Star Wine List of the Year Denmark 2022 – all the winners

Categories

Grand Prix

– The best wine list with more than 600 references

Finalists:
Alchemist, Copenhagen
Anarki, Copenhagen
Geranium, Copenhagen
Kong Hans Kælder, Copenhagen
Møntergade, Copenhagen
Restaurant Levi, Copenhagen

Winner:
Alchemist, Copenhagen

"Alchemist has carefully crafted an admirable wine list which highlights a vast spectrum of amazing producers. There are various vintages and verticals on offer and the up and coming producers are well integrated amongst the already established and classic names," says jury member Heidi Mäkinen MW about the winning list.

"It goes without saying that it feels awesome. It is a great honor. We are very proud and happy about the comments of the judges, who really noticed the great amount of work with the list towards focus and precision throughout the past year. The fact that the judges are among the most competent people in the industry makes it only grander to win this recognition and serves as a great motivation for us to keep up the work," says Alchemist's Wine Director Nina Højgaard Jensen.

She says that philosophy behind Alchemist's list is first and foremost the question: Is the wine good?

"Alchemist is a unique setting and the uncompromising, great dedication every single staff member brings to work should be honored and reflected in the list. We aim for seamlessness in what we do and try to achieve that with the list as well: It is extensive but there is still a focus to it."

"We are looking to avoid fillers and are trying to build verticals of producers we love, selecting the cuvées we think are best and that harmonize with the rest of the selection within the given appellation. We appreciate the differences in vintages because great winemakers will be able to make good wine in any type of year – certainly, some will reach greater heights than others, but it also comes down to the drinking window."

Nina says there are fun, quirky ”if-you-know-you-know” wines as well as some of the grandest classics that has earned their status for a reason.

"For us, meticulous care is taken to how the wines are listed and presented as well – out of respect for the producers as well as the guest. We have every opportunity to present them as we think they deserve to be presented, and that is exactly what we are trying to do. As we are not looking to build a museum, we also try to price our wines friendly. So far it works: Many will naturally opt for pairings in a setting like this, yet every night we will also have a few tables choosing bottles a la carte."

Best Austrian Wine List

– Recognizes the best wine list with Austrian wine. The category is presented by Austrian Wine

Finalists:
Admiralgade 26, Copenhagen
Geranium, Copenhagen
Jordnaer, Gentofte
LAGO, Copenhagen
Syttende, Sønderborg

Winner:
Admiralgade 26, Copenhagen

"Admiralgade 26 brings passion and knowledge to a part of the wine list that can provide so much pleasure and excitement, but is often overlooked," says jury member Arvid Rosengren, Best Sommelier of the World 2016, about the winning wine list.

Best Medium-Sized List

– Recognizes the best list with 200-600 references.

Finalists:
Admiralgade 26, Copenhagen
Amass Restaurant, Copenhagen
HOS, Odense
Kødbyens Fiskebar, Copenhagen
Ti Trin Ned, Fredericia
v.Lo wine bar, Copenhagen

Winner:
Admiralgade 26, Copenhagen

"Admiralgade 26's wine list has been a beacon for a certain time, and it is remarkable how the selection continues to show a true love of wine in all its diversity. The mature point of view in the selection, the depth of vintages, the fair pricing, etc. are visible in this packed, very pretty wine list," says jury member Pascaline Lepeltier, Best Sommelier of France.

Best By the Glass List

– Recognizes the best by-the-glass list

Finalists:
Alchemist, Copenhagen
Atelier 33, Aarhus
Bar'Vin, Copenhagen
Kong Hans Kælder, Copenhagen
Terroiristen Vinbar, Copenhagen
Visselulles Vinbar, Sønderborg

Winner:
Bar'Vin, Copenhagen

"Bar'Vin's by the glass list allows their guests to journey through the world of wine with one exciting glass of wine after another. It is clearly visible the selected vintages, styles and price points have been carefully considered, and the total selection is still manageable in size," says jury member Heidi Mäkinen.

Nils Thyge at Bar'Vin says:

”We’re so happy and so proud. It’s amazing. It’s so nice to see our work with wine by the glass pay off. You know, I’m not interested in opening any more venues, so all the revenue we get we invest in new wine."

”Also, I want to say about Star Wine List, that all these great places with great wine lists also usually have very good food, so you could use Star Wine List as a food guide as well. If you care about the beverage, you care about the food as well."

Best Sparkling Wine List

– Recognizes the best wine list with sparkling wine. The category is presented by Nyetimber

Finalists:
Alchemist, Copenhagen
Geranium, Copenhagen
HimmerRiget, Farsø
Kong Hans Kælder, Copenhagen
Møntergade, Copenhagen

Winner:
Alchemist, Copenhagen

"Alchemist put together a very complete and hollistic sparkling selection which is one of the best in the world. Any bubble lover would find something to be delighted with, and it is a rare thing to accomplish!" says Pascaline Lepeltier.

"It was a great surprise. I’ve spent a lot of time in the cellar putting all the disgorging dates on the wine list, so my Corona was spent on putting every date on every bottle. Now I think it was worth the time," says Christopher Kok, Head Sommelier at Alchemist.

Best German Wine List

– Recognizes the best wine list with German wine. The category is presented by Wines of Germany

Finalists:
Alchemist, Copenhagen
Geranium, Copenhagen
Lyst, Vejle
Møntergade, Copenhagen
Nr.30, Copenhagen
Syttende, Sønderborg

Winner:
Syttende, Sønderborg

"The German selection of Syttende goes beyond the obvious and shows the country's potential to make tremendous wines in all categories and price points. The list acts as the ambassador for German wines," says the jury's Heidi Mäkinen MW.

Syttende's Nadja Bagger Nielsen had travelled from Sønderborg to Copenhagen to attend the award show.

"German wine used to be mostly about sweet wines, but the dry white and reds are also really good, with great fruit and flavour. It’s really nice to work with this category of wines," she said after receiving the Gold Star in this category.

"Our list includes innovative winegrowers, but also renowned classic wineries adhering to traditions of highest calibre, and this has made their wines what they are today. The list includes wines from all over the world and many different grape varieties. But we are also close to the German border with our location on Als and therefore it's natural for us to have a wide selection of german wines. For us Germany has some of the most interesting wineries out there at the moment."

Sustainable Wine List

– The category is presented by Djuce

Finalists:
Amass Restaurant, Copenhagen
BRACE, Copenhagen
LAGO, Copenhagen
Nr.30, Copenhagen
Restaurant Camino, Copenhagen

Winner:
Amass Restaurant, Copenhagen

"We need more beverage (and restaurants) leading the pack towards sustainability the way Amass is doing it. They understood and put in practice the fact that sustainability is a whole system where each piece matters. The beverage selection of course, but also the packaging, the recycling, the serving parts as well as the eduction and the communication about it to spread the good words. Bravo!" says the jury's Pascaline Lepeltier.

Vilma Hinnerson, Beverage Director at Amass, says:

"It feels fantastic, especially to be highlighted in the sustainability category. I was really happy to see that Star Wine List added this category this year. There were a lot of great restaurants competing for this award, and of course, we are happy to win. Sustainability is something that we're really pushing for."

"Sustainability is important in everything we do, but wine-wise and beverage-wise, we work really close with some smaller importers, and for the producers we work with, the most important thing is to get their personality in the wines."

Best Short List

– Recognizes the best list with up to 200 references

Finalists:
Kanalen, Copenhagen
Koefoed, Copenhagen
LAGO, Copenhagen
Restaurant Radio, Copenhagen

Winner:
Restaurant Radio, Copenhagen

"Radio has achieved something very difficult: a fine balancing act between the avant garde and the classic, with admirable depth and maturity in a comfortably sized list," says jury member Arvid Rosengren.

"I'm very happy, and it feels very special. It's been some difficult years, so it has been a big effort to make it. We've been working with a whole bunch of great suppliers. We're very proud of the list. It's not so wide but more specialized in the northern parts of Europe, like Germany and France," says Tim Ottosen, Restaurant Manager at Radio about the prize.

Special Jury Prize

– Recognizes a venue that has done something extra with their wine list, such as the direction, the style or the value

Winner:
LAGO, Copenhagen

"Wine lists can be impressive but it takes a different sensibility to make a wine list that is inviting, creating a sense of comfort with their guests. This is especially tricky when the wines you're curating are perhaps a bit hard to understand for many. In an honest, down-to-earth way, LAGO does a great job of showcasing their excellent selection, which is diverse and deep. A place I can't wait to go drink a good bottle at!" says jury member Arvid Rosengren.

Lea Sandby at LAGO says:

"We are so happy to win the Special Jury Prize! LAGO is less than one year old, so winning an award like this is bringing even more motivation for our team to continue developing our space, as well as a confidence booster that we are moving in the right direction."

"Our wine list follows our rules. It should be as approachable and unintimidating as possible. With our list, we want to invite our guests to play, explore and learn about new wines too. We love the classics, but focus on small wineries from Central and Eastern Europe, where you can find great wines and where we also have the chance to make a direct impact on the winemakers’ everyday lives."