Noble-Rot.jpg
Noble Rot Soho, winner of the Best By-the-Glass List award.
(Image credit: Noble Rot)

For the UK’s third edition of the Star Wine List of the Year Awards, held in partnership with trade title The Buyer, a jury of top sommeliers was brought together to judge over 100 wine lists from restaurants and bars across the UK.

Spanning 12 categories, the winning establishments [see below] were picked by consultant sommelier and wine director at Ten Trinity Square Jan Konetzki, Piotr Petras MS, Ronan Sayburn MS and Ruth Spivey, wine consultant and Star Wine List’s UK Ambassador.

‘In the last two decades things have changed in the UK. Wine is not only the add-on to the fancy meal of the celebrity chef; wine has become the main feature of many restaurants and bars, creating destination places, and a real reason to go somewhere now,’ said Konetzki.

The UK’s wine-focused restaurants, bars and hotels leave wine lovers spoilt for choice when it comes to seeking out great bottles alongside top quality food.

Sayburn, who is also co-chair of the Decanter World Wine Awards, said: ‘Historically the UK hasn’t made a lot of its own wine. Because of that, wine merchants had to travel all over the world, buying wines to bring in. So the UK wine trade has been strong for hundreds of years. That’s reflected in the wine lists you find in UK restaurants nowadays. Sommeliers have the pick of the best of the best.’

Core-by-Clare-Smyth-Photo.jpg

Gareth Ferreira MS, beverage director at Core by Clare Smyth, collects the Grand Prix award. Ruth Spivey says of the list: ‘While grand in length, it still feels alive and dynamic. Arguably unimprovable!’
(Image credit: Thomas Skovsende)

The winners:

Grand Prix

The best wine list with more than 600 wines.

Winner: Core by Clare Smyth, London

Finalists:

Chez Bruce, London

Hide, London

Les 110 de Taillevent London, London

Noble Rot Soho, London

Pollen Street Social, London

The Clove Club, London

The Vineyard at Stockcross, Newbury

This category was presented by Bibendum.


Best Medium-Sized List

The best wine list with 200-600 wines.

Winner: Trivet, London

Finalists:

Chewton Glen Hotel, New Forest

Climat, Manchester

La Compagnie des Vins Surnaturels Seven Dials, London

Noizé, London

Sager + Wilde Hackney Rd, London

The 10 Cases, London

Wild Corner, London


Best Short List

The best wine list with fewer than 200 wines.

Winner: Restaurant St Barts, London

Finalists:

A Wong, London

Carters of Moseley, Birmingham

Dinings SW3, London

Farmyard, St Leonard-on-Sea

Ikoyi, London

Levan, London

Planque, London


Best By-the-Glass List

Winner: Noble Rot Soho, London

Finalists:

Carters of Moseley, Birmingham

Corkage, Bath

Les 110 de Taillevent, London

Noble Rot Lambs Conduit, London

Pollen Street Social, London

The 10 Cases, London

Wild Corner, London

This category was presented by Catena Zapata.


Best Sparkling Wine List

Winner: Les 110 de Taillevent, London

Finalists:

Hide, London

Kitchen Table, London

La Compagnie des Vins Surnaturels Seven Dials, London

NoMad, London

The George, London

The Ritz Restaurant, London

The Vineyard at Stockcross, Newbury

This category was presented by Nyetimber.


Best Austrian Wine List

Winner: Newcomer Wines, London

Finalists:

Moor Hall, Aughton

NoMad, London

Pollen Street Social, London

The Ledbury, London

Trivet, London

This category was presented by Austrian Wine.


New Generation Bordeaux List

Winner: Noble Rot Soho, London

Finalists:

Maison Francois, London

Noble Rot Lambs Conduit, London

The Drapers Arms, London

The Terrace Rooms & Wine, Ventnor

Veraison Wines, London

This category was presented by Bordeaux Wines.


Best California Wine List

Winner: The Vineyard at Stockcross, Newbury

Finalists:

Chiltern Firehouse, London

China Tang at The Dorchester, London

Core by Clare Smyth, London

Goodman City, London

Hide, London

Pollen Street Social, London

The Clove Club, London

This category was presented by Louis M. Martini.


Best New Zealand Wine List

Winner: Pollen Street Social, London

Finalists:

Chez Bruce, London

China Tang at The Dorchester, London

Hide, London

Oxo Tower Restaurant, London

The Vineyard at Stockcross, Newbury

This category was presented by New Zealand Wine.


Best Sustainable Wine List

Winner: Farmyard, St Leonard-on-Sea

Finalists:

Apricity, London

Carters of Moseley, Birmingham

Coast Saundersfoot, Saundersfoot

Holm Somerset, South Petherton

Pale Hall Hotel, Llanderfell, Bala

Restaurant St Barts, London

This category was presented by Spier Wine Farm.


Best Up-and-Coming Wine List

Winner: Climat, Manchester

Finalists:

Restaurant St Barts, London

Sète, Margate

Studio Frantzén, London

The Terrace Rooms & Wine, Ventnor

Veraison Wines, London

This category was presented by Château Palmer.


Special Jury Prize

A venue that has done something extra or out of the ordinary with their wine list, such as direction, style or value.

Winner: Chez Bruce, London


About Star Wine List

Started in 2017, Star Wine List is an online guide to the best wine bars and restaurants in 36 countries worldwide, ‘from bistros to fine dining, natural to classical’ according to Star Wine List founder Krister Bengtsson. The Star Wine List Awards were initiated shortly after, as a way to celebrate great wine restaurants, judged by a top sommelier jury. The awards take place in Denmark, Norway, Finland, South Africa, Australia, New York, Germany, Sweden, Singapore and the UK.


Natalie Earl
Regional Editor for France & Sustainability Editor

Natalie is Decanter's France editor, commissioning and writing content on French wines (excluding Bordeaux) across print and digital. She writes Decanter's coverage of Languedoc wines, as well as a monthly magazine column, The Ethical Drinker, which unpicks the thorny topic of sustainability in wine. She joined Decanter in 2016.