December 10, 2025 (Stockholm, Sweden) — The winners of Star Wine List of the Year UAE 2025 were announced at an awards ceremony in Dubai yesterday, presented by ASI Best Sommelier of the World Raimonds Tomsons. This is the third competition that Star Wine List has hosted in the UAE, this year awarding its first Gold Star to a venue in Abu Dhabi.
On Monday 8th December 2025, Star Wine List revealed the best wine lists in the UAE at an awards ceremony held at Sexy Fish Dubai and presented by Founder and Publisher Krister Bengtsson alongside judges Raimonds Tomsons and Vincent Truong.
“The wine scenes in Dubai and Abu Dhabi have developed to a highly sophisticated level,” says Raimonds, “defined by world-class restaurants and wine bars showcasing wine lists with incredible regional depth. These wine programmes showcase everything from focused and exciting newcomer lists to expansive and long selections containing comprehensive verticals, mature vintages, and benchmark producers across Europe and key emerging regions of the world.
“The wine lists demonstrate a market that values both connoisseurship and curiosity and, with their knowledgeable teams and openness to global trends, these cities have established themselves as some of the most dynamic wine destinations in the world.”
Gold Stars were presented in 12 categories. Nine of those were “international” categories, which means that the winners will go on to compete in the Star Wine List International Final, to be held in June 2026.
For the second year in a row, Dubai’s FZN by Björn Frantzén took the Gold Stars for Best Long List and Best Sparkling Wine List, a coup for a restaurant that only opened just over a year ago. Double Golds were also presented to BOCA (Best Spanish Wine List; Sustainability Prize) and Dinner by Heston Blumenthal (Best California Wine List; Best Bordeaux Wine List). The first Gold Star in Abu Dhabi went to La Petite Maison (LPM).
The jury panel for Star Wine List of the Year UAE 2025 comprised three global wine experts, and one local specialist:
- Raimonds Tomsons – Best Sommelier of the World 2023 (ASI)
- Mikk Parre – Best Sommelier of Europe, Africa and Middle East 2024 (ASI)
- Salvatore Castano – Best Sommelier of Europe and Africa 2021 (ASI)
- Vincent Truong – Dubai-based wine expert and educator
Gold Stars:
INTERNATIONAL CATEGORIES
Best Long List, presented by Château d’Esclans
For wine lists with more than 600 references
- FZN by Björn Frantzén, Dubai
Best Medium-Sized List
Recognises the best wine list with 200-600 references
- LPM, Abu Dhabi
Best Short List
Recognises the best wine list with fewer than 200 listings
- Tresind Studio, Dubai
Best Sparkling Wine List, presented by Perrier-Jouët
Recognises the best list for sparkling wines
- FZN by Björn Frantzén, Dubai
Best By-the-Glass List
Recognises the best ‘by-the-glass’ list
- Row on 45, Dubai
Best Newcomer List
Recognises a venue that has recently opened
- Kira Restaurant, Dubai
Sustainability Prize
Assesses the sustainable commitment of both the wine list and broader venue via a supplementary questionnaire submitted during the application process
- BOCA, Dubai
Best Italian Wine List, presented by Austrian Wine
- Il Gattopardo, Dubai
Special Jury Prize
Rewards a wine lovers’ place that does something out of the ordinary
- Nobu Dubai
LOCAL CATEGORIES:
Best California Wine List, presented by Pahlmeyer
Recognises the best list for the wines of California
- Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, Dubai
Best Spanish Wine List, presented by Familia Torres
Recognises the best list for the wines of Spain
- BOCA, Dubai
Best Bordeaux Wine List, presented by Château Tour des Termes
Recognises the best list for the wines of Bordeaux, France
- Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, Dubai
About Star Wine List
Star Wine List is the international wine lovers’ guide to great wine bars and restaurants. 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 for the quality of their wine programmes.
The Star Wine List of the Year competition celebrates 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. Its highly anticipated awards events recognise excellence in the wine and hospitality industries, and culminate in an International Final each summer.
