Munich's Sticks and Stones Wine Bar wins Best California Wine List in Germany 2025
Sticks & Stones Wine Bar in Munich has been awarded the Best California Wine List at Star Wine List of the Year Germany 2025.
The Gold Star for Best California Wine List was presented by category sponsor Pahlmeyer at an event held at ProWein in Düsseldorf on 17 March.
The team from Sticks & Stones Wine Bar was lauded by jury member Jan Konetzki, who noted that the wine list held “a selection of great depth, from niche producers to the classics. A punter will find mature bottles, lots of verticals and good price points, too.”
Sticks and Stones Wine Bar will now go up against our global Best California Wine List winners in the Star Wine List of the Year International Final, to be held in Vienna on 16 June.
Explore the full list of winners at Star Wine List of the Year Germany 2025.
[Editor’s note: Justin Leone, owner of Sticks and Stones Wine Bar, is also Star Wine List’s Munich Ambassador. The judges of Star Wine List of the Year act and decide their winners independently of Star Wine List's staff, ambassadors and sponsors.]
Runners Up
Silver Stars for the Best California Wine List were awarded to:
GRAPES Weinbar, Munich
Guido Al Duomo, Munich
Kronenschlösschen, Eltville
Restaurant Basil, Hannover
Weinkulturbar, Dresden
Jury panel
Star Wine List of the Year Germany 2025 was judged by four top wine experts:
• Jan Konetzki – four-time UK Sommelier of the Year
• Emanuel Rosier – Berlin Ambassador
• Pascaline Lepeltier – Best Sommelier of France 2018
• Stefan Neumann – Master Sommelier
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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