Jury praises “remarkable growth and strong identity” among top restaurants and wine bars at Rotterdam awards ceremony.
Star Wine List, the international guide to the world’s best wine bars and restaurants, has celebrated the winners of the 2025 Star Wine List of the Year awards for Belgium and the Netherlands. The Gold Star winners were announced at a ceremony at Rotterdam’s Zalmhuis restaurant, recognising venues with exceptional wine programs that, according to the jury, inspire travel. In fact, the expert panel was highly impressed by the quality and diversity of the submissions from both countries.
“To see the growth in both Belgium and the Netherlands is truly remarkable,” said jury member Nina Jensen (ASI Second-Best Sommelier of the World, 2019 and 2023). “The number of places where you’d want to be a regular is overwhelmingly tempting, and still more places seem to form a strong identity of their own as well. The jury panel even started altering their vacation plans (to factor in Belgium and the Netherlands) thanks to the fantastic work of you all!”
Nina evaluated the wine lists together with Mikk Parre (ASI Best Sommelier of Europe, Africa and Middle East 2024), and Master Sommeliers Toru Takamatsu and Jonathan Gouveia.
This year’s awards saw the honours widely distributed among both countries. Among the standout winners, CUE in Rotterdam achieved an impressive double victory, earning both Best Newcomer and Best California Wine List after less than a year of operation. Equally distinguished, Racines in Brussels also secured two Gold Stars as Belgium’s Best Medium-Sized List and Best Italian Wine List; as did Eindhoven’s Zarzo, which took Gold for the Best Long List and Best Italian Wine List in the Netherlands.
The Best Italian Wine List is a new category for this year, together with the “Special Jury Prize,” which rewards a wine lovers’ place doing something out of the ordinary. The latter was won by 4850, (Amsterdam, the Netherlands) and Arabelle Meirlaen (Marchin, Belgium).
A win in one of the international categories in any regional contest means automatic entry into the Star Wine List of the Year International Final, which will be held in June 2026.
Winners
INTERNATIONAL CATEGORIES:
Best Long List
For wine lists with more than 600 references – a category presented by Smaragd Wijnen
- Belgium: Restaurant Sans Cravate, Bruges
- The Netherlands: Zarzo, Eindhoven
Best Medium-Sized List
Recognises the best wine list with 200-600 references – a category presented by Arínzano
- Belgium: Racines Bruxelles, Brussels
- The Netherlands: Ciel Bleu, Amsterdam
Best Short List
Recognises the best wine list with fewer than 200 listings
- Belgium: Vintage, Kontich
- The Netherlands: De Matroos en het Meisje, Rotterdam
Best Sparkling Wine List
Recognises the best list for sparkling wines
- Belgium: d’Oude Schuur, Sint-Martens-Latem
- The Netherlands: Flore, Amsterdam
Best By-the-Glass List
Recognises the best ‘by-the-glass’ list – a category presented by Cloudy Bay
- Belgium: Zilte, Antwerp
- The Netherlands: Restaurant RJ, Texel
Best Newcomer List
Recognises a venue that has recently opened
- Belgium: Anthocyane, Namur
- The Netherlands: CUE, Amsterdam
Sustainability Prize
Assesses the sustainable commitment of both the wine list and broader venue via a supplementary questionnaire submitted during the application process – a category presented by Puike Wijnen
- Belgium: Vrijmoed, Ghent
- The Netherlands: Restaurant SOBER, Tegelen
Best Austrian Wine List
Recognises the best list for the wines of Austria – a category presented by Austrian Wine
- Belgium: Paul de Pierre, Maarkedal
- The Netherlands: Remouillage, Amsterdam
Best Italian Wine List
Recognises the best list for the wines of Italy
- Belgium: Racines Bruxelles, Brussels
- The Netherlands: Zarzo, Eindhoven
Special Jury Prize
Rewards a wine lovers’ place that does something out of the ordinary
- Belgium: Arabelle Meirlaen, Marchin
- The Netherlands: 4850, Amsterdam
LOCAL CATEGORY:
Best California Wine List
Recognises the best list for the wines of California – a category presented by Pahlmeyer
- Belgium: Wijnbar ONA, Ghent
- The Netherlands: CUE, Amsterdam
Photo credits: photographer Guido Pijper.
