Madrid raised a glass to Spain’s finest wine lists: inside the Star Wine List Awards Spain 2026
A wine list is a strategic business tool. Its design directly influences profitability, stock rotation, brand positioning, and the customer’s perception of value. In a context of high operating costs, wine plays a decisive role in the profit and loss account. Margin policy, inventory management, a balanced selection of references, and the structure of the by-the-glass programme are all decisions that impact cash flow and final profit. A well-constructed wine list optimises resources, reduces tied-up capital, and reinforces the gastronomic identity of the establishment.
For this reason, when wine lists are awarded, far more is being recognised than an attractive selection of bottles: what is being acknowledged is business acumen, operational excellence, and market vision.
With this in mind, on Monday 16 February 2026, Madrid dressed for celebration for the second edition of Star Wine List of the Year Spain. There were many friends, many students, and many toasts. While we would love to name everyone involved, below we highlight the winners by category — sommelier teams well worth following.
In the Best Long List category (more than 600 references), the award went to Rekondo (San Sebastián), a cellar described by the jury as unique in the world for its depth of vintages and its balance between classic and new voices.
In Best Medium-Sized List (200–600 references), the Gold Star travelled to El Faralló (Alicante), proving that balance and coherence matter just as much as size.
When the challenge is to condense excellence into fewer than 200 references, the Best Short List category recognised Maestro Bar (Valencia), underlining that a concise list can be just as strategic and compelling.
In the world of bubbles, Rekondo (San Sebastián) returned to the stage with the award for Best Sparkling Wine List, confirming the depth of its work in Champagne and international sparkling wines.
The by-the-glass service — one of the most powerful tools for both profitability and guest experience — found its benchmark in Saddle (Madrid), winner of Best By-the-Glass List, thanks to a programme that is broad, diverse, and technically impeccable.
Among recent openings, the Best Newcomer List award went to Pompa (Barcelona), a young project already demonstrating ambition and strong curatorial vision.
Sustainability, increasingly embedded in both cellar and dining room management, honoured El Molino de Urdániz (Pamplona) with the Sustainability Prize, highlighting coherence between philosophy, selection, and operations.
Italy enjoyed a double celebration in Best Italian Wine List, with two Gold Stars awarded to Ambivium (Peñafiel) and Berria Wine Bar (Madrid), both offering deep and carefully structured selections for true lovers of Italian wine.
Finally, the Special Jury Prize — the award reserved for those doing something out of the ordinary — was presented to VII (Girona), a project praised by the jury for its personality and singular approach to the wine list.
The deliberation was in the hands of four leading figures in international sommellerie: Martynas Pravilonis, Jonathan Gouveia, Paz Levinson and, with a particularly relevant role in this Spanish edition, Pilar Cavero. Pilar contributed deep knowledge of the national landscape and a balance between international standards and the realities of the Spanish market. Four distinct profiles, one shared benchmark: evaluating wine lists not only for their breadth, but for their coherence, structure, and business vision.
At The Wine Studio, we see it every day in the classroom: a great wine list strengthens the business and elevates the experience. For your expertise and excellence, we congratulate all of you who make this industry greater every day. Congratulations to you all.
The Wine Studio Team
