May 8, 2025 — Star Wine List, often called the Michelin guide for the wine world, has hosted its first awards ceremony in Florida this week, celebrating the wine bars and restaurants with the best wine lists in the state, during Vinexpo America. Whilst the majority of winners are to be found in Miami, the event’s most decorated venue is Bern’s Steak House in Tampa – a fine dining institution founded in 1956.
The Star Wine List of the Year awards honour the greatest wine lists in the world – and the teams behind them. At Star Wine List of the Year Florida, Gold Stars have been awarded in nine categories, with winners in the international categories (eight out of nine) qualifying for the Star Wine List of the Year International Final, which will be hosted in Vienna, in June 2025.
Three of those Gold Stars were this week presented to Bern’s Steak House in Tampa (for Best Austrian Wine List, Best Long List and the competition’s highest honour, the Grand Prix). Other Gold Star recipients are located further south, in Miami, including the Michelin-starred Ariete and COTE Miami, plus Sexy Fish, Mandolin Aegean Bistro and Casa Juancho.
The jury for Star Wine List of the Year Florida 2025 comprised four globally-recognised sommeliers: Salvatore Castano (Best Sommelier of Europe and Africa 2021), Kathrine Larsen-Robert (Master Sommelier and Head of Wine, Europe at 67 Pall Mall in London), Pascaline Lepeltier (Best Sommelier of France 2018) and Doug Frost (Master Sommelier and Master of Wine).
“Judging the wine lists from Florida was no easy task,” said Castano. “The quality was great across the board. Each list brought something unique to the table, making our decisions more challenging. We’re excited about the massive potential in Florida and look forward to seeing even more passionate entries next year as the scene continues to grow and evolve.”
The winners
International categories
Grand Prix
The best list of the overall competition
Gold Star: Bern’s Steak House
Best Long List, presented by Château d’Esclans
For wine lists with more than 600 references
Gold Star: Bern’s Steak House, Tampa
Best Medium-Sized List
200-600 references
Gold Star: Amara at Paraiso, Miami
Best Short List
Fewer than 200 references
Gold Star: Ariete, Miami
Best By the Glass List, presented by La Bouche du Roi
Gold Star: Sexy Fish, Miami
Best Sparkling Wine List
Gold Star: COTE Miami, Miami
Sustainable Wine List, presented by Lingua Franca
Recognises a wine list that has put extra emphasis on the wine programme’s overall impact
Gold Star: Mandolin Aegean Bistro, Miami
Best Austrian Wine List, presented by Austrian Wine
Gold Star: Bern’s Steak House, Tampa
Local categories
Best Spanish Wine List, presented by Familia Torres
Gold Star: Casa Juancho, Miami
About Star Wine List
Star Wine List is the award-winning guide to great wine bars and wine restaurants around the world. It is available as an app and on www.starwinelist.com. It was launched in Stockholm (Sweden) in 2017, and is now live in more than 45 countries in the world. All venues are selected by top wine professionals.
