Doylestown Restaurant Wins 3rd Wine Spectator Award Of Excellence

DOYLESTOWN BOROUGH, PA — For the third year running, a Doylestown Borough upscale cocktail lounge and restaurant has won an international award for its curated wine list.

Frost Lounge and Restaurant at 46 East State Street has earned a prestigious 2025 Wine Spectator Restaurant Award for its wine offerings, setting it apart as a premiere destination for wine.

“It’s a hat trick,” said owner Uri Abram, who opened Frost three and a half years ago. “And when you get a hat trick in anything, you’re doing something right.“

From the beginning, said Abrams, “We had a model and we struck to it. We knew what we wanted to do. We knew we wanted to bring a different wine experience to the community and it’s been well received,” he said.

When it won its first award in 2023, Frost had only been open four short months, which made the win that much more satisfying. It also marked the first time a Doylestown establishment had won the prestigious award.

“Being the first ever in the history of Doylestown adds an additional level of excitement, pride and enthusiasm,” said Abrams. “It’s a major award. You are recognized as one out of 3,800 in the world, not in Bucks County, not in PA, not in the U.S. but in the world. And now we've achieved that three years in a row.”

This year’s winning restaurants hail from all 50 states and more than 80 countries and territories, including a new country this year: Jordan. The awards are given across three categories: Award of Excellence, Best of Award of Excellence and Grand Award.

From left: Caviar Tower, Braised Short Ribs and Lamb Chops. (Front Lounge and Restaurant)

The Award of Excellence is given to restaurants offering well-curated lists with approximately 100 selections or more. These lists feature quality producers and wines that diners wouldn’t easily find at local wine stores and drink at home.

The wine selections also match the restaurant’s cuisine in both style and pricing, giving guests a well-rounded experience.

This year, only 2,010 restaurants from around the world achieved the Award of Excellence, including five in Bucks County - Frost Lounge in Doylestown, Capital Grille in Newtown, Spinnerstown Hotel in Quakertown, and Ferry & Main at the Logan Inn and Nektar in New Hope.

“These lists typically feature about 100 selections, though some are considerably more extensive,” says the magazine. “They provide diners with a high-quality, diverse array of wines that complement the restaurant’s cuisine and price range. Each wine is presented clearly with all essential details, including, but not limited to, the vintage and appellation.”

Abrams said this was a particularly challenging year. “Wine Spectator has always been a tough and fierce competition. The judges have always scrutinized, particularly applicants from the Americas. But what took it up another notch this year were the tariffs. French wines coming into the US are getting taxed and prices have gone up. That means the market has favored California wines. So there was that additional scrutiny in the judging between American and European applicants. There were a lot of hurdles to overcome this year, but it worked out.”

Abrams gives much of the credit for Frost’s successful wine program to sommelier, Jenn McMahon-Drutz, who was instrumental in developing and submitting the wine list.

McMahon-Drutz joined the team at Frost three years ago, leaving Del Frisco’s Steakhouse in Philadelphia to curate the wine selection at Frost.

“This is such an honor to be bestowed with this amazing award,” she said after winning the first award. “I am absolutely thrilled. This is a big deal for us because we are so new. It’s a big accomplishment. And it’s an honor to join a league of other restaurants who have gotten this.”

Frost's Wine List

Frost’s wine list, curated by McMahon-Drutz, offers an eclectic mix of varietals from regions like France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Greece, and California, catering to diverse palates and budgets.

Frost stocks between 1200 and 1500 bottles representing more than 150 different wine makers. Prices range from $80 a bottle to more than $1500.

In addition, it is now serving rare wines including Duckhorn Cab and Orin Swift Abstract by the glass through the Coravin wine preservation system, which allows you to pour a glass of wine without removing the cork.

“Our by the glass offering has really grown. You have the Black Stallion Cab. You have the Frank Family Chardonnay. Nobody offers that by the glass,” said Abrams.

Abrams adds, “I want our customers to know that they will always have a good experience here with Jenn being table-side. She will listen to their interests, to their needs, their desires and we will always have a wine to fit their budget, every palate, every interest always. They will always leave here with an enjoyable wine experience.”

Full Dining Experience

Complementing Frost’s wine experience is its full dining menu, which it introduced last year.

“That’s been very well received. My wife, Brandi, had a lot to do with that. She did the market research. She identified the kind of dishes we should have. She came up with a list and Chef Juan Mercado executed,” said Abrams.

In addition to the Wine Spectator Awards, Frost has won Open Table’s Diner’s Choice Award for two years running.

“In 2024 we had a short four months with a full menu. And those four short months were enough to be voted Open Table Diner’s Choice. And in 2025 we won as well,” said Abrams. “That’s another prestigious nomination. Our rating on Open Table is 4.8 out of five. That’s very hard to get.”