The winners of Star Wine List of the Year UAE 2024/’25 make it “almost impossible to get a bad bottle of wine”
It’s official – these are the best wine lists in the UAE, announced at an awards ceremony in Dubai attended by the sommelier community.
On Monday, 9 December, Star Wine List’s Liora Levi hosted our second ever celebration of the great wine lists of the UAE. At an event held at The Lana, Dorchester Collection in Dubai, Gold Stars were presented to the winning venues in 11 categories, including a Special Jury Prize, awarded at the judges’ discretion.
The night's biggest winner was FZN by Björn Frantzén, which opened in early November 2024. It took home the Gold Stars for, aptly, Best Newcomer List, as well as Best Sparkling List, Best Long List and our highest accolade, the Grand Prix.
Our jury panel for the competition included world-renowned sommeliers Ferran Centelles (El Bulli Foundation), Nina Jensen (twice named Best Sommelier in Denmark and a two-time runner up in Best Sommelier of the World), Stephen Wong MW, and local wine expert Vincent Truong.
“Judging the UAE has been a pleasurable but difficult task for the jurors!” Nina Jensen told us. “There is a clear overall focus on absolutely top-quality producers – it seems almost impossible to get a bad bottle of wine here. The tighter market structure makes each feature on a list matter more, as an expression of intent or philosophy. You get an overall sense of rapid development, and we are very much looking forward to following this region in the years to come.”
Gold Star winners in the international categories will now go on to compete against others from across the globe in the Star Wine List of the Year International Final, which will be held in Vienna, in June 2025.
And here are the best wine lists in the UAE:
INTERNATIONAL CATEGORIES:
Grand Prix
– The best list overall.
Gold Star:
FZN by Björn Frantzén, Dubai
What the winners said:
“I really couldn’t have asked for anything more from the team. They’ve been amazing, helping me with the wine program and helping me sort of settle into the Frantzén way! It’s been an amazing experience so far.”
– Kyle Barton, FZN by Björn Frantzén
What the judges said:
“This wine list demonstrates painstaking attention to detail, a very wide breadth across wine subregions as well as vintages, and a geeky depth to its unique curation.”
– Vincent Truong
Best Long List
– For wine lists with more than 600 references.
Gold Star:
FZN by Björn Frantzén, Dubai
What the winners said:
“It’s been amazing today. I mean, I see changes in the different progressive things happening from the previous year, and am very, very happy to see more colleagues and venues participating – and winning! So congratulations to all. Atlantis is very excited to be a part of the ceremony. It’s been lovely.”
– Gordana Josovic, Atlantis Dubai
What the judges said:
“This is a wine list in upper case, with exquisite details such as the use of the chef de cave's name and the disgorgement date alongside their sparkling wines. A list of great magnificence, featuring the most prestigious names as well as lesser-known producers of exceptional quality. Its vertical selections of wines from Burgundy, Bordeaux, Rhône, Germany, and Piedmont are impressive. Likewise, few lists in the world gather such a vast array of cult Californian wines. A list crafted to navigate both the excellence of wine and all wine-producing regions on the planet. Impressive.”
– Ferran Centelles
Silver Stars:
Al Muntaha, Burj Al Arab, Dubai
Amazónico, Dubai
At.mosphere, Dubai
Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, Dubai
Il Ristorante - Niko Romito, Dubai
Ossiano, Dubai
Best Medium-Sized List
– Recognises the best wine list with 200-600 references.
This category is presented by Château d'Esclans
Gold Star:
BOCA, Dubai
What the winners said:
“I’m really happy – we’re looking forward to Vienna now. We’re expecting a big party, so Vienna better be ready! Thank you very much, and thanks for bringing the competition to the UAE.”
– Shiv Menon, BOCA
What the judges said:
“The wine cellar is at the heart of this restaurant. The list focuses on sustainable wines, featuring delightful pictograms that make it easy to navigate. It offers a playful selection of wine flights to delight the palate. Many of these wines are sourced through special channels, making it a unique spot to enjoy rare wines, with a fantastic QR code feature allowing guests to learn about each producer.”
– Ferran Centelles
Silver Stars:
Clap, Dubai
La Dame De Pic, Dubai
LPM Dubai, Dubai
Nobu, Dubai
SAL, Burj Al Arab, Dubai
The Lana, Dorchester Collection, Dubai
Zuma, Dubai
Best Short List
– Recognises the best wine list with fewer than 200 listings.
Gold Star:
Roka, Dubai
What the winners said:
“Thank you very much. We are really happy to have the Best Short List – we really happy with that!”
– Mixtzin Aguilar, Roka Dubai
What the judges said:
“This restaurant’s wine selection is always exciting, especially with the evolving Coravin offerings by the glass. The list, organised by varietals and styles, is easy to navigate; it may be concise, but it is powerful, featuring an excellent selection of top producers from around the world that covers all current wine styles.”
– Ferran Centelles
Silver Stars:
Akira Back, Dubai
Moonrise, Dubai
Soirée, Dubai
StreetXO, Dubai
Studio Frantzén, Dubai
TERO (The Experience by Reif Othman), Dubai
Best Sparkling Wine List
– Recognises the best list for sparkling wines.
This category is presented by Nyetimber
Gold Star:
FZN by Björn Frantzén, Dubai
What the winners said:
“Atlantis is always going to be a part of this ceremony, and I’m really, really happy and excited to show the potential and the passion of the Dubai wine community to the rest of the world.”
– Gordana Josovic, Atlantis Dubai
What the judges said:
“Champagne lovers are spoiled for choice in the UAE, and this mouth-watering list is expertly researched, very detailed and well edited to showcase the best – a world-class Champagne list, with a nod to sparkling wine from elsewhere.”
– Stephen Wong MW
Silver Stars:
Al Muntaha, Burj Al Arab, Dubai
At.mosphere, Dubai
Clap, Dubai
Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, Dubai
Nobu, Dubai
Ossiano, Dubai
The Lana, Dorchester Collection, Dubai
Best By the Glass List
– Recognises the best 'by the glass' list.
Gold Star:
Clap, Dubai
What the winners said:
“I’m very happy. We always say that we have wine for everyone’s palate, and wallet, so that’s why we want to keep it fair for everyone to just grab a glass of wine in Clap, with the amazing view. Thank you for the opportunity.”
– Gulistan Keskin, Clap
What the judges said:
“A close race between several excellent lists, the winner has a tight selection while remaining international, and providing options across a wide range of price points – quite a feat in this market.”
– Stephen Wong MW
Silver Stars:
BOCA, Dubai
Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, Dubai
FZN by Björn Frantzén, Dubai
La Dame De Pic, Dubai
Ossiano, Dubai
Soirée, Dubai
The Lana, Dorchester Collection, Dubai
Best Newcomer List
– Recognises a venue that has recently opened.
Gold Star:
FZN by Björn Frantzén, Dubai
What the winners said:
“The first month of opening’s been fantastic. We’ve been really, really happy with the reception from the city, and Atlantis has been very helpful in helping us open and setting us up for success.”
– Kyle Barton, FZN by Björn Frantzén
What the judges said:
“The winner of the Best Newcomer List displays a confident wine program with direction and expertise behind it. It is focused on quality producers with a contemporary outlook, and I find it particularly impressive for a new place to have such a big part of the list dedicated to vintages dating more than five years back.”
– Nina Jensen
Silver Stars:
La Dame De Pic, Dubai
Rare Cocktail Bar & Modern Brasserie, Dubai
Smoked Room, Dubai
StreetXO, Dubai
Studio Frantzén, Dubai
The Lana, Dorchester Collection, Dubai
Sustainable Wine List
– Recognises a wine list that has put extra emphasis on the wine program’s overall impact, including vine growing, winemaking, packaging and transport.
Gold Star:
BOCA, Dubai
What the winners said:
“It’s a proud moment for us at BOCA, and the wine team. It’s super nice because what we tried to do was very different, something very interesting, because we have a different style of guest that comes to us – someone who really likes the high end and someone who really likes going in different venues. So we tried to listen to all of that and create something that also gives a systematic educational point of view.”
– Shiv Menon, BOCA
What the judges said:
“Their efforts in sourcing sustainable wines, along with the careful monitoring of their environmental impact in terms of waste and energy, and their being a champion of locally-sourced produce from land and sea, makes them an example worth imitating in the UAE.”
– Vincent Truong
Best Austrian Wine List
– Recognises the best list for wines from Austria.
This category is presented by Austrian Wine
Gold Star:
The Lana, Dorchester Collection, Dubai
What the winners said:
“Thank you very much. I think with the market in Dubai, the Austrian selection was scarce, and some of the importers really helped us. But this is just the beginning and we really want to focus more on other core regions of Austria as well.”
– Bhatia Dheeraj, The Lana, Dorchester Collection
What the judges said:
“Acknowledging the real difficulty of sourcing Austrian wine in this market, it is remarkable to find a well thought out, carefully selected selection of fantastic producers on offer, including by the glass. It does a commendable job of highlighting the excitement and innovation of Austrian wine for diners to discover.”
– Stephen Wong MW
Silver Stars:
BOCA, Dubai
Hakkasan, Abu Dhabi
Nobu, Dubai
Best California List
This category is presented by Pahlmeyer
– Recognises the best list for wines from California.
Gold Star:
Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, Dubai
What the winners said:
“It’s amazing to win again on the second year that we participated in Best California Wine List. I think at Dinner by Heston, we are proud of our Californian (and American) selection of wines. Obviously, our style of cuisine really goes well with the style of the wine that they’re making in the US and it’s great to see more and more wines coming to Dubai – different vintages from great producers, and small producers as well, which is something that we want to promote and to offer to our guests in Dinner by Heston and overall in Atlantis Dubai.”
– Arturo Scamardella, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
What the judges said:
“The winner of Best California Wine List showcases the US state in a dynamic manner, mixing great icons and small producers. It shows diversity in terms of the AVA’s grapes and styles, in a thoughtful curation that also features verticals from great producers.”
– Nina Jensen
Silver Stars:
Al Muntaha, Burj Al Arab, Dubai
Amazónico, Dubai
At.mosphere, Dubai
FZN by Björn Frantzén, Dubai
Nobu, Dubai
Ossiano, Dubai
Zuma, Dubai
LOCAL CATEGORIES:
Special Jury Prize
– Recognises a venue that has done something extra with their wine list, in terms of direction, style or value.
Gold Star:
The Lana, Dorchester Collection, Dubai
What the winners said:
“Thank you very much. It’s an absolute honour, and a great inspiration – and a motivation – to do much better.”
– Bhatia Dheeraj, The Lana, Dorchester Collection
What the judges said:
“This prize is intended for any restaurant, regardless of their size and resources. This year, it is awarded based not just on the quality of this restaurant's carefully curated wine menu, which scored well in multiple categories, but also because of their contribution to the larger wine scene in the UAE. This has been demonstrated by their being the host of multiple wine events for trade and consumers, as well as their efforts to source unique allocations from across the wine world.”
– Vincent Truong
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 international categories will qualify for our International Final in June 2025, 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.
Chateau d’Esclans
Read more about Chateau d’Esclans by clicking on the logo.
