The Gold Stars at Star Wine List of the Year Japan 2026

1. Star Wine List of the Year

   

   Star Wine List of the Year is an international awards tour celebrating the wonderful wine lists of the world and the dedicated sommelier teams who create them. Founded in 2018, the competition now covers numerous territories, hosting highly anticipated events from September to June each year, with each season culminating in a Global Final.

2. NéMo

   Phone: +81 359 626 085

   Address: Minato City, Minamiaoyama, 6-chōme−15−4 B1 NéMo

   Best Long List Japan 2026

   A keen angler since childhood, chef Kenichi Nemoto built Michelin-starred NéMo around his lifelong obsession with the sea. After training in France and a stint at Tokyo’s three-starred Quintessence, he struck out on his own, sourcing line-caught fish and pristine shellfish directly from fishers to craft delicate Japanese-French dishes that let the ingredients shine. The sleek Aoyama dining room, with its natural wood furnishings and enthusiastic young staff, sets a relaxed tone for what follows. When we visited, a springtime menu opened with straw-smoked sakura masu trout and seasonal vegetab...

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3. CYCLE

   Phone: +81 03-6551-2885

   Address: Otemachi One, 1-chōme-2−１ Ōtemachi, Chiyoda City

   Best Medium-Sized List Japan, presented by Dreissigacker 2026

   Mauro Colagreco, the Michelin-starred chef of Le Mirazur on the French Riviera, has brought his culinary genius to Tokyo with the opening of Cycle. Located on the ground floor of a gleaming office tower in Otemachi, the glass-encased space, outfitted with 8-meter ceilings, echoes the panoramic views from Mirazur's interior in Menton, with the blue of Tokyo's sky standing in place of the azure Mediterranean Sea. The restaurant offers a tasting menu that revolves around the cycles of the season, exploring themes of leaves, roots, flowers, and fruits, inspired by the biodynamic calendar. Under t...

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4. Bianca Omakase

   Phone: +81 136 441 182

   Address: 虻田郡ニセコ町, Higashiyama, 温泉

   Best Short List Japan 2026

   Set against the alpine backdrop of Niseko, a town that comes alive each winter, Bianca Omakase offers a quietly distinctive dining experience centred on pizza omakase. The restaurant is owned by Tommy Woudwyk, who also oversees the wine programme, while award-winning chef Yuichi Ito leads the kitchen. The experience unfolds through a carefully paced tasting menu that emphasises seasonality, restraint, and precision. Each course reflects a thoughtful balance between technique and ingredient, drawing from Hokkaido’s abundant seafood and produce alongside select items from trusted sources furthe...

   Bianca Omakase is temporarily closed.

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5. Raindrop

   Phone: +81 643 015 372

   Address: 3-65 Banbachō, Chuo Ward, Osaka

   Best Newcomer List Japan, presented by Château d’Esclans 2026

   Raindrop is located within the Nanoniwa complex, a very short distance from Osaka Castle Park. This dining experience seeks out exceptional ingredients from across Japan and fuses them with Italian-inspired cuisine. Open continuously from lunch through to dinner, you can visit whenever your schedule allows. In Japan, it is unusual to find a restaurant where you can enjoy cuisine of this quality. The wine list is worldwide and refined. Wines selected with an open mind are gathered from around the globe, but the Japanese wine selection is particularly outstanding.

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6. La Vigne Dining Fûdo

   Phone: 0261-85-5166

   Address: 1116, 3020 Hokujō, Hakuba

   Sustainability Prize Japan 2026

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7. Shimanouchi Fujimaru Winery

   Phone: +81 647046666

   Address: 三和ビル１Ｆ, 1 Chome-1−１４ Shimanouchi, Osaka, Chuo Ward

   Best Austrian Wine List Japan, presented by Austrian Wine 2026

   As the name implies, this is actually a winery: There are a few wineries in the city centre, where you can enjoy a nice meal and some natural wine while watching the work in the winery from the dining room upstairs. The food is Italian-style, using produce from all over Japan.

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8. Maz

   Phone: +81 03-6272-8513

   Address: 東京ガーデンテラス 3F, 1番3号 Kioichō, Chiyoda City

   Special Jury Prize Japan 2026

   With the opening of Maz, the younger sibling of acclaimed restaurant Central in Lima, Peruvian star chef Virgilio Martinez has added an entirely new category of cuisine to Tokyo’s food scene. The 25-seat restaurant offers a deep dive into Peru’s diverse food culture and traditions. Organised by altitudes, the seasonal tasting menu explores the country’s topography and microclimates in nine inventive courses. “Desert coast,” for example, features sweet king crab layered atop a spiced pumpkin stew, served alongside a beignet crowned with sea urchin and drizzled with sea urchin caramel; a dish of...

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9. Esprit C. Kei Ginza

   Phone: 03-6274-6611

   Address: Floor 11, TORAYA GINZA Building, 7-chōme-8−１７ Ginza, Chuo City

   Best Bordeaux Wine List Japan, presented by Château Tour des Termes 2026

   Esprit C. Kei Ginza, part of three-Michelin-starred chef Kei Kobayashi's expanding culinary empire in Japan, offers a striking 11th-floor vantage over Ginza's glittering cityscape. Wooden blocks drip from the ceiling like modern stalactites, setting the stage for a unique dining experience. The restaurant's relaxed ambiance is reflected in its unusual à la carte menu – a rarity for dining at this level. Esprit C. Kei Ginza bills itself as a "gastronomic laboratory," where the chef applies French fine dining techniques – and the precision Chef Kobayashi is renowned for – to a dive...

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10. Île de Colline

    Phone: +81 3-6429-7062

    Address: 2-chōme-14-23 Nishimagome, Ota City

    Best California Wine List Japan, presented by Robert Mondavi Winery 2026

    In front of the family-oriented park in Nishi-magome, Île de Colline melts in a peaceful scenery of a quiet residential area. Île de Colline is a café, so you don’t need to be Alice to enter this wonderland. This 18 seats café offers seasonal a la carte menu in bistro/café style, sourced its produce from some of the finest quality-driven farmers who are all close friends of the owner Kana Yamamoto.

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11. 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.

12. Dreissigacker

    

    Read more about Dreissigacker here.

13. Château Tour des Termes

    

    Château Tour des Termes is located north of Bordeaux in one of Saint-Estèphe's great terroirs. Recently acquired by Irish green entrepreneur Dr Eddie O'Connor, the team is dedicated to the future, focusing on sustainable and detail-oriented viticulture.

14. Robert Mondavi Winery

    

    To read more about Robert Mondavi Winery, click on the logo.

15. Craft Wine Shop

    

    Craft Wine Shop is an e-commerce site where you can purchase Japanese wines.
    We have over 1,000 varieties of Japanese wines from Hokkaido to Kyushu.
    Through Craft Wine Shop, both professionals and connoisseurs of wine from around the world can get Japanese wine in small lots.
    We would like people all over the world to enjoy Japanese wine.
    Kanpai !
    Check out the website for more info: Instagram, Facebook, Youtube

16. Château d’Esclans

    

    Read more about Château d’Esclans by clicking on the logo.