March 23 2026 is the date to put in your diary for the awards ceremony and results of the Star Wine List of the Year UK and a chance for the UK’s leading sommeliers and restaurant wine teams to come together and celebrate all the efforts they are taking to give their customers exciting, challenging and interesting wine lists to choose from.
As its exclusive media partner The Buyer is pleased to be able to promote and share the success stories of the UK’s leading restaurants and the wine lists its teams have been able to pull together with the help and support of their suppliers.
Krister Bengtsson and The Buyer's Richard Siddle introducing one of the previous UK Star Wine List awards
Star Wine List’s Krister Bengtsson says that of all the events it hosts around the world, the UK competition remains amongst the toughest thanks to the ever increasing high standards that the country’s top restaurants and their wine teams set.
“The UK event is one of the fiercest contests on the Star Wine List of the Year world tour, so we’re excited to be coming to London once again, to announce this season’s Gold Stars,” he says.
This year’s awards also have a new venue as Bengtsson explains: “After several successful years at The Winemakers Club, in cooperation with The Buyer, we are excited to move the 2026 party to 1 Hotel Mayfair in London. Especially as it is the home of one of our previous Gold Star winner restaurants: Dovetale.”
Richard Siddle, editor-in-chief of The Buyer, adds: “We are delighted to once again be the UK media partner for the Star Wine List UK awards. It is an event that encapsulates what we hope to achieve and provide a bridge between UK suppliers and the sommeliers, wine buyers and restaurant teams that create some of the most exciting and influential wine lists in the world.”
The awards are particularly important to not just the winners, but the finalists as they are chosen by a panel of award-winning sommeliers. The 2026 panel of judges will be announced shortly but they follow in the footsteps of the 2025 panel that included Jan Konetzki, Nina Jensen, Stephen Wong MW and Queena Wong.
Enter now
Entries for the awards are now open and restaurants can self nominate themselves by clicking here.
Entries are open until January 18, 2026 with the finalists announced on February 19 ahead of the awards on March 23.
INTERNATIONAL CATEGORIES:
• Best Long List
For wine lists with more than 600 references, presented by Bibendum.
• 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 Austrian Wine List, presented by Austrian Wine
• Best Italian Wine List
• Special Jury Prize The Special Jury Prize will reward a wine lovers' place that does something out of the ordinary.
Other categories wil be announced with their confirmed sponsor partners.
