Star Wine List of the Year is the global awards tour celebrating the world’s best wine lists – and the people who create them. For a fourth time, the competition will visit the Baltic states and, with such a strong sommelier community in the region, the 2026 contest promises to be fierce. Entries are now open for establishments in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
August 25, 2026 (Stockholm, Sweden) — This November, the fourth edition of Star Wine List of the Year Baltics will take place in Tallinn. The competition is now open, with teams at wine bars and restaurants all over Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania invited to submit their wine lists for consideration by an expert jury panel (yet to be announced). Entries will close on 20th September, ahead of November’s private awards event, to which all finalists will be invited. Entries are free of charge.
The 2026/’27 season of Star Wine List of the Year formally begins in September, with events hosted all across the world, and an International Open incorporating everywhere else via remote announcements. The competition includes a set of ‘international’ categories that are repeated in each region and grant winners an automatic entry into the Star Wine List of the Year Global Final, which will close the season in June 2027. For the first time, these core categories include the Best Rosé Wine List, meaning that the world’s top rosé selections will be identified across the world, with any Gold Star winners going on to vie for the world title next summer.
Winners in each category of Star Wine List of the Year receive a Gold Star, while runners-up earn a Silver Star. These accolades, awarded annually, remain separate to Star Wine List’s perpetual guide to the world’s best wine places, which categorises venues into Red and White Stars.
KEY DATES:
- Entries open: 20th August 2026
- Deadline for entries: 20th September 2026
- Finalists announced: 22nd October 2026
- Awards event: 15th November 2026
CATEGORIES:
International categories:
- 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 Rosé Wine List
- Best Newcomer List
- Sustainability Prize
- Special Jury Prize – rewards a wine lovers’ place that does something out of the ordinary
Local category:
- Best California Wine List, presented by California Wines
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 a Global Final each summer.
