The Stockholm update! New Red Stars for the home of Star Wine List

By Rachel Fellows

Published 22-October-2025

Interview / Stockholm

Stockholm is where Star Wine List started and remains its HQ. Founder Krister Bengtsson and Stockholm Ambassador Andreas Grube have updated our wine guide to include seven new Red Stars (plus a few more across the world), and tell us why Sweden’s alcohol monopoly actually makes this “‘small’ big city” a more exciting place to enjoy wine out and about.

“Some of our additions are brand new,” says Krister Bengtsson. “Others are places that have been around longer and we feel have worked their way onto the guide.”

Bengtsson began Star Wine List in 2017, highlighting the best restaurants and bars – from a wine perspective – in his home town of Stockholm. The Gothenburg native and former journalist simply hoped to recommend, helpfully, the places where wine lovers should go in Sweden’s capital city. And with an MBA in wine and a spell living in Bordeaux under his belt, Krister does have an opinion or two on what makes a wine list worthy of a visit.

Today, that project has expanded to 46 countries and nearly 100 international ambassadors, plus a core team which works from around the world – but with an office in Stockholm. On 10 November, the city will play host to Star Wine List’s first Inspiration Day, the planning of which is keeping Krister busy right now.

Meanwhile, wine writer and musician Andreas Grube has lived in Stockholm all his life and is a former member of Star Wine List staff, having served as Editor from 2019 to 2023. He now reports from his home as Stockholm Ambassador and sits on the jury panel for our wine list awards. He’ll be playing in a musical comedy show called ‘Svenska Revyn’ until the end of January and has just released a new crime novel, which revolves around a cocktail bar in Stockholm’s Old Town – it’s full of “cocktails, murders, action, and even a little bit of feel-good humour,” he says.

These two wine buffs have gone through our Stockholm guide with a fine-tooth comb to ensure that Star Wine List will lead oenophiles to their next lovely glass (or bottle) of wine in a city where restaurants and bars, Krister says, “give extra meaning” to vinous enjoyment given the strictures of the alcohol monopoly on retail consumption.

They admit that to having, perhaps, “too many favourites” but that does mean one thing: you won’t struggle to find good food and wine in the Swedish capital.

While we’re at it, we’ve also got a Red Star (guess which Michelin star) from Karin Ericson over in Rydöbruk in Halland County, southwest Sweden. And Krister and Andreas have been travelling further afield, also adding Red Stars in the USA and Germany respectively. So now there’s really no excuse for drinking bad wine!

Explore the wine guide to Stockholm.

Stockholm is where Star Wine List started – how would you describe its wine scene?

KB: “People in Stockholm are spoiled with choice – there are all kinds of wines and cuisines, and very high quality. For entry level wines, the prices are high in an international comparison, but the good stuff is usually very decently priced, and there is plenty of it. The hospitality teams are very good at what they do.”

AG: “Nothing less than amazing, which is something that has evolved during the last 10 – 15 years or so. The scene is vivid, fun and exciting. So many talented people, and a lot of really great and unique places.”

What makes Stockholm unique as a place to drink wine?

AG: “I think that the level of wine knowledge in the business is world class, and that the scene is very diverse, especially since Stockholm is a quite ‘small’ big city compared to many others. I also think that wine lovers in this city are both knowledgeable, curious and relaxed in a way that always makes it fun to go out.”

KB: “In normal cities like Copenhagen, Paris or London, as a wine lover you have one or several favourite cavistes where you go to shop wine, taste, learn and explore. Sweden unfortunately still has a state monopoly for alcohol in retail – hopefully it’s gone before I kick the bucket, but at least it does give extra meaning to our wine bars and restaurants. They are where you go to taste wines from smaller producers, build a human connection, to learn and be inspired by the wine world.”

Do you have any particular favourites among your Red Stars?

AG: “My favourites change from day to day, but among these new Red Stars I was really happily surprised by Miyakodori. Even though I’ve lived in Stockholm forever, I’d never been there until recently. Such a nice vibe, combined with tasty food and a great wine list.”

KB: “I was blown away by the food at the new Krog Agrikultur. Chef Filip Fastén, what can I say? He’s done it again. And the wine selection is lovely too– a short but ambitious list.”

How can a venue impress you?

KB: “With honest hospitality, no matter the level of restaurant or bar. I enjoy all kinds of places – tiny wine bars, bistros and fine dining; natural to über classic wines. I had lunch at Le Taillevent in Paris recently and it was a joy to see an orchestra of team members in the dining room. It was classical but warm. People had a good time thanks to all the service and attention to detail, not despite it.”

AG: “It’s a combination of many things – the vibe, the music, the people, the food and, of course, the wine list. We’re quite spoiled with venues doing all the right things when it comes to glasswear, temperature and all that, so for me that is a given.”

Where do you live and hang out?

AG: “”I live in Sundbyberg, a suburb just outside of the city centre. We have a fantastic wine bar within crawling distance of our apartment – Sundbybergs Vinbar – so of course I tend to hang out there. Other places where you might find me on a regular basis are Cork, Combo, Agnes, Leijontornet and Astrids – among many others.”

KB: “I live in the Kungsholmen neighbourhood of central Stockholm. It’s not by far the most happening of neighbourhoods in town but we are blessed to have some great Red Stars nearby, such as Agnes and AG. Apart from that, I’m afraid I travel too much to stay a regular at a single place.”

How do you think the two of you compare when assessing venues? And how do you divide your duties in covering the city?

KB: “We debate and discuss. He’ll add his favourites to the mix, I’ll add mine. The problem may be that we have too many favourite spots, but Stockholm really has a lot to offer.”

AG: “I think we’re quite alike when assessing venues. We both appreciate a great wine list, of course, but also the atmosphere and the people running the venue. We want it to be both fun and on point. When it comes to dividing, it’s basically an ongoing discussion – who’s going where first, and when. And then we often tend to discuss. Most of the time, we are of the same opinion and then the decision is easy; sometimes we have slightly different opinions, and have to argue for our case!”