Star Wine List of the Year International Final 2021-2022 – the winners
On June 13, Star Wine List held the International final of Star Wine List of the Year in London. Wine list winners from seven countries in Europe and Australia met for the awards. It was a big day for Norway that won three of the seven categories.
"Congratulations to Norway for coming out on top in several categories in such tough competition from many other countries. Norway is clearly a great destination for wine lovers thanks to its restaurants' and wine bars' sommeliers and owners," said Krister Bengtsson, Star Wine List's founder.
Norway took home three of the seven categories with Park Hotel Vossevangen winning the Grand Prix for large wine lists. Territoriet in Oslo won Best By the Glass List (a shared Gold) and Best Sparkling List with Nyetimber was won by Skigaarden.
"Park Hotel has a superb collection of wines that makes tribute to the world of fine wine. From the wines by the glass with and incredible choice of vintages and counties and the Champagne selection containing big and small houses. A huge collective work as to have a cellar like this means such a massive investment and engagement with the world of wine by the owner but also sommeliers in charge," said jury member Paz Levinson.
UK had two winners: Wild Corner and Trivet in London. Finland, Sweden and Denmark had one winner each: Vin-Vin, Heaven 23 and Terroiristen respectively. Austrian Wine and Nyetimber were category sponsors.
"It's been a real pleasure being able look through such a diverse set of lists from across the globe. Some real thought and careful selections shine through on some of the smaller lists while eye watering investments and stunning verticals come through on the larger ones. Wine lists shift and change as wines are sold and vintages change, but the passion and philosophy of the Sommelier/Wine Buyer is still evident in a well-constructed list," says Ronan Sayburn, Master Sommelier and jury member about judging the International Final.
The winners were revealed during a live event at The Black Book in London, hosted by Star Wine List's founder Krister Bengtsson and ambassador manager Liora Levi.
During the second international tour of Star Wine List of the Year we visited the Nordics, Australia, UK, Austria and Finland. Since the last Finnish event was less than a year ago, there were actually two different Finnish participants in some categories in the international final.
Here are all the winners in the International Final of Star Wine List of The Year:
Grand Prix
– The best wine list with more than 600 references
Finalists:
Restaurant Muru, Helsinki, Finland
Geranium, Copenhagen, Denmark
Park Hotel, Voss, Norway
Ten Minutes by Tractor, Mornington Peninsula, Australia
Les 110 de Taillevent, London, UK
PM & Vänner, Växjö, Sweden
Die Weinbank, Ehrenhausen, Austria
Savoy, Helsinki, Finland
Winner:
Park Hotel, Voss, Norway
"A superb collection of wines that makes a tribute to the world of fine wine. From the wines by the glass with an incredible choice of vintages and countries and the Champagne selection containing both big and small houses. A huge collective work to have a cellar like this means such a massive investment and engagement with the world of wine by the owner and the sommeliers in charge," says jury member Paz Levinson, Best Sommelier of Argentina and Americas.
Best Medium-Sized List
– Recognizes the best list with 200-600 references
Finalists:
Palace, Helsinki, Finland
Brace, Copenhagen, Denmark
Monopole, Sydney, Australia
Trivet, London, UK
Brat, London, UK
Julie, Malmö, Sweden
Reznicek, Vienna, Austria
Carelia, Helsinki, Finland
Winner:
Trivet, London, UK
"I am very happy for our team at Trivet. The wine and food has always had an equal importance at Trivet. This award solidifies that approach. Thank you to Star Wine List team for making this guide a reality," says Isa Bal MS at Trivet.
Jury member Pascaline Lepeltier, Best Sommelier of France, says:
"An exploration of the wine world as rarely seen, inviting to discover so many regions, producers and varieties while connecting to the fabulous history of our favorite beverages. The whole selection is masterly handled, precise and covering a range of style and price, as well as enhancing the estates dedicated to farm in the most respectful way."
Best By the Glass List
– Recognizes the best by-the-glass list
Finalists:
Vinho, Turku, Finland
Bar'Vin, Copenhagen, Denmark
Territoriet, Oslo, Norway
Ten Minutes by Tractor, Mornington Peninsula, Australia
Wild Corner, London, UK
Operakällaren, Stockholm, Sweden
Heunisch & Erben, Vienna, Austria
Winners:
Territoriet, Oslo, Norway
Wild Corner, London, UK
"I'm super excited, very humble and very emotional at the same time for being a part of this competition, and with all the people that are working in this industry. And for you guys, doing such a great job organising this. It’s just crazy for us, after being open for just four months. It’s just unbelievable," says Wild Corner's Daniel Mihai Popescu.
"It's a pleasure to go through this list with so many interesting sections and wines. The BTG is diverse, fun and very precise in the choice of the wines. We can see the passion behind the list. There are many great options and very reasonable prices, especially for the older vintages. Great Great Great!," says Paz Levinson about Wild Corner's wine list.
Wild Corner shares the victory in this category with Territoriet in Oslo, Norway.
"A very well chosen selection by the glass that covers all wine regions of the world with precision and great thought. Especially the new world selection. A good selection here for all tastes and budgets," says jury member Ronan Sayburn, Master Sommelier, about Territoriet's winning list.
Karin Dejeborn, manager and sommelier at Territoriet, says:
"I'm surprised, but thanks a lot. I feel that I really don't have had enough time or money to do exactly want I've wanted to when it comes to updating the list during the pandemic and the lockdowns. But yes, we regularly change about fifty wines every month – even though I would have changed more."
Best Sparkling Wine List
– Recognizes the best wine list with sparkling wine
The category is presented by Nyetimber
Finalists:
Restaurant Muru, Helsinki, Finland
Geranium, Copenhagen, Denmark
Skigaarden, Hemsedal, Norway
Lucinda, Hobart, Australia
Les 110 de Taillevent, London, UK
PM & Vänner, Växjö, Sweden
Palais Coburg – Silvio Nickol, Vienna, Austria
Winner:
Skigaarden, Hemsedal, Norway
"A stunning collection of over 30 pages of the great and good of Champagne. Grande Marques, Special Cuvées and some of the best growers. Extensive verticals going back decades will be more than enough to keep any Champagne enthusiast very happy!" says Ronan Sayburn.
Mauritz Teigen at Skigaarden says:
"This is huge for us. It's great to feel that someone out there is seeing what we do up here.
There were many great wine lists in this competition; why do you think your list came in first?
"Madness. There's not much more than that to say, haha."
Special Jury Prize
– Recognizes a venue that has done something extra with their wine list, such as the direction, the style or the value
Finalists:
Restaurant Muru, Helsinki, Finland
Terroiristen, Copenhagen, Denmark
Bar Rochford, Canberra, Australia
Levan, London, UK
Hörte Brygga, Skivarp, Sweden
MAST Weinbistro, Vienna, Austria
Restaurant C, Tampere, Finland
Winner:
Terroiristen, Copenhagen, Denmark
"A committed list with a vision, focusing on an area of the world too often forgotten but full of gems and reviving today like the Phoenix. It is a hymn to ampelographic and terroir diversity you can discover easily thanks to the multiple tasting format options and the very fair price," says Pascaline Lepeltier, Best Sommelier of France, about the winning list.
Stefan Jensen, owner and sommelier at Terroiristen, says:
”It’s amazing, of course, and something that you can only dream of happening. We do what we do because everything is about passion and then if somebody recognizes your effort it’s an honour. We’re really happy."
Best Short List
– Recognizes the best list with up to 200 references
Finalists:
Vin-Vin, Helsinki, Finland
Amass, Copenhagen, Denmark
Planque, London, UK
Combo Vinbaren, Stockholm, Sweden
O Boufés, Vienna, Austria
Baskeri & Basso, Helsinki, Finland
Winner:
Vin-Vin, Helsinki, Finland
"A compact and complete list. Worth mentioning is their special wine selection listing fine whites and reds from top producers and new and upcoming stars. You will also discover older vintages and a fine Coravin selection by the glass," says jury member Raimonds Tomsons, Best Sommelier of Europe and Africa 2017, about the winning list.
Oscar Borges, head sommelier at Vin-Vin, says:
"We feel humbled and happy to win. We also appreciate that shorter lists are noted when it always seems that a great wine list is a vast one. The philosophy behind our list is to have great and affordable wines ready to drink. When you curate a shorter list, it's always a challenge to fit all you want, but after ten years, we finally seem to have the recipe for it."
Best Austrian Wine List
– Recognizes the best wine list with Austrian wine
The category is presented by Austrian Wine
Finalists:
Palace, Helsinki, Finland
Geranium, Copenhagen, Denmark
Happolati, Oslo, Norway
Laura, Mornington Peninsula, Australia
Newcomer Wines, London, UK
Heaven 23, Gothenburg, Sweden
Winner:
Heaven 23, Gothenburg, Sweden
"It is an Austrian wine heaven indeed, including a broad diversity of styles – sparkling, white, red and Austria's liquid gold: the sweet wines. The list displays all the classic Austrian varieties and also new exciting varieties to discover. For me this is probably one of the best Austrian wine lists I have seen outside Austria," says Raimonds Tomsons.
Andreas Hiller, sommelier at Heaven 23, says:
"It feels amazing, of course! It's a boast for the whole team and everyone involved. We feel that more and more people know about our focus, and that's something that Star Wine List has helped us with."
He says that the idea behind the wine list is that it is hard to be the best at everything but that you can strive to be really good at something.
"Given that Austria is such an amazing source for top quality wines of so many styles in different categories, and at a reasonable price point, our main goal is that every question, or challenge if you like, that the kitchen throws at us could be met with an Austrian solution. It's also still an origin that many guests have lesser knowledge about, which allows us to surprise."
JURY
• Raimonds Tomsons, Best Sommelier of Europe and Africa 2017
• Pascaline Lepeltier, Best Sommelier of France
• Paz Levinson, Best Sommelier of Argentina and Americas
• Ronan Sayburn MS, Master Sommelier
CRITERIA
The jury will vote independently for their favorites considering width, depth, originality and value. The jurys' votes are then added up to decide the finalists and the winners.
Read more about how we judge Star Wine List of the Year here.
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