NEW YORK, June 15 — The 2018 edition of Wine Enthusiast's list of America's 100 Best Wine Restaurants features eateries in smaller cities, precise and focused wine lists, and restaurants with "more thoughtful and refined” wine service, editors say.

And the list isn't just exclusive to wine.

Spanish restaurant Anxo, in Washington DC, for example, cracks the top 100 for being a "mecca for international ciders" and for operating an on-site cidery.

Diners can choose from at least two dozen ciders by the glass and more than 50 bottles to pair with their Basque-style meal and pintxos (finger food).

Editors recommend trying the pan-seared cod with roasted cauliflower, Cidre Blanc-braised fennel, sea beans and uni sauce.

"I'm most excited that the wine world is starting to recognise cider as a high-quality beverage that, when made honestly, is truly wine,” Anxo sommelier Sam Fitz said to Wine Enthusiast.

"Most macro-ciders are actually hard soda and have little in common with wine. But proper cider focusing on awesome fruit and clean or natural fermentations very much has a place on the dinner table. At the end of the day great cider is just apple wine, sharing many commonalities with wine from grapes.”

Other restaurants to crack the list include destinations that boast plentiful cellars, collector wines, and master sommeliers.

The full list can be found here. — AFP-Relaxnews