Switzerland’s Park Hotel Vitznau was the outstanding performer at the World’s Best Wine Lists 2023, receiving four top prizes, including the coveted Overall Wine List of the Year, before a crowd of international sommeliers, restaurateurs, and press at London’s Glaziers Hall.
On a busy night, Park Hotel head of wine Sven Uzat collected the Best Long Wine List, the Best Champagne & Sparkling Wine List, and the Best Dessert & Fortified Wine List before being called back to the stage to receive the Wine List of the Year 2023 title, with the Park Hotel list recognized by the judges for its outstanding breadth and depth.
It was a good night, too, for New York City fine-dining institution Eleven Madison Park, which retained its crown as The Champions’ League Best Overall Wine List 2023, in the part of the awards reserved for each of the nine winners of the Wine List of the Year trophy since the World’s Best Wine Lists awards began. Fellow New Yorkers Contento (Most Original Wine List of the Year) and Sushi Nakazawa (Best Sake List [Outside Japan]) helped ensure this was another strong year in the competition for a city that has provided more World’s Best Wine List winners over the years than any other.
Melbourne also put on a strong performance, providing winners in the Best Medium-Size Wine List (Supernormal) and Best New Wine List (Society) categories, while the global reach of the competition was reflected in wins for VIN Bjørvika in Oslo (Best By-The-Glass Wine List [without Coravin®]); John’s House in Mountsorrel near Loughborough, UK (Best Micro Wine List); Graycliff Hotel & Restaurant in Nassau, Bahamas (Best Spirits List); and 8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo Bombana in Hong Kong (Best Regional Wine List [outside the region]).
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Introducing the ceremony on a night when the World’s Best Wine Lists celebrated its tenth anniversary, Neil Beckett, editor of The World of Fine Wine and chairman of the World’s Best Wine Lists, congratulated the winning and shortlisted establishments, who, he said, continue to raise standards in trading conditions that are very far from ideal.
“The aftermath of Covid, staff shortages, soaring interest rates, and spiralling costs continue to make for a very harsh environment,” Beckett said. “In another year that has seen more sad losses, it is all the more inspiring and uplifting to see how many establishments of all kinds have managed to adapt and to survive—and indeed, how many excellent new ones have opened their doors for the first time: Best New Wine List was one of the most exciting and most closely contested categories this year.”
The World’s Best Wine Lists is a global awards program created in 2014 by the multi-award-winning publication The World of Fine Wine.
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Judged according to a rigorous protocol by independent, international panels of leading professionals, including World Champion Sommeliers, Master Sommeliers, Masters of Wine, and highly respected wine writers, it is the first awards program to acknowledge the crucial importance of a good wine selection—regardless of size—in the modern dining experience all round the world.
The World’s Best Wine Lists 2023 Winners
Wine List of the Year
Park Hotel, Vitznau, Switzerland—Europe
Best Long Wine List (more than 500 wines)
Park Hotel, Vitznau, Switzerland—Europe
Shortlist
Aux Beaux Arts / Imperial Court MGM Grand, Macau—Asia
Catalina, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia—Australasia
Saxon Hotel Villas & Spa, Johannesburg, South Africa—Middle East and Africa
Pappas Bros. Steakhouse, Dallas, Texas, USA—North America
Graycliff Hotel & Restaurant, Nassau, Bahamas—South & Central America and the Caribbean
Best Medium-Size Wine List (fewer than 500 wines)
Supernormal, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia—Australasia
Shortlist
Vista, Tokyo American Club, Tokyo, Japan—Asia
Humo, London, UK—Europe
One & Only, Le Saint Géran, Mauritius—Middle East and Africa
Atomix, New York City, USA—North America
Quintonil, Mexico City, Mexico—South & Central America and the Caribbean
Best Short Wine List (fewer than 200 wines)
Firedoor Restaurant, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia—Australasia
Shortlist
Le Salon de Thé de Joël Robuchon Elements, Hong Kong / Le Salon de Thé de Joël Robuchon IFC Mall, Hong Kong—Asia
29, Istanbul, Turkey—Europe
Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve, Johannesburg, South Africa—Middle East and Africa
Atoboy, New York City, USA—North America
Best Micro Wine List (fewer than 100 wines / no more than four printed pages)
John’s House, Mountsorrel, Loughborough, UK—Europe
Shortlist
Tsunami, Mosman Park, Western Australia, Australia—Australasia
Nopa, San Francisco, California, USA—North America
Best New Wine List (opened after January 2019)
Society, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia—Australasia
Shortlist
Humo, London, UK—Europe
Naro, New York City, USA—North America
Best By-The-Glass Wine List (with Coravin®)
The Lecture Room & Library at Sketch, London, UK—Europe
Shortlist
Restaurant Petrus at Island Shangri-La, Hong Kong—Asia
Society, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia—Australasia
Blue Penny Cellar, Constance Belle Mare Plage, Poste de Flacq, Mauritius—Middle East and Africa
San Francisco Wine Society, San Francisco, California, USA—North America
K’u’uk, Mérida, Mexico—South & Central America and the Caribbean
Best By-The-Glass Wine List (without Coravin®)
VIN Bjørvika, Oslo, Norway—Europe
Shortlist
Imperial Court, MGM Grand, Macau—Asia
Chin Chin, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia—Australasia
The Barrel Room—North America
Best Champagne & Sparkling Wine List
Park Hotel, Vitznau, Switzerland—Europe
Shortlist
8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo Bombana, Hong Kong—Asia
Quay, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia—Australasia
Blue Penny Cellar, Constance Belle Mare Plage, Poste de Flacq, Mauritius— Middle East and Africa
March, Houston, Texas, USA—North America
Graycliff Hotel & Restaurant, Nassau, Bahamas—South & Central America and the Caribbean
Best Dessert & Fortified Wine List
Park Hotel, Vitznau, Switzerland—Europe
Shortlist
Restaurant Petrus at Island Shangri-La, Hong Kong—Asia
Jonah’s Restaurant and Boutique Hotel, Palm Beach, New South Wales, Australia—Australasia
Blue Penny Cellar, Constance Belle Mare Plage, Poste de Flacq, Mauritius—Middle East and Africa
The Umstead Hotel & Spa, Cary, North Carolina—North America
Graycliff Hotel & Restaurant, Nassau, Bahamas—South & Central America and the Caribbean
Best Hotel Wine List
The Little Nell, Aspen, Colorado, USA—North America
Shortlist
Restaurant Petrus at Island Shangri-La, Hong Kong—Asia
Jonah’s, Palm Beach, New South Wales, Australia—Australasia
Park Hotel, Vitznau, Switzerland—Europe
Archipel Wine Cellar, Constance Prince Maurice, Poste de Flacq, Mauritius—Middle East and Africa
Graycliff Hotel & Restaurant, Nassau, Bahamas—South & Central America and the Caribbean
Best Regional Wine List (in the region)
Press Restaurant, St Helena, California, USA—North America
Shortlist
Hajime, Osaka, Japan—Asia
Bennelong, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia—Australasia
La Bandiera, Civitella Casanova, Abruzzo, Italy—Europe
Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve, Johannesburg, South Africa—Middle East and Africa
K’u’uk, Mérida, Mexico—South & Central America and the Caribbean
Best Regional Wine List (outside the region)
8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo Bombana, Hong Kong (Italy)—Asia
Shortlist
Pearl Chablis & Oyster Bar, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia (Chablis)—Australasia
Britannia Hotel, Trondheim, Norway (France)—Europe
Archipel Wine Cellar, Constance Prince Maurice, Poste de Flacq, Mauritius (France)—Middle East and Africa
RPM Italian, Washington DC, USA (Italy)—North America
Best Organic Wine List
Barcelona Wine Bar, Washington DC, USA—North America
Shortlist
Grand Lisboa Palace, Macau (Grand Buffet, Hua Ting, Mesa by José Avillez, Palace Garden, Zuicho)—Asia
Otto, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia—Australasia
Jack’s Brasserie, Hotel Schweizerhof Bern & Spa, Bern, Switzerland—Europe
Jing Restaurant, Constance, Halaveli, Maldives—Middle East and Africa
Best Sake List (outside Japan)
Sushi Nakazawa, New York City, USA—North America
Shortlist
Tsunami, Mosman Park, Western Australia, Australia—Australasia
Jing Restaurant, Constance, Halaveli, Maldives—Middle East and Africa
Best Spirits List
Graycliff Hotel & Restaurant, Nassau, Bahamas—South & Central America and the Caribbean
Shortlist
Society, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia—Australasia
Nobelhart und Schmutzig, Berlin, Germany—Europe
Saxon Hotel Villas & Spa, Johannesburg, South Africa—Middle East and Africa
March, Houston, Texas, USA—North America
Best Value Wine List
La Bandiera, Civitella Casanova, Abruzzo, Italy—Europe
Shortlist
Saxon Hotel Villas & Spa, Johannesburg, South Africa—Middle East and Africa
Terzo, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA—North America
Best Wine Bar List
Wine Bar George, Lake Buena Vista, Florida, USA—North America
Shortlist
Marion Wine, Fitzroy, Victoria, Australia—Australasia
VIN Bjørvika, Oslo, Norway—Europe
Brut, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel—Middle East and Africa
Best Designed Wine List
March, Houston, Texas, USA—North America
Shortlist
Kuda Villingili, Malé, Maldives—Asia
Society, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia—Australasia
29, Istanbul, Turkey—Europe
Cyann Restaurant, Mahé, Seychelles—Middle East and Africa
Graycliff Hotel & Restaurant, Nassau, Bahamas—South & Central America and the Caribbean
Most Original Wine List
Contento Restaurant, New York City, USA—North America
Shortlist
Mesa by José Avillez, Grand Lisboa Palace, Macau—Asia
Supernormal, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia—Australasia
Tasca d’Almerita – Capofaro Estate, Salina, Italy—Europe
Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve, Johannesburg, South Africa—Middle East and Africa
Quintonil, Mexico City, Mexico—South & Central America and the Caribbean
Best Cruise Line / Ship Wine List
The World Residences at Sea
Shortlist
MSC World Europa
World’s Best Wine Lists Champions’ League 2023
The shortlist for all five Champions’ League awards comprises the nine winners of the Wine List of the Year award since the competition began in 2014:
Park Hotel, Vitznau, Switzerland, France—Wine List of the Year 2023
Domaine Les Crayères, Reims, France—Wine List of the Year 2022
Terroir Tribeca, New York, USA—Wine List of the Year 2021
Park Hotel, Vossevangen, Norway—Wine List of the Year 2019
Pix Pâtisserie, Portland, USA—Wine List of the Year 2019
The Barn at Blackberry Farm, Walland, Tennessee, USA—Wine List of the Year 2018
Robuchon au Dôme, Grand Lisboa Hotel, Macau, China—Wine List of the Year 2016
Eleven Madison Park, New York, USA—Wine List of the Year 2015
Palais Coburg, Vienna, Austria—Wine List of the Year 2014
Champions’ League Best Overall Wine List 2023
Eleven Madison Park, New York City, USA
Champions’ League Best By-the-Glass Wine List
Park Hotel, Vossevangen, Norway / Terroir Tribeca, New York City, USA
Champions’ League Champagne & Sparkling Wine List
Domaine Les Crayères, Reims, France
Champions’ League Best Dessert and Fortified Wine List
Robuchon au Dôme, Grand Lisboa Hotel, Macau, China
Champions’ League Best Spirits List
The Barn at Blackberry Farm, Walland, Tennessee, USA
The World’s Best Wine Lists 2023:
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