The best wine lists in Finland – all the finalists
On April 15 we will return to Finland to celebrate the best wine lists and the teams behind them for the fifth time. Our jury is now done deliberating – and here we reveal the finalists in all the nine categories.
The event will as usual be held together with the Finnish Sommelier Championship where we create a day together by and for sommeliers.
"The wine scene in Finland is small but it is dynamic and it is great to see the development of the finalists this year," said Krister Bengtsson, founder and publisher.
Jury member Salvatore Castano, named Best Sommelier of Europe by ASI, commented:
"Throughout the competition, we encountered incredible wine lists. In numerous categories, selecting finalists and winners was a challenge due to the exceptional quality of the entries. Particularly among the medium and short lists we had a really tight competition."
Finland is included to our 2023-2024 International tour, and this is the fifth time we are running it in Finland. Star Wine List of the Year Finland will be held on April 15 in Helsinki.
The winners in Finland will qualify for the International Final in Stockholm in June.
Jury
The jury of our Finnish awards is filled with top international sommeliers and wine experts:
• Kathrine Larsen-Robert, Master Sommelier
• Heidi Mäkinen, Master of Wine
• Salvatore Castano MS, Best Sommelier of Europe & Africa 2021 (ASI)
• Julie Dupouy-Young, several times named the Best Sommelier of Ireland
INTERNATIONAL CATEGORIES:
Grand Prix
– The best list overall
Finalists:
The winner will be announced at the event.
Best Long List
– For wine lists with more than 600 references.
Finalists:
Muru Wine Bar, Helsinki
Palace, Helsinki
Restaurant Muru, Helsinki
Savoy, Helsinki
Best Medium-Sized List
– Recognizes the best wine list with 200-600 references.
The category is presented by Louis M. Martini
Finalists:
Apotek, Helsinki
Baskeri & Basso, Helsinki
BRASA, Helsinki
Bronda, Helsinki
Café Savoy, Helsinki
Minne Champagne & Wine, Helsinki
Nokka, Helsinki
Pastis, Helsinki
Restaurant Grön, Helsinki
Best Short List
– Recognizes the best wine list with fewer than 200 listings.
Finalists:
Brasserie Alexanderplats, Helsinki
Emo, Helsinki
Farang, Helsinki
Grape Wine Bar, Helsinki
Le Coucou Vert, Helsinki
Pöllöwaari, Jyväskylä
Restaurant Adlerfelt, Helsinki
Salutorget, Helsinki
Sekel Bar & Restaurant, Helsinki
Best Austrian Wine List
– Recognizes the best list with wines from Austria
The category is presented by Austrian Wine
Finalists:
BasBas Kulma, Helsinki
Grape Wine Bar, Helsinki
Minne Champagne & Wine, Helsinki
Palace, Helsinki
Restaurant Grön, Helsinki
Restaurant Muru, Helsinki
Savoy, Helsinki
Sekel Bar & Restaurant, Helsinki
Best Sparkling Wine List
– Recognizes the best list with sparkling wines.
The category is presented by Nyetimber
Finalists:
Bronda, Helsinki
Café Savoy, Helsinki
Minne Champagne & Wine, Helsinki
Muru Wine Bar, Helsinki
Nokka, Helsinki
Palace, Helsinki
Pastis, Helsinki
Restaurant Grön, Helsinki
Restaurant Muru, Helsinki
Savoy, Helsinki
Best By the Glass List
– Recognizes the best by the glass list.
Finalists:
Gaijin
Muru Wine Bar, Helsinki
Nokka, Helsinki
Pöllöwaari, Jyväskylä
Ravintola Viinille, Turku
Viinitupa Vuorenmaja, Mäntää
Vinho, Turku
Best Newcomer List
– Recognizes a venue that recently opened
Finalists:
Le Ankka, Helsinki
Le Coucou Vert, Helsinki
Minne Champagne & Wine, Helsinki
Scolare, Helsinki
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.
Finalists:
Le Ankka, Helsinki
Nokka, Helsinki
Restaurant Adlerfelt, Helsinki
Restaurant Grön, Helsinki
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 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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Louis M. Martini
Louis M. Martini is an iconic Californian wine producer. Read more by clicking on the logo.
Nyetimber
English sparkling producer Nyetimber is the leading producer of sparkling wine in the country.
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.
