The Gold Stars at Star Wine List of the Year Belgium & Netherlands 2025
The best wine lists across Belgium and The Netherlands were announced in Rotterdam on 29 September 2025.
Meet the Gold Star winners!
“To see the growth in both Belgium and The Netherlands is truly remarkable. The number of places where you’d want to be a regular is overwhelmingly tempting, and still more places seem to form a strong identity of their own as well.”
(Nina Jensen, jury member)
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Arínzano
Read more about Arinzano by clicking the logo.
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![Restaurant Sans Cravate, a restaurant and wine bar in Bruges, Belgium.]()
Phone: +32 050 67 83 10
Address: Langestraat 159, Brugge
Best Long List of the Year Belgium & Netherlands, presented by Smaragd Wijnen 2025
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![Zarzo, a restaurant in Eindhoven, Netherlands.]()
Phone: +31 40 211 7700
Address: Bleekweg 7, Eindhoven
Best Long List of the Year Belgium & Netherlands, presented by Smaragd Wijnen 2025
One of the hotspots of the southern Netherlands is Zarzo in Eindhoven. Spanish-born chef Adrian Zarzo Habraken is an exceptionally skilled chef who expresses his Spanish roots flamboyantly and energetically in his exciting modern cuisine. Trained by both traditional, avant-garde and contemporary chefs like Cees Helder, Santi Santamaria and Jonnie Boer, he masters a broad range of techniques and influences. The restaurant, in urban down-town Eindhoven, is a modern, energetic approach to high-end dining. No linen, but pleasant comfortable design tables in an open atmosphere with good acoustics,...
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![Racines Bruxelles, a restaurant in Brussels, Belgium.]()
Phone: +32 02 642 95 90
Address: Chaussée d'Ixelles 353, Ixelles
Best Medium-Sized List of the Year Belgium & Netherlands, presented by Arínzano 2025
One of my favourite Italian restaurants in the heart of the Flagey area. It has an open kitchen with a comptoir, little negozio (shop) when you enter, showing off some of the best food and drink Italy has to offer. The feeling in the restaurant is relaxed, and the place is buzzing with life. The food is Italian at the highest level, and cooked with consummate skill - the simple yet amazing tomato jelly you are likely to get as an appetizer is simply gorgeous! The wine list is massive, and proudly Italian. Every single region is well represented, with both up and coming to the most well kno...
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![Ciel Bleu, a restaurant in Amsterdam, Netherlands.]()
Phone: +31 20 678 7450
Address: Ferdinand Bolstraat 333, Amsterdam
Best Medium-Sized List of the Year Belgium & Netherlands, presented by Arínzano 2025
Everything in Ciel Bleu (“blue sky”) is high: you dine in a luxurious setting on the 23rd floor of the Hotel Okura in Amsterdam South (the best restaurant view in Amsterdam, by the way). The level of the kitchen is also high, and it is not a surprise that they have gained two Michelin stars. Bring a well-filled wallet, because the prices are not exactly low either, but then you'll also get a truly unforgettable evening with impeccable service, but without stiffness; loose and friendly, Amsterdam-style. The parade of dishes is a feast both for the eyes and the tongue. For the foodies: if...
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![Vintage, a restaurant in Kontich, Belgium.]()
Phone: +32 3 337 09 43
Address: Rijkerooistraat 14, Kontich
Best Short List of the Year Belgium & Netherlands 2025
Vintage is a restaurant in a beautiful farmhouse located in the countryside in Kontich. A fifteen minute drive from Antwerp makes this the ideal place to escape the hustle and bustle of the city. Expect a warm welcome by owners Steven and Eva upon arrival. Besides running the business they also work together and run the front of house. Eva is hostess and Steven sommelier. After many years of experience in Michelin-starred restaurants and becoming 'Best sommelier of Belgium', Steven Wullaert decided to open his own restaurant. The chef creates a very elegant and refined cuisine which perfectl...
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![Interior of De Matroos en het Meisje restaurant, Rotterdam, Netherlands.]()
Phone: +31 6 42 38 69 76
Address: Delistraat 52, Rotterdam
Best Short List of the Year Belgium & Netherlands 2025
De Matroos en het Meisje: “the sailor and the girl”. Not too long ago, this area of Katendrecht in Rotterdam was the dodgy end, where the sailors came to dock and the girls were there for their entertainment. Nowadays, those sailors and girls are there only in name – but entertainment aplenty. After a few nice, neighbourhood restaurants housed in this corner place, only 20 minutes from Rotterdam Centraal station, Eva Eekman took over and turned it into a true neighbourhood gastrobistro (if that’s a thing), with Taco de Vos joining later to look after the wine. It boasts personality and energy...
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![d'Oude Schuur, a restaurant in Sint-Martens-Latem, Belgium.]()
Phone: +32 09 282 33 65
Address: Baarle-Frankrijkstraat 1, Sint-Martens-Latem
Sparkling Wine List of the Year Belgium & Netherlands 2025
If you love classic French cuisine and Burgundy, d'Oude Schuur is the place to go. The restaurant is located in a rustic farmhouse. Inside you have a cosy living room feel and in summer you can enjoy the beautiful terrace. It is a real family affair; Mark d'Hoye started the restaurant in 1980 and now it is his son Steven who runs it. Steven's son Matisse has also caught the wine bug and is already working in the business, just like his father with enormous knowledge and passion. Up to eight times a year, they visit their beloved producers in Burgundy and bring back the best wines. Their "hou...
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![Flore, a restaurant in Amsterdam, Netherlands.]()
Phone: +31 020 730 3398
Address: Nieuwe Doelenstraat 2-14, Amsterdam
Sparkling Wine List of the Year Belgium & Netherlands 2025
The location previously known as Bord’Eau has been completely reimagined by head chef Bas van Kranen. Flore is based in the Hotel de L’Europe, and the interior feels spacious and clubby – albeit quite old-school. Reserve one of the tables by the windows and you’ll get a great view onto the Amstel. Van Kranen’s cooking is based entirely around vegetables and wild-caught local seafood, with no meat or dairy products whatsoever. So whether you choose the entirely plant-based tasting menu or the “Ocean” menu, the seven courses have a lightness and delicacy to them. The cooking exudes confidence,...
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![Zilte, a restaurant in Antwerp, Belgium.]()
Phone: +32 3 283 40 40
Address: Hanzestedenplaats 5, Antwerpen
By the Glass List of the Year Belgium & Netherlands, presented by Cloudy Bay 2025
Zilte is located on the top floor of the MAS museum in Antwerp and offers a breathtaking view of the city. The interior is modern, yet very warm and homely. In the kitchen you will find Viki Geunes, famous Belgian chef, awarded with three Michelin stars. The name Zilte refers to the salty flavours of fish, shellfish and crustaceans that define the kitchen. Zilte does not have a wine cellar, but a kind of wine attic that you can admire while sitting in the restaurant. Besides a magnificent wine list, sommelier Aaron Moeraert also offers several options by the glass with each dish. Be sure to...
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![Restaurant RJ, a restaurant in Texel, Netherlands.]()
Phone: +31 0222 441 052
Address: Gravenstraat 7, Den Burg
By the Glass List of the Year Belgium & Netherlands, presented by Cloudy Bay 2025
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![CUE, a restaurant in Amsterdam, Netherlands.]()
Phone: 020 205 1332
Address: Utrechtsestraat 30A, Amsterdam
Newcomer List of the Year Belgium & Netherlands 2025
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![Vrijmoed, a restaurant in Ghent, Belgium.]()
Phone: +32 09 279 99 77
Address: Vlaanderenstraat 22, Gent
Sustainability Prize of the Year Belgium & Netherlands, presented by Puike Wijnen 2025
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![Restaurant SOBER, a restaurant and winery in Tegelen, Netherlands.]()
Phone: +31 06 34636212
Address: Venloseweg 9, Tegelen
Sustainability Prize of the Year Belgium & Netherlands, presented by Puike Wijnen 2025
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![Paul de Pierre, a restaurant in Maarkedal, Belgium.]()
Phone: +32 55 31 94 31
Address: Nederholbeekstraat 135, Maarkedal
Austrian Wine List of the Year Belgium & Netherlands, presented by Austrian Wine 2025
Paul de Pierre is not just a cosy and stylish restaurant, but a fantastic event location, too. It is situated in Maarkedal, a picturesque village nestled among the fields in the Flemish Ardennes. Paul-Henri is the owner – one of the best maître d'hôtels in Belgium and a very good sommelier. He is passionate about wine, and that has translated into an extensive wine list with over 1,200 references. In the restaurant, host Paul-Henri also values the experience and this ranges from decanting wine to opening bottles with port tongs. Paul de Pierre recently won the famous Copa Jerez competition a...
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![Remouillage, a restaurant in Amsterdam, Netherlands.]()
Phone: +31 06 15315103
Address: Trompenburgstraat 111, Amsterdam
Austrian Wine List of the Year Belgium & Netherlands, presented by Austrian Wine 2025
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![Arabelle Meirlaen, a restaurant in Marchin, Belgium.]()
Phone: +32 85 25 55 55
Address: Chemin de Bertrandfontaine 7, Marchin
Special Jury Prize Belgium & Netherlands 2025
Arabelle Meirlaen and her hubby Pierre are well established in the gastronomic world of Belgium, and this is the kind of place where everything has been thought through, and where you can be assured you’ll have the time of your life: brilliant cooking, beautiful surroundings and a more than attractive wine list, with Pierre as your guide to the cellar that he knows better than anyone else. This is the kind of place I love because, although I enjoy scrolling through the wine list, I’ll ultimately let Pierre choose for me. The selection has been carefully developed over the past few years, and...
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![4850, a wine bar and restaurant in Amsterdam, Netherlands.]()
Address: Camperstraat 48-50, Amsterdam
Special Jury Prize Belgium & Netherlands 2025
Occupying a double-fronted, airy and rather a minimalist unit in Amsterdam East, 4850 is a hybrid venue that operates as a coffee and wine bar – and morphs into a more full-blown restaurant in the evenings. What’s great is that you can decide to drink a glass of grower Champagne at 11 in the morning, or a single-origin pour-over coffee at 11 at night. Anything is possible. The cuisine has a decidedly Nordic slant (reflecting its Swedish owner), with clean, fresh flavours and a lot of fairly adventurous ingredients and seasonings. The interior is dominated by the glass-fronted cellar, allowing...
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![Wijnbar ONA, a restaurant in Ghent, Belgium.]()
Address: Belfortstraat 29, Gent (New location) & Nederkouter 71, Gent
California Wine List of the Year Belgium & Netherlands, presented by Pahlmeyer 2025
Ona N Arne. A lovely couple with a beautiful wine bar on the Nederkouter in Ghent. A second branch has just opened in the center of Ghent. The new location will have even more space for events, workshops, classes, and tastings. Ona was just named “Wine Lady of the Year 2023” in Belgium and her husband Arne should certainly not be outdone. Together, they have a unique project with two very cozy bars and delicious wines. ONA stands for wine with a message, as they put it themselves. They have made a nice selection of authentic wines made by smaller producers with a great passion for their craf...
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Austrian Wine
The Austrian Wine Marketing Board is based in Vienna, and is a national service body for the Austrian wine industry. The aim is to strategically support, coordinate and maintain quality and sales.
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Cloudy Bay
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Pahlmeyer
Read more about the iconic Napa Valley wines from Pahlmeyer here.
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Puike Wijnen
Read more about Puike Wijnen by clicking on the logo.
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Smaragd Wijnen
Read more about Smaragd Wijnen by clicking on the logo.
