January 30, 2026 — The leading competition celebrating the world’s greatest wine lists is returning to the United States of America: entries are now being accepted in Star Wine List of the Year New York 2026 and Star Wine List of the Year Florida 2026. Gold Star winners will be announced at awards ceremonies hosted by the Star Wine List team in each region in May, and applications are welcomed from wine bars and restaurants across the New York metropolitan area and the entire state of Florida, in the respective events.
Star Wine List of the Year is an annual awards tour running from September to June each year. This season, the circuit incorporates 14 stops across the world plus an International Open event to include all remaining territories (all other US regions are incorporated into this digital announcement, to be made on Monday 2nd February 2026). May’s events will mark the fourth time that Star Wine List has brought the competition to New York, and its second Florida edition after a successful debut at Vinexpo America in 2025. This year’s ceremonies will take place at as-yet-undisclosed locations in New York and Miami respectively.
The competitions are free to enter, and winners in any ‘international’ categories will go on to compete in the Star Wine List of the Year International Final 2026 – the global tour’s grand culmination, taking place in June 2026.
In New York, Gold Stars will be awarded in 12 categories, 10 of which are classed as ‘international’, alongside two ‘local’ categories for the lists featuring the best selections of wines from Bordeaux (France), and Spain. The jury panel includes Doug Frost (one of only a handful of people in the world to hold both the Master of Wine and Master Sommelier titles), European sommelier champion Mikk Parre, and New York-based sommelier Yannick Benjamin (known as ‘Wine on Wheels’).
In Florida, Gold Stars will be awarded in nine ‘international’ categories. Judges include Doug Frost MS MW, Danish Master Sommelier and Head of Wine, Europe at the UK’s 67 Pall Mall, Kathrine Larsen-Robert, and renowned New York-based French sommelier, Pascaline Lepeltier.
Useful links:
- More information on Star Wine List of the Year New York 2026
- More information on Star Wine List of the Year Florida 2026
Key dates, New York:
Entries open: 29 January 2026
Deadline for entries: 8 March 2026
Finalists announced: 2 April 2026
Awards event: 4 May 2026
Categories, New York:
INTERNATIONAL:
- Best Long List (for wine lists with more than 600 references)
- Best Medium-Sized List (200-600 references)
- Best Short List (fewer than 200 references)
- Best By-the-Glass List, presented by Stölzle Lausitz
- Best Sparkling Wine List
- Best Newcomer List
- Sustainability Prize
- Best Austrian Wine List, presented by Austrian Wine
- Best Italian Wine List
- Special Jury Prize (rewards a wine lovers’ place that does something out of the ordinary)
LOCAL:
- Best Bordeaux Wine List, presented by Maison Barrière
- Best Spanish Wine List, presented by Familia Torres
Key dates, Florida:
Entries open: 29 January 2026
Deadline for entries: 8 March 2026
Finalists announced: 2 April 2026
Awards event: 6 May 2026
Categories, Florida:
INTERNATIONAL:
- Best Long List (for wine lists with more than 600 references)
- Best Medium-Sized List (200-600 references)
- Best Short List (fewer than 200 references)
- Best By-the-Glass List
- Best Sparkling Wine List
- Best Newcomer List
- Sustainability Prize
- Best Italian Wine List
- Special Jury Prize (rewards a wine lovers’ place that does something out of the ordinary)
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.
