19 countries represented in Star Wine List’s first International Open
Wine lists from no less than 19 countries were chosen as finalists for the very first International Open of Star Wine List’s wine list awards to be held on May 6. Entries from Ukraine, Dominican Republican and Canada were among the lists selected by Star Wine List’s top jury.
”It is incredible to see the diversity among the finalists. We can’t wait to welcome them all to our online celebration in May. And everyone is welcome to join in the streaming event,” said Krister Bengtsson, founder and publisher.
Of the countries in the finals, both Australia and the Netherlands had the most representatives, with 20 restaurants/bars each. USA had 13 and Canada 10 venues shortlisted.
The Star Wine List of the Year International Open will be a digital online event on FB Live, you can prepare to follow it here.
Star Wine List’s highly coveted wine list awards have grown to cover 14 markets around the world - but sommeliers from many more countries have asked to be let in. These awards were therefore created as a way for other markets to be able to join. And join they did! The jury of top sommeliers had a tough job selecting the finalists.
THE WORLD-CLASS JURY
The jury for the first International Open consists of four highly renowned sommeliers:
Pascaline Lepeltier
Piotr Pietras MS
Heidi Mäkinen MW
Doug Frost MW MS
The winners in the International Open will then be qualified for Star Wine List's International Final in Stockholm on June 24.
Here are all the finalists competing for Gold Stars:
CATEGORIES:
Grand Prix
– The best list overall
Finalists:
The winner will be announced at the event.
Best Long List
– For wine lists with more than 600 references.
Finalists:
Central Park Voorburg, Voorburg, Netherlands
Delta Restaurant, Athens, Greece
ECK Restaurant, Bratislava, Slovakia
Flore, Amsterdam, Netherlands
HaBasta, Tel Aviv, Israel
Il Desco, Verona, Italy
Old Palm Liquor, Melbourne, Australia
Restaurant Le Coureur des Bois, Beloeil, Canada
Ristorante del Lago, Bagno di Romana, Italy
Ten Minutes by Tractor, Main Ridge, Australia
The Lobby Fizeaustraat, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Zoldering, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Best Medium-Sized List
– Recognizes the best wine list with 200-600 references.
Finalists:
Bij Jef, Den Hoorn-Texel, Netherlands
Cardwell Cellars, Melbourne, Australia
Deessa, Madrid, Spain
Esters Wine Shop & Bar, Santa Monica, USA
Felix, Venice Beach, USA
MotherVine, Adelaide, Australia
Olaias, Figueira da Fioz, Portugal
Per Me Giulio Terrinoni, Rome, Italy
Settlers Tavern, Margaret River, Australia
The Heritage Wine Bar, Perth, Australia
Best Short List
– Recognizes the best wine list with fewer than 200 listings.
Finalists:
Anchoíta Cava, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Beach Byron Bay, Byron Bay, Australia
Copra, San Francisco, USA
De Nieuwe Winkel, Nijmegen, Netherlands
De Vinos, Madrid, Spain
Indienne, Chicago, USA
Óx + Amma Don, Reykjavík, Iceland
Published On Main, Vancouver, Canada
Remouillage, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Suru Bar, Barcelona, Spain
Best Austrian Wine List
– Recognizes the best list with wines from Austria
The category is presented by Austrian Wine
Finalists:
Alcron Restaurant, Prague, Czech Republic
Central Park Voorburg, Voorburg, Netherlands
ECK Restaurant, Bratislava, Slovakia
Laura, Melbourne, Australia
Mirali, Kyiv, Ukraine
Mokotowska69, Warsaw, Poland
Remouillage, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Restaurant Le Coureur des Bois, Beloeil, Canada
Restaurant RJ, De Cocksdorp, Netherlands
Ten Minutes by Tractor, Main Ridge, Australia
The Lobby Fizeaustraat, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Zoldering, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Best Sparkling Wine List
– Recognizes the best list with sparkling wines
The category is presented by Nyetimber
Finalists:
Central Park Voorburg, Voorburg, Netherlands
Ciz Cantina e Cucina, Milano, Italy
Duomo, Ragusa, Italy
ECK Restaurant, Bratislava, Slovakia
Quay, Sydney, Australia
Restaurant Le Coureur des Bois, Boleil, Canada
Ristorante del Lago, Bagno di Romana, Italy
Stake Chophouse & Bar, Coronado, USA
Ten Minutes by Tractor, Main Ridge, Australia
Trattoria Serenella Le Tre Lasagne, Vignale Monferrato, Italy
Best California Wine List
– Recognizes the best list with wines from California
Finalists:
Central Park Voorburg, Voorburg, Netherlands
Cioppino's Mediterranean Grill, Vancouver, Canada
Counter-, Charlotte, USA
ECK Restaurant, Bratislava, Slovakia
Graycliff Hotel & Restaurant, Nassau, Bahamas
Horn & Cantle at Lone Mountain Ranch, Big Sky, Montana, USA
Moss Restaurant, Blue Lagoon, Grindavík, Iceland
Restaurant Le Coureur des Bois, Boleil, Canada
RPM Italian Chicago, Chicago, USA
Stake Chophouse & Bar, Coronado, USA
Best By the Glass List
– Recognizes the best by the glass list.
Finalists:
Ajualä, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Bistrot Neuf, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Flore, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Pane e Vino Wine Bar & Academy, Lawrence, USA
Quay, Sydney, Australia
Restaurant Le Coureur des Bois, Boleil, Canada
Restaurant RJ, De Cocksdorp, Netherlands
Settlers Tavern, Margaret River, Australia
Ten Minutes by Tractor, Main Ridge, Australia
The Heritage Wine Bar, Perth, Australia
Best Newcomer List
– Recognizes a venue that recently opened
Finalists:
Boca D’uva, Lisbon, Portugal
Calisto, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Copra, San Francisco, USA
Debora, Bogotá, Colombia
Dogma Wine Bar, Porto, Portugal
Enoteca Boccaccio, Melbourne, Australia
Funke, Beverly Hills, USA
Sustainable Wine List
– For the Sustainable Wine List category, not only the wine list is evaluated, but also the stated actions of the venue, as described through a questionnaire in the application.
Finalists:
Bouillon Bilk, Montreal, Canada
Cardwell Cellars, Melbourne, Australia
Crizia, Buenos Aires, Argentina
De Nieuwe Winkel, Nijmegen, Netherlands
Dionisia Restaurante VinhoBar, Porto Alegre, Brasil
Esters Wine Shop & Bar, Santa Monica, USA
Old Palm Liquor, Melbourne, Australia
Published On Main, Vancouver, Canada
Quay, Sydney, Australia
Settlers Tavern, Margaret River, Australia
Vinvinvin, Montreal, Canada
Categories and criteria
Star Wine List judges the wine lists in several categories such as the Best Sparkling Wine List and Best By the Glass List. These categories are the same across all of the awards. In addition, local categories may be added. We have commercial partners for certain categories, such as the Best Austrian Wine List, presented by Austrian Wine. The commercial partners are, however, never involved in the selections of finalists or winners — that is completely up to our independent jury panel.
The criteria for the jury are straightforward but not simple: Vote for the most exciting wine list representing the category.
The winners in the international categories will qualify for our International Final in June 2024, where they will face off with the category winners from other countries and continents.
Read about the terms and how Star Wine List judges the wine lists here.
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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.
Nyetimber
English sparkling producer Nyetimber is the leading producer of sparkling wine in the country.
