Our first wine list winners in Japan “amongst the finest in the world”
On 15 April, Star Wine List hosted an awards ceremony in Tokyo to announce the best wine lists in Japan, during ProWine Tokyo. Osaka proved the standout wine destination, counting for eight out of the 11 Gold Stars presented by Star Wine List’s Krister Bengtsson with judges Reeze Choi and Toru Takamatsu MS. Other winners spanned from Tokyo to Nagano.
Star Wine List of the Year is our celebration of the sommelier teams behind the great wine lists of the world. This week, Founder and Publisher Krister Bengtsson travelled to Tokyo to award Gold Stars in our first competition in Japan. He was joined at ProWine by two members of the jury panel, sommeliers Toru Takamatsu MS and Reeze Choi (also Star Wine List’s Hong Kong Ambassador).
The judging panel was completed by Paz Levinson and Stephen Wong MW, who enjoyed one of the most animated discussions we’ve seen during our international awards tour. They conferred Gold Stars in 10 categories, including a local category for Best Japanese Wine List, which had joint winners both located in Osaka: Shimanouchi Fujimaru Winery and Chi-Fu. The city, in central Japan, accounted for eight out of the 11 prizes given out, including the highest honour of Grand Prix, which went to popular wine bar Le Chat Noir.
Elsewhere in the country, Gold Stars went to the three-Michelin-starred and 50 Best favourite Sézanne, in Tokyo, and Nagano’s La Vigne Dining Fûdo, within the the luxurious alpine retreat, Hotel La Vigne Hakuba.
“The inaugural season for Star Wine List of the Year Japan brought an outstanding array of lists,” said judge Stephen Wong MW. “Expectedly, Champagne, Burgundy and natural wine were superbly represented by numerous precious, cellared collections which rank amongst the finest in the world. Notably, the rising recognition of Japan's own vinous treasures is what elevates these lists into their own unique sphere.
“The judges had robust discussions on the role of vinifera and hybrids on the future of great Japanese wine and wine lists; a conversation not replicated anywhere else. Japan's maturity and deep understanding of wine is amply demonstrated by the medium- and small-sized wine lists, which display deft handling of smaller collections with finely-honed selections – a refreshing change from the massive, minimally-curated collections seen in some other parts of the world.”
Take a look at the full list of winners, below.
INTERNATIONAL CATEGORIES:
Grand Prix
– The best list of the overall competition.
Le Chat Noir, Osaka
What the judges said:
“We chose this list as our Grand Prix winner because it’s a great and delicious selection of wines from iconic producers. And not because the wines are all expensive or label-oriented, quite the opposite – its producers are passionate about what they are doing, sending a message in every single bottle. This prize is not merely for the accumulation of bottles, but for the team’s wise interpretation of the wine world. Congrats!”
– Paz Levinson
Best Long List
– For wine lists with more than 600 references.
Gold Star:
Sézanne, Tokyo
What the judges said:
“An extensive list with a great focus on both classic and up-and-coming producers.”
– Toru Takamatsu MS
Silver Stars:
Apicius, Tokyo
Bvlgari Il Ristorante Luca Fantin, Tokyo
Komorebino, Kyoto
Legrand Filles & Fils, Tokyo
Best Medium-Sized List
– Recognises the best wine list with 200-600 references.
Gold Star:
Chi-Fu, Osaka
What the judges said:
“This wine list is always the top in Asia. It has a strong personality, focuses on low intervention, and features some of the most expensive wines in the world through to some very down-to-earth producers – you can go and explore the world or stick to local wines. Very comprehensive and well made.”
– Reeze Choi
Silver Stars:
Ăn Đi, Tokyo
CYCLE, Tokyo
Dining 33, Tokyo
Maz, Tokyo
MUNI Alain Ducasse, Kyoto
Nogizaka Shin, Tokyo
Restaurant Ryuzu, Tokyo
Shimanouchi Fujimaru Winery, Osaka
Best Short List
– Recognises the best wine list with fewer than 200 listings.
Gold Star:
Le Chat Noir, Osaka
What the judges said:
“This list may be small but it is packed with deliciousness, cherry-picked from around the world; bringing together respected classics with cult new-wave producers onto the same page. Every wine here has earned its place on the list, just as the list itself has earned its place at the top of its category.”
– Stephen Wong MW
Silver Stars:
AZ, Osaka
Downtown, Okinawa city
FUL, Kyoto
Kagaribi, Nagano
La Vigne Dining Fûdo, Nagano
Le Bistro Tokyo, Tokyo
Rangitoto Tokyo, Tokyo
Wine & Tempura Araki, Fukuoka
Best By the Glass List
– Recognises the best ‘by the glass’ list.
Gold Star:
Chi-Fu, Osaka
What the judges said:
“What I love about this selection is that it starts with delicious, engaged and curious winemakers from Champagne – whether artisans or grandes marques, all the choices are delicious. Not only that, but they also include sparkling producers from other regions, with great choices outside of Champagne. The whites section is not huge but so well selected, incorporating France, Germany, Austria, Greece and even Japan. And the skin contact section is the key to showing this team’s expertise – with conviction, they offer the same quantity of skin contact wines as whites or reds. Bravo for this capacity for selection among the vast world of wine.”
– Paz Levinson
Silver Stars:
CYCLE, Tokyo
Hajime, Osaka
Maz, Tokyo
MUNI Alain Ducasse, Kyoto
Restaurant Ryuzu, Tokyo
Sézanne, Tokyo
Tinc Gana, Tokyo
Best Sparkling Wine List
– Recognises the best list for sparkling wines.
This category is presented by Nyetimber
Gold Star:
Gyoza Bar Chaozu, Tokyo
What the judges said:
“This is a Champagne-driven list featuring many rare and small-production examples, making it a very interesting one to read. I love the description of each label, which makes the list very accessible. And I love the idea of putting one of the best sparkling beverages together with the food of daily life!”
– Reeze Choi
Silver Stars:
Bistro Champagne, Osaka
Chi-Fu, Osaka
Legrand Filles & Fils, Tokyo
Les Souvenirs, Osaka
MUNI Alain Ducasse, Kyoto
Nogizaka Shin, Tokyo
Restaurant Ryuzu, Tokyo
Shimanouchi Fujimaru Winery, Osaka
Best Newcomer List
– Recognises a venue that has recently opened.
Gold Star:
La Vigne Dining Fûdo, Nagano
What the judges said:
“A map of Japan’s wine scene that shows how exciting this country is. So many regions, styles and producers – great for curious palates. It does justice to all the effort and passion that Japan gives to wine production.”
– Paz Levinson
Silver Stars:
Esprit C. Kei Ginza, Tokyo
FUL, Kyoto
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.
Gold Star:
Hajime, Osaka
What the judges said:
“This place displays a great concept of sustainability through an extensive list of local beverages, a digital list, and the use of NORDAQ water.”
– Toru Takamatsu MS
Silver Stars:
Ăn Đi, Tokyo
CYCLE, Tokyo
Downtown, Okinawa city
Best Austrian Wine List
– Recognises the best list for wines from Austria.
This category is presented by Austrian Wine
Gold Star:
Chi-Fu, Osaka
What the judges said:
“Here is a list which shows true mastery of Austrian wine, presenting a cross-section of the country's vinous delights from rare icons and cellared classics through to new-wave interpretations and cult natural wines. Varietal and stylistic diversity is expertly represented by delicious selections, right across the wine list, including glass pours. A world-class Austrian list to sink into and lose oneself!”
– Stephen Wong MW
Silver Stars:
Ăn Đi, Tokyo
Ginza Soseki, Tokyo
Ginza Soseki Arata, Tokyo
Le Chat Noir, Osaka
Restaurant Ryuzu, Tokyo
Shimanouchi Fujimaru Winery, Osaka
LOCAL CATEGORIES:
Best Japanese Wine List
– Recognises the best list for wines from Japan.
This category is presented by Craft Wine Shop
Gold Stars:
Chi-Fu, Osaka
Shimanouchi Fujimaru Winery, Osaka
What the judges said:
“A great selection of up-and-coming, quality-focused Japanese growers with some benchmark classics.”
– Toru Takamatsu MS on Chi-Fu
“This is a very diverse Japanese wine list including wines from all over Japan (it includes almost every prefecture). Besides the high-quality, well-known international grapes, there are also many hybrid, American, and local grapes, thus showcasing the wine culture and landscape of Japan overall. A Japanese wine bible!”
– Reeze Choi on Shimanouchi Fujimaru Winery
Silver Stars:
Ăn Đi, Tokyo
Dining 33, Tokyo
Hajime, Osaka
Komorebino, Kyoto
La Vigne Dining Fûdo, Nagano
Les Souvenirs, Osaka
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.
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
Nyetimber
English sparkling producer Nyetimber is the leading producer of sparkling wine in the country.
