Gold Stars in the Big Apple – all the winners in Star Wine List of the Year New York 2025
Our third Star Wine List of the Year event in New York took place at Monterey restaurant in Manhattan, on 5 May 2025. Finalists from New York's most high profile restaurants and wine bars were in attendance, to see which sommelier teams would be awarded Gold Stars.
“It has often been said about books that one can travel the world without ever leaving home,” says judge Stephen Wong MW. “With these wine lists, you'd have to leave home but you wouldn't need to go far. An ode to the diversity and rich cultures of the Empire State, New York’s lists embody the near-unlimited access to great wine which allows its sommeliers to create collections impossible in other parts of the world. This freedom is captured perfectly in the kaleidoscope of views and the focused selections of its finest lists. Perhaps New Yorkers are lucky after all if they get to drink as well and as widely as they do!”
Stephen was joined on the jury panel by fellow sommeliers Paz Levinson and Salvatore Castano, and Star Wine List's New York Ambassador, wine writer Wanda Mann. Wanda assisted Founder and Publisher Krister Bengtsson in Manhattan on Monday, naming the judges' six winners across nine categories.
The standout venue of our New York wine list competition is Pascaline Lepeltier’s unfailingly popular wine bar Chambers, which opened in June 2022 and has taken the Gold Stars for Sustainable Wine List, Best Long List and the contest’s ultimate honour, the Grand Prix.
Last year’s Grand Prix winner, the three-Michelin-starred Eleven Madison Park, has been awarded two Gold Stars for 2025, for its Austrian and by-the-glass selections; it is the third time that the restaurant has won the latter, having taken the same title in both past editions of our New York contest, in 2023 and 2024. New openings from 2024, Coqodaq and Chez Fifi also took home prizes.
The Gold Star recipients in all categories have now automatically been entered into the Star Wine List of the Year International Final – the culmination of our 2024/’25 awards tour – which will take place in Vienna this June.
Meet all the winners.
INTERNATIONAL CATEGORIES:
Grand Prix
– The best list of the overall competition.
Gold Star:
Chambers, New York City
What the judges said:
“This expansive and intelligent selection of sustainable wines from around the globe is more than a guide to drinking superbly – it is a call to action. Each carefully selected bottle is a catalyst for conversation about the environment and wine’s role in caring for the planet. Without compromise, this wine list makes a compelling case that we can drink well, do good, and build community. This world-class list is an inspiring blueprint for sommeliers.”
– Wanda Mann
Best Long List
– For wine lists with more than 600 references.
This category is presented by Château d’Esclans
Gold Star:
Chambers, New York City
What the judges said:
“A mind-blowing list, not only for the expertise in France that we know has to be at a very high level but also because it is not about fancy labels, just pure curiosity and the aim of showing the best from each country. I love to see so many producers who may not appear on Instagram every day but deserve a place on every wine list. The team shows their knowledge and a true sommelier’s essence in this list – and it shines.”
– Paz Levinson
Silver Stars:
Ai Fiori, New York City
Blue Hill at Stone Barns, Tarrytown
Chez Fifi, New York City
Claud, New York City
Daniel, New York City
Eleven Madison Park, New York City
La Compagnie des Vins Surnaturels Centre St, New York City
One White Street, New York City
Best Medium-Sized List
– Recognises the best wine list with 200-600 references.
This category is presented by Domaines Paul Jaboulet Aîné
Gold Star:
Koloman Restaurant, New York City
What the judges said:
“The medium-sized list is the field where a confident point of view and palate makes all the difference. Unlike the tight edits of a small list or the expansive collections of a large list, here, every wine needs to have a reason to belong but also needs to make sense against the rest of the collection – building upon the whole in unison. This list takes a modern view, expertly navigating new-wave European wine with the assuredness of an insider. Delicious to the last drop.”
– Stephen Wong MW
Silver Stars:
Brass, New York City
Café Boulud New York, New York City
Clay, New York City
Heroes, New York City
La Compagnie Wine Bar Flatiron, New York City
Massara Osteria Campana, New York City
Noreetuh, New York City
Restaurant Marc Forgione, New York City
The Bazaar by Jose Andres, New York City
Time and Tide, New York City
Best Short List
– Recognises the best wine list with fewer than 200 listings.
This category is presented by Familia Torres
Gold Star:
Ardesia Wine Bar, New York City
What the judges said:
“A great list with a primary focus on Hungary. Very well structured by style, with friendly and easy titles so that guests can enjoy and take pleasure reading it. There must be a very curious mind behind this list, which allows guests to learn about different grapes and ways of approaching wine.”
– Paz Levinson
Silver Stars:
Chez Ma Tante, New York City
Corima, New York City
Creston, New York City
Kru, New York City
Luthun, New York City
Mitsuru, New York City
Nin Hao, New York City
Nudibranch, New York City
Pinch Chinese, New York City
Best By the Glass List
– Recognises the best 'by the glass' list.
This category is presented by Maison Barrière
Gold Star:
Eleven Madison Park, New York City
What the judges said:
“This globetrotting by-the-glass wine list beautifully showcases a mosaic of styles, varietals, and regions. On its pages, iconic producers share space with up-and-coming innovators; it shows that a by-the-glass list can be more than an afterthought or understudy. With myriad selections, this elegant and exciting list encourages wine lovers to explore beyond their comfort zone and make exciting discoveries.”
– Wanda Mann
Silver Stars:
Ai Fiori, New York City
Benoit New York, New York City
Bibliotheque, New York City
Clover Hill, New York City
ILIS, New York City
La Compagnie des Vins Surnaturels Centre St, New York City
One White Street, New York City
SAGA, New York City
Terroir Tribeca, New York City
Best Sparkling Wine List
– Recognises the best list for sparkling wines.
This category is presented by Oddbird
Gold Star:
Coqodaq, New York City
What the judges said:
“We have decided to name this as the Best Sparkling List because it's a true celebration of bubbles, featuring an exceptional mix of passionate growers and iconic Champagne maisons, incredible value that makes great wine accessible to all, a standout selection beyond France, and an impressive line up of back vintages that showcases depth and dedication.”
– Salvatore Castano
Silver Stars:
Blue Hill at Stone Barns, Tarrytown
Chambers, New York City
Chez Fifi, New York City
Claud, New York City
Eleven Madison Park, New York City
La Compagnie des Vins Surnaturels Centre St, New York City
Le Pavillon, New York City
One White Street, New York City
Sushi Nakazawa NYC, New York City
Best Newcomer List
– Recognises a venue that has recently opened.
This category is presented by La Bouche du Roi
Gold Star:
Chez Fifi, New York City
What the judges said:
“What a crazy list to start a project with! How is it possible? How have they brought all these amazing wines together? A masterful mystery, but a wine list to shine among the best in New York. The design also is pretty and every detail is thought through. Plus, the prices look very fair. Congratulations, and I’m looking forward to drinking from this list.”
– Paz Levinson
Silver Stars:
Brass, New York City
Heroes, New York City
Manuela, New York City
Massara Osteria Campana, New York City
Mitsuru, New York City
Nin Hao, New York City
Smithereens, New York City
Time and Tide, New York City
Sustainable Wine List
– Recognises a wine list that has put extra emphasis on the wine program’s overall impact, including vine growing, winemaking, packaging and transport.
This category is presented by Lingua Franca
Gold Star:
Chambers, New York City
What the judges said:
“There are few wine lists in the world which can lay claim to redefining the game, setting a new standard for sommeliers everywhere to ask the right questions not only of producers and suppliers but also of themselves. This is a paradigm-breaking project, which utterly deserves its win for sustainability – a role model for wine lists everywhere.”
– Stephen Wong MW
Silver Stars:
Blue Hill at Stone Barns, Tarrytown
Hawksmoor NYC, New York City
Winona's, New York City
Best Austrian Wine List
– Recognises the best list for wines from Austria.
This category is presented by Austrian Wine
Gold Star:
Eleven Madison Park, New York City
What the judges said:
“We have decided to award this as the best selection of Austrian wines for its incredible line up of producers, impressive verticals, top cuvées on display, and a presentation that combines precision with readability.”
– Salvatore Castano
Silver Stars:
Blue Hill at Stone Barns, Tarrytown
Crown Shy, New York City
Heroes, New York City
Koloman Restaurant, New York City
One White Street, New York City
Penny, New York City
Sushi Noz, New York City
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.
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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.
Chateau d’Esclans
Read more about Chateau d’Esclans by clicking on the logo.
Domaines Paul Jaboulet Aîné
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Torres
Read more about Familia Torres by clicking on the logo.
Oddbird
We produce quality wines, made with traditional methods and matured for up to 12 months, and then gently liberated from alcohol in order to preserve the flavors nature intended.
