September 16, 2025 (Stockholm, Sweden) — On September 15, international wine guide Star Wine List awarded Gold Stars in its first awards event of its 2025/’26 tour, to restaurants and wine bars in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The judges praised the exceptional quality and creativity of the Baltic states’ wine programmes.
Held alongside the Lithuanian Sommelier Championship, the awards ceremony brought together the top sommeliers and restaurateurs of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The biggest victors showcased the incredible diversity of Baltics’ wine scene, a region that has recently produced some of the world’s most talented sommeliers. Barents, from Riga, Latvia, demonstrated its curated excellence and sophistication by securing three Gold Stars, earning Gold Stars for the Best Italian Wine List, Best Sparkling Wine List, and Best Medium-Sized List. Sharing the spotlight was fellow Riga restaurant Riviera, which impressed the jury with its encyclopedic depth and dynamic program to win three Gold Stars, for Best Long List, Best By-the-Glass List, and Best Austrian Wine List.
The awards also celebrated a breakout star from Estonia: new opening Ecrin, Tallinn, made an immediate impact and proved a formidable new force by winning two Gold Stars – for Estonia’s Best Newcomer List and Best Medium-Sized List. Meanwhile, SOMM the Wine Bar, in Vilnius, solidified its reputation as a Lithuanian powerhouse by winning the Gold Star for Best Austrian Wine List after the previous year’s three Silver Stars and one Gold Star (2023) in the same category.
The finalists were evaluated by an expert jury panel including Master Sommelier Kathrine Larsen-Robert, Master of Wine Stephen Wong, and celebrated sommeliers Julie Dupouy-Young and Kamil Wojtasiak. Their selections recognise the passion and hard work that sommelier teams dedicate to building world-class wine lists.
“It is easy to see why the Baltics have nurtured some of the wine world’s most dynamic modern talent,” explained Stephen Wong MW. “The best of these wine lists show a refined understanding of contemporary wine, its key producers and the various directions in which the wine world is moving, without losing sight of where it has come from. This is not an easy task – and neither was the jury’s when it came to discussing its choices, late into the night! We believe this set of winners represents a truly Baltic perspective of vinous appreciation, poised at the crux of tradition and modernity with a distinct character unlike the rest of Europe.”
A win in one of the international categories in any regional contest means automatic entry into the Star Wine List of the Year International Final, to be held in June 2026.
Winners
INTERNATIONAL CATEGORIES:
Best Long List
For wine lists with more than 600 references
- Riviera, Riga, Latvia
- Time to Wine Kopli 6, Tallinn, Estonia
Best Medium-Sized List
Recognises the best wine list with 200-600 references
- Barents, Riga, Latvia
- Ecrin, Tallinn, Estonia
- Restaurant Pacai, Vilnius, Lithuania
Best Short List
Recognises the best wine list with fewer than 200 listings
- Demo Restoranas, Vilnius, Lithuania
- Restaurant B7, Riga, Latvia
- The Peacock Lounge, Tallinn, Estonia
Best Sparkling Wine List
Recognises the best list for sparkling wines
- Barents, Riga, Latvia
- Kristoforas, Vilnius, Lithuania
- Veino, Tallinn, Estonia
Best By-the-Glass List
Recognises the best ‘by-the-glass’ list
- Gaspar’s, Vilnius, Lithuania
- Riviera, Riga, Latvia
- Veino, Tallinn, Estonia
Best Newcomer List
Recognises a venue that has recently opened
- Oecumene, Vilnius, Lithuania
- Clos[er], Riga, Latvia
- Ecrin, Tallinn, Estonia
Sustainability Prize
Assesses the sustainable commitment of both the wine list and broader venue via a supplementary questionnaire submitted during the application process
- Demo Restoranas, Vilnius, Lithuania
- Fotografiska Tallinn, Tallinn, Estonia
- Pavāru Māja, Līgatnē, Latvia
Best Austrian Wine List
Recognises the best list for the wines of Austria – a category presented by Austrian Wine
- Riviera, Riga, Latvia
- SOMM The Wine Bar, Vilnius, Lithuania
- Shang Shi, Tallinn, Estonia
Best Italian Wine List
Recognises the best list for the wines of Italy – a category presented by Pasqua
- Barents, Riga, Latvia
- Monte Pacis, Kaunas, Lithuania
- Time to Wine Rotermanni, Tallinn, Estonia
Special Jury Prize
- BABO, Riga, Latvia
- Monte Pacis, Kaunas, Lithuania
- Shang Shi, Tallinn, Estonia
Rewards a wine lovers’ place that does something out of the ordinary
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 at starwinelist.com. It was launched in Stockholm (Sweden) in 2017, and is now live in more than 45 countries. All venues are selected by top wine professionals. Star Wine List of the Year is an international competition celebrating the wonderful wine lists of the world and the dedicated sommelier teams who create them. Since its inception in 2018, this global tour has evolved to cover numerous territories, hosting events that recognise excellence in the wine and hospitality industries.
