The best wine lists in Belgium – here are the Gold Star winners
On November 12, Star Wine List celebrated the best wine lists in Belgium and the teams behind them for the first time. Restaurant Sans Cravate in Bruges was the big winner with Gold Stars in three categories, including the prestigious Grand Prix category for the best list overall.
”It was a very exciting judging process. There is a variety of choices for wine lovers in Belgium – wine lists are very well-balanced regardless of their size and offer interesting options in each price category. There is usually a good blend of well-known, classic regions and producers and lesser-known/up-and-coming ones. Quite a few places offer some lovely hidden gems and an impressive collection of back vintages,” says jury member Piotr Pietras MS about the overall competition.
Star Wine List of the Year Belgium was held on November 12, during the Best Sommelier of Belgium contest at Radisson Blu Astrid Hotel, Antwerp, arranged by the Belgian Sommelier Guild.
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. We have commercial partners for certain categories, such as the Best Sparkling Wine List, presented by Nyetimber. The commercial partners are, however, never involved in the selections of finalists or winners — that is completely up to our independent jury panel.
Jury
The criteria for the jury are straightforward but not simple: Vote for the most exciting wine list representing the category.
For the first ever Star Wine List of the Year Belgium, we gathered a top sommelier jury:
• Piotr Pietras MS
• Julie Dupouy-Young
• Ronan Sayburn MS
• Antoine Lehebel (as our local judge)
So – here are all the Gold Star and Silver Star winners in the different categories:
International Categories:
Grand Prix
– The best list overall
The category is presented by Premium Estates of Austria
Gold Star:
Restaurant Sans Cravate, Bruges
”A fabulous list that will seduce any wine lover looking for boutique and sustainable wines. Equally good offering in white, red and sweet wines and a superb emphasis on grower Champagnes. Very exciting! A list that makes you want to book a table,” says the jury’s Julie Dupouy-Young about the winning list.
Best Long List
– For wine lists with more than 600 references
Gold Star:
Restaurant Sans Cravate, Bruges
Silver Stars:
Boury, Roeselare
d'Oude Schuur, Sint-Martens-Latem
L'Air du Temps, Liernu
La Table de Maxime, Our
Paul de Pierre, Maarkedal
Restaurant Marcel, Antwerp
Terminus, Watou
Zilte, Antwerp
”A beautiful wine list focusing mostly on artisanal producers. Very detailed grower Champagne section with some lovely sparkling wines from other winemaking regions. Red and white wine sections are equally impressive. There are some hidden gems and verticals available too. Well done!” says jury member Piotr Pietras MS.
Best Medium-Sized Wine List
– Recognizes the best wine list with 200-600 references.
Gold Star:
Convento, Leuven
Silver Stars:
Bozar Restaurant, Brussels
Pazzo, Antwerp
Racines Bruxelles, Brussels
Racines Floreffe, Floreffe
Restaurant Hert, Turnhout
Restaurant Imprévu by De Barrier, Houthalen-Helchteren
The Butcher's Son, Antwerp
”A beautifully presented list with some great choices in countries like Australia. Also, some terrific value in iconic wines if you search for them,” says jury member Ronan Sayburn MS about the winning list.
Best Short List
– Recognizes the best wine list with fewer than 200 listings.
Gold Star:
Ta-nnin, Antwerp
Silver Stars:
Barge, Brussels
Commune, Beervelde
InVINcible, Antwerp
Restaurant Terroir, Gierle
Vintage, Kontich
Vrijmoed, Gent
”A great small but carefully thought out selection. Fun and dynamic!” says Ronan Sayburn.
Best Austrian Wine List
– Recognizes the best list with wines from Austria
The category is presented by Austrian Wine
Gold Star:
Paul de Pierre, Maarkedal
Silver Stars:
Boury, Roeselare
Ona, Gent
Restaurant Imprévu by De Barrier, Houthalen-Helchteren
Restaurant Sans Cravate, Bruges
Terminus, Watou
”A complex and quality-driven selection of Austrian white, red and sparkling wines from various regions of the country offered at attractive prices. Great to see older vintages available too,” says jury member Julie Dupouy-Young about the winning list.
Best Sparkling Wine List
– Recognizes the best list with sparkling wines.
The category is presented by Nyetimber
Gold Star:
Restaurant Sans Cravate, Bruges
Silver Stars:
Convento, Leuven
d'Oude Schuur, Sint-Martens-Latem
L'Air du Temps, Liernu
Paul de Pierre, Maarkedal
Terminus, Watou
Vin d'Où, Antwerp
Zilte, Antwerp
”Aside from an amazing selection of Champagnes, this list offers carefully chosen producers of sparkling wines from all over the world. Brilliant!” says local jury member Antoine Lehebel about the winning list.
Best California Wine List
– Recognizes the best list with wines from California
Gold Star:
Terminus, Watou
Silver Stars:
Boury, Roeselare
Convento, Leuven
Ona, Gent
Paul de Pierre, Maarkedal
Restaurant Marcel, Antwerp
”A list that focuses on the key varieties of California and displays some benchmark producers. Overall a very good selection of wines at various price points,” says the jury’s Julie Dupouy-Young about the winning list.
Best By the Glass List
– Recognizes the best by the glass list.
The category is presented by Young Charly
Gold Star:
Zilte, Antwerp
Silver Stars:
Paul de Pierre, Maarkedal
Racines Bruxelles, Brussels
Restaurant Imprévu by De Barrier, Houthalen-Helchteren
Restaurant Marcel, Antwerp
Tablàvins, Knokke-Heist
Vrijmoed, Gent
”Extensive offering with numerous options in each price category. Different styles and producers from around the world both classic and up-and-coming,” says Piotr Pietras.
Best Newcomer List
Gold Star:
Restaurant Imprévu by De Barrier, Houthalen-Helchteren
Finalists:
Commune, Beervelde
HET ARCHIEF, Antwerp
Ona, Gent
Restaurant Terroir, Gierle
Wijnbistro Goddaard, Antwerp
”An enjoyable selection, well-balanced and well-presented. Excellent selection for a start, everyone can find what they like,” says Antoine Lehebel.
Sustainable Wine List
– For the Sustainable Wine List category, not only the wine list is evaluated, but also the stated actions of the venue, as described through a questionnaire in the application
Gold Star:
Convento, Leuven
Silver Stars:
Ona, Gent
Racines Floreffe, Floreffe
”A fantastic list, with a genuine vision of sustainability. One can feel it has been thought through!” says Antoine Lehebel.
The winners in the international categories will qualify for our International Final in June 2024, 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.
Nyetimber
English sparkling producer Nyetimber is the leading producer of sparkling wine in the country.
