The winners in the first ever Star Wine List of the Year UAE
On January 29, Star Wine List headed to Dubai to celebrate the best wine lists and the teams behind them in the first ever Star Wine List of the Year UAE. Dinner by Heston Blumenthal in Dubai was the big winner, with Gold Stars in four categories, including Grand Prix for best wine list overall.
”What an awesome competition with an amazing jury! The game is stepped up in many ways. Fantastic sommeliers are giving their all to please a savvy clientele, showing Dubai's brilliance among global stars. Can't wait to see you next year with more awesome wines and sparklings!” says jury member Ben Kouider about the competition.
The event was held at BOCA, and the venue was buzzing with sommeliers and guests.
The UAE awards is included in our 2023-2024 International tour and the winners of the international categories will now qualify for the International final in June 2024.
Here are all the Gold Star and Silver Star winners:
International Categories:
Grand Prix
– The best list overall
Gold Star:
Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, Dubai
"I’m still speechless, this is a great recognition for us and for the hard job that we do. We work with it every day, and we’re glad to be able to offer one of the best wine lists in Dubai to our guests. Hopefully we’ll continue to improve and be better and better," says Arturo Scamardella, head sommelier at Dinner by Heston Blumenthal.
”To stand out as the best among the best, excelling in every category is imperative. Achieving this feat and securing outstanding rewards was no easy task. The competition was formidable, requiring us to make a singular choice. While there's acknowledgment that further efforts may be needed in certain wine regions, overall, we take great pleasure in navigating through this wine list and savouring the exceptional cuvées it features,” says says jury member Ben Kouider.
Best Long List
– For wine lists with more than 600 references
Gold Star:
Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, Dubai
"This wine list manages to feature both the true classics of the world and the topical producers and regions currently on many wine lover's mind. The list has captured also many mature wines to attract those who look for that perfect bottle so overall, this is a really well created list," says the jury's Heidi Mäkinen MW.
Silver Stars:
Al Muntaha, Burj Al Arab, Dubai
Amazónico, Dubai
At.mosphere, Dubai
Ossiano, Dubai
Ristorante L'Olivo at Al Mahara, Burj Al Arab, Dubai
Best Medium-Sized Wine List
– Recognizes the best wine list with 200-600 references.
The category is presented by Brancott Estate
Gold Star:
Nobu Dubai, Dubai
"It’s a great honour. I just arrived in Dubai eight months ago, and I didn’t know much about the wine scene here. Our food is a blend of Japanese and Peruvian, so there is a lot of softer spices and umami flavours. We are focusing on building our selection of skin maceration whites, and on the red side biodynamic wines in lighter styles, floral and aromatic," says Guillermo Perez Marin, head sommelier at Nobu Dubai.
Piotr Pietras MS, part of the jury panel, comments:
"A lovely wine list that successfully combines traditional wineries from classic areas with lesser-known brands and/or not-so-obvious wine regions. Good diversity across sections and strong presence of wines outside Europe."
Silver Stars:
BOCA, Dubai
Clap, Dubai
Hakkasan Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi
Il Ristorante - Niko Romito, Dubai
LPM Dubai, Dubai
MayaBay, Dubai
TABŪ, Dubai
Zuma Dubai, Dubai
Best Short List
– Recognizes the best wine list with fewer than 200 listings.
Gold Star:
Soirée, Dubai
"It’s an honour for us, especially since we so recently opened. Soirée is about portraying different kinds of wines and experiences through that," Gabriele Rozzi, Restaurant Manager at Soirée.
"This list sparks the interest of its reader with many unexpected and surprising choices. It really shows how the wine world is ever-evolving and manages to showcase a very balanced offering," says Heidi Mäkinen MW.
Silver Stars:
Josette, Dubai
Lexington Grill & Bar, Ras Al Khaimah
Ling Ling at Atlantis The Royal, Dubai
ROKA restaurant, Dubai
Tresind Studio, Dubai
Best Austrian Wine List
– Recognizes the best list with wines from Austria
The category is presented by Austrian Wine
Gold Star:
Ossiano, Dubai
To be fair - Star Wine List's publisher Krister Bengtsson at the award named this category the Best Start of an Austrian wine list, since the selection of Austrian wine is yet limited in UAE in general and on wine lists.
"But change is coming, and we look forward to seeing even stronger selections next year," said Krister Bengtsson.
"Thank you very much. It is really nice to be recognized and that people appreciate what we do," says Thomas Domingues, head sommelier at Ossiano.
"The Austrian selection of this venue is very compact yet presents top producers of different styles showing the wines have been chosen with purpose," says Heidi Mäkinen MW.
Silver Stars:
Amazónico, Dubai
Zuma Dubai, Dubai
Best Sparkling Wine List
– Recognizes the best list with sparkling wines.
The category is presented by Nyetimber
Gold Star:
Al Muntaha, Burj Al Arab, Dubai
"It’s definitely a section we’ve been working on quite a bit. The whole grower Champagne movement is something that is close to my heart. We went hard on that section and I think it definitely enhances the wine list," says Samuel Lacroix, wine director at Al Muntaha, Burj Al Arab.
"It was a pleasure to read a such complete Champagne and sparkling section in a wine list of Dubai. This list has the main historical houses besides great vignerons. The cuvees choices are very precise and there are many back vintages and different formats of iconic references," says jury member Paz Levinson.
Silver Stars:
At.mosphere, Dubai
BOCA, Dubai
Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, Dubai
Nobu Dubai, Dubai
Ossiano, Dubai
Ristorante L'Olivo at Al Mahara, Burj Al Arab, Dubai
Zuma Dubai, Dubai
Best California Wine List
– Recognizes the best list with wines from California
The category is presented by Louis M. Martini
Gold Star:
Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, Dubai
"We’ve been able to put together an amazing collection of California wines. And I mean, everyone likes California wines, especially here in Dubai. So it was quite amazing to get this prize, obviously," says head sommelier Arturo Scamardella after receiving the prize.
"Very strong selection of both white and red wines. It is the red wine section that is especially impressive and quality-driven. It displays truly interesting verticals and some of the most sought-after Californian wines," says Piotr Pietras MS.
Silver Stars:
Al Muntaha, Burj Al Arab, Dubai
Amazónico, Dubai
At.mosphere, Dubai
Nobu Dubai, Dubai
Ossiano, Dubai
Best By the Glass List
– Recognizes the best by the glass list.
Gold Star:
Ossiano, Dubai
"I always try to go to every country, and try to give options to everyone both when it comes to price and style. Coravin is my favourite tool so I’m not afraid of serving any kind of wine. If you want to go for a top option you can do that, and if you want to go cheap you can do that as well. We also have a big Champagne-by-the-glass list because I love Champagne, and also it puts pressure on myself and the team, because when we open a bottle we need to sell it," says head sommelier Thomas Domingues.
"A very diverse by-the-glass list with lots of Champagne and other sparkling wines available. Other sections also offer different varieties, styles, quality levels. There are some really quirky finds in each of them!" says Piotr Pietras MS.
Silver Stars:
At.mosphere, Dubai
BOCA, Dubai
Clap, Dubai
Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, Dubai
LPM Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi
LPM Dubai, Dubai
Soirée, Dubai
Zuma Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi
Zuma Dubai, Dubai
Best Newcomer List
The category is presented by DAOU
Gold Star:
Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, Dubai
"It is always thrilling to welcome a newcomer to the UAE, particularly one adept at exploring extensive wine regions while consistently delivering impressive wine quality. This reflects the elevated standards that have been set over the past decade. From the Old World to the New World, and even to the realms of still, bubbly, and fortified wines, every detail has been meticulously considered," says Ben Kouider about the winning list.
Silver Stars:
City Social Dubai, Dubai
Fouquet’s, Dubai
Row on 45, Dubai
Soirée, Dubai
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:
BOCA, Dubai
"Thank you very much, I’m really proud of this. Sustainability is something that defines us and something that we think about a lot. It is crucial for us, both in the kitchen and behind the bar, and of course on the wine list. I don’t think that sustainability is the first thing people think about when it comes to fine dining, or when it comes to Dubai," says Omar Shihab, BOCA's founder.
"When I visited Boca I fell in love with the wine list, full of good and reliable references, and detail and story behind the producers. It is a fun, dynamic, visually attractive list that has been constructed with creativity and hard work. Wines with soul and with a focus on sustainable practices," says the jury's Paz Levinson.
Jury
The jury for the first Star Wine List of the Year competition in the UAE included an amazing line-up of esteemed wine experts:
• Heidi Mäkinen, Master of Wine
• Piotr Pietras, Master Sommelier
• Paz Levinson, named Best Sommelier of Americas
• Ben Kouider, Champagne expert and educator based in UAE
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 our awards. In addition, local categories may be added. We have commercial partners for certain categories, such as the Best Austrian Wine List, which is 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 judging panel.
The criteria for the jury is straightforward but not simple: to vote for the most exciting wine list representing the category.
Read about the terms and how Star Wine List judges the wine lists here.
Do like the Pros - search 2500+ wine lists
Brancott Estate
Brancott Estate was the first estate to plant Sauvignon Blanc in the Marlborough region. Read more here.
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.
Louis M. Martini
Louis M. Martini is an iconic Californian wine producer. Read more by clicking on the logo.
DAOU
Read more about DAOU by clicking on the logo.
