine program here at Shore Lodge and our sister properties Whitetail Club and The Cove,” he says. “We’ve set a goal to establish Shore Lodge as one of the Northwest’s most popular vacation destinations, and creating a truly special food and beverage experience that’s recognized by the likes of Wine Spectator is paramount to achieving that.”

Wine Spectator honors restaurants with wine lists that offer interesting selections, are appropriate to the cuisine in both price and style, and appeal to a wide range of wine lovers. The magazine reported that wines at The Narrows are moderately priced and that the fine-dining establishment’s selection is especially strong when it comes to vintages from Washington, Oregon and California.

“Shore Lodge and Whitetail Club are within a day’s drive of the vineyards of the West,” Wood explains. “We’ve enjoyed getting to know the wines of Walla Walla, Oregon, California and the Snake River Valley, which was recently designated an American Viticultural Area here in our home state. And we’ve found that our guests enjoy a similar enthusiasm for a ‘drink your horizon’ approach as they do for our chef’s efforts to focus on fresh, seasonal, local and regional ingredients.”

The Narrows offers stunning floor-to-ceiling views of beautiful Payette Lake and cuisine crafted under the expert guidance of renowned Chef Eric Gruber, executive chef for Shore Lodge, Whitetail Club and The Cove. An honors graduate from the Scottsdale Culinary Institute and a veteran of several four-star, four-diamond restaurants, Chef Gruber recently earned accolades from Every Day With Rachael Ray and National Culinary Review. A frequent guest on Boise morning TV talk shows and a member of the advisory panel for BehindTheKnife.com, a website about the tools in chefs’ arsenals and the stories behind them, Chef Gruber has an inventive style that fuses Continental and Northwestern elements with fresh, seasonal, local and regional ingredients.

Wood’s talents behind the bar are also garnering attention with his recipe for Huckleberry Mojitos — one of The Narrows’ signature cocktails — slated to run in the September issue of the upscale men’s journal Rodes Fashion Forum.

Established in 1948 and nestled on the sandy, southern shores of glacier-carved Payette Lake, the historic Shore Lodge is a boutique hotel that includes 77 suites (61 of which feature lake views), fine dining, a private beach and outdoor marina, and a lakeside year-round swimming pool and hot tubs. Guests also enjoy access to The Cove, a new extended-stay spa next door, and the Whitetail Club golf course. The resort is located only 10 minutes from Brundage Mountain ski area.