February 16, 2026 (Stockholm, Sweden) — Star Wine List of the Year has returned to Spain for the second time, with the 2026 winners announced at an awards ceremony in Madrid today. Gold Stars have been awarded in nine categories, with recipients including winners from last year’s inaugural Spanish competition (Ambivium, Peñafiel, and Berria Wine Bar, Madrid; joint winners of the Best Italian Wine List) in addition to new participants such as the noted San Sebastián restaurant Rekondo, which was recognised by the judges as having the Best Long List and Best Sparkling Wine List in the country.
“Assessing a country as large as Spain is no easy task,” says judge Jonathan Gouveia MS. “The diversity across these lists is massive and there’s a high overall quality of beverage awareness throughout the country. What really stood out was the sheer amount of absolutely dynamite, world-class wine lists, straddled between the new kids on the block and the great institutions of the national gastronomic scene. There’s a collective consciousness of the direction that the country is headed in, and it is very exciting!”
Gouveia was joined on the jury panel by Paz Levinson (ASI Best Sommelier of the Americas 2015), Martynas Pravilonis (Best Sommelier of the Baltics 2016, 2017) and local expert Pilar Cavero (Best Sommelier of Spain 2013). Since all categories in this Spanish contest are classed as ‘international’, all nine winning venues will now go on to compete in the Star Wine List of the Year Global Final 2026, which will be held once all regional events of the 2025/’26 season have taken place; this grand finale to the 14-stop world tour will take place in June 2026, with all global finalists invited to a day-long event in southern Sweden, supported by wine collective Terra Skåne.
Gold Star winners:
Best Long List, presented by Bodega Numanthia
For wine lists with more than 600 references
Rekondo Restaurant, San Sebastián
Best Medium-Sized List, presented by Château d’Esclans
Recognises the best wine list with 200-600 references
Best Short List, presented by D.O. Navarra
Recognises the best wine list with fewer than 200 listings
Best Sparkling Wine List
Recognises the best list for sparkling wines
Rekondo Restaurant, San Sebastián
Best By-the-Glass List, presented by Stölzle Lausitz
Recognises the best ‘by-the-glass’ list
Best Newcomer List, presented by Dreissigacker
Recognises a venue that has recently opened
Sustainability Prize, presented by Familia Torres
Assesses the sustainable commitment of both the wine list and broader venue via a supplementary questionnaire submitted during the application process,
El Molino de Urdániz, Pamplona
Best Italian Wine List
Recognises the best list for the wines of Italy
Ambivium, Peñafiel
Berria Wine Bar, Madrid
Special Jury Prize|
Rewards a wine lovers’ place that does something out of the ordinary
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.
Dining and Cooking