Finalists announced for Star Wine List of the Year Baltics
Our international jury has considered all entries to the Star Wine List of the Year Baltics competition and, today, we announce the finalists in each category.
The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony on 15 September, in Riga, in collaboration with the Latvian Sommelier Championship. This event will be our second in the Baltic countries, also marking the second stop on this season's Star Wine List Tour 2024-2025.
Winners in the international categories will qualify for our International Final in June 2025, where they will face off with other regional winners from around the world.
Jury
Meet our esteemed panel of judges for the second Star Wine List competition to be held in the Baltics.
- Piotr Pietras, Master Sommelier
- Paz Levinson, Best Sommelier of the Americas 2015
- Salvatore Castano, Best Sommelier of Europe and Africa 2021
And here are the finalists:
INTERNATIONAL 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:
Fox Den, Tallinn, Estonia
Riviera, Riga, Latvia
Time to Wine Kopli 6, Tallinn, Estonia
Time to Wine Rotermanni, Tallinn, Estonia
Best Medium-Sized List
– Recognizes the best wine list with 200-600 references.
Finalists:
Barents, Riga, Latvia
Fotografiska Tallinn, Tallinn, Estonia
HeJi, Vilnius, Lithuania
Lee, Tallinn, Estonia
Max Cekot Kitchen, Riga, Latvia
Monte Pacis, Kaunas, Lithuania
Restaurant Pacai, Vilnius, Lithuania
Truff le Pig, Riga, Latvia
Veino, Tallinn, Estonia
Best Short List
– Recognizes the best wine list with fewer than 200 listings.
Finalists:
ANNO Home Restaurant & Wine Corner, Tallinn, Estonia
Gaspar’s, Vilnius, Lithuania
Gutenbergs Terrace, Riga, Latvia
Lowine bar, Riga, Latvia
Noa Chef´s Hall, Tallinn, Estonia
Rado restoran, Tallinn, Estonia
Restoranas Fabrikėlis, Vilnius, Lithuania
Snatch restaurant, Riga, Latvia
The Peacock Lounge, Tallinn, Estonia
Vistide, Vilnius, Lithuania
Vyno Vieta, Vilnius, Lithuania
Whitehouse Restaurant, Riga, Latvia
Best Sparkling Wine List
– Recognizes the best list for sparkling wines.
Finalists:
Barents, Riga, Latvia
Fox Den, Tallinn, Estonia
HeJi, Vilnius, Lithuania
Max Cekot Kitchen, Riga, Latvia
Restaurant Pacai, Vilnius, Lithuania
Riviera, Riga, Latvia
SOMM The Wine Bar, Vilnius, Lithuania
Time to Wine Kopli 6, Tallinn, Estonia
Time to Wine Rotermanni, Tallinn, Estonia
Veino, Tallinn, Estonia
Best By the Glass List
– Recognizes the best 'by the glass' list.
The category is presented by Wynns
Finalists:
Fox Den, Tallinn, Estonia
Gaspar’s, Vilnius, Lithuania
HeJi, Vilnius, Lithuania
Riviera, Riga, Latvia
Time to Wine Rotermanni, Tallinn, Estonia
Veino, Tallinn, Estonia
Vyno Vieta, Vilnius, Lithuania
Whitehouse Restaurant, Riga, Latvia
Best Newcomer List
– Recognizes a venue that has recently opened.
Finalists:
BABO, Riga, Latvia
Fox Den, Tallinn, Estonia
HeJi, Vilnius, Lithuania
Restaurant B7, Riga, Latvia
Shang Shi, Tallinn, Estonia
The Peacock Lounge, Tallinn, Estonia
Vistide, Vilnius, Lithuania
Sustainable Wine List
– For the Sustainable Wine List category, we evaluate not just the wine list, but also the stated actions of the venue, as described through a questionnaire within the application.
Finalists:
Fotografiska Tallinn, Tallinn, Estonia
Lee, Tallinn, Estonia
Veino, Tallinn, Estonia
RECURRING CATEGORIES:
Best Austrian Wine List
– Recognizes the best list with wines from Austria.
The category is presented by Austrian Wine
Finalists:
Barents, Riga, Latvia
Fotografiska Tallinn, Tallinn, Estonia
Fox Den, Tallinn, Estonia
HeJi, Vilnius, Lithuania
Max Cekot Kitchen, Riga, Latvia
Restaurant Pacai, Vilnius, Lithuania
Riviera, Riga, Latvia
SOMM The Wine Bar, Vilnius, Lithuania
Time to Wine Kopli 6, Tallinn, Estonia
Time to Wine Rotermanni, Tallinn, Estonia
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 2025, 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.
Search like a Pro – explore 3,500+ wine lists
