One venue was named Australia’s Best Queensland Wine List, and another was named Australia’s Best US Wine List.
The Australian Wine List of the Year Awards were announced in late September, with Melbourne restaurant Circl taking the 2025 crown.
However, for the first time in the 32-year history of the awards, which are considered the industry benchmark for restaurant wine lists in Australia, the top 10 lists by state and territory have been announced. The top 10 unranked in Queensland were all drawn from the south-east.
In Brisbane, standouts included wood-fired Agnes (the most acclaimed Queensland restaurant in this year’s national awards), Greek restaurant Hellenika, secret Japanese restaurant Honto, CBD restaurant Blackbird, James Street icon Cru Bar, upscale Italian restaurant Otto and steakhouse SK Steak and Oyster.
Rounding out the top 10 were Maroochydore’s Market Bistro, Gold Coast’s Nineteen at the Star and Noosa’s Sails Restaurant.
This was Agnes’ third consecutive top finish in Queensland; Blackbird was named Australia’s Best Queensland Wines List and Cru Bar Australia’s Best US Wines List.
This points to a strong 2025 showing from Queensland restaurants and particularly Brisbane restaurants. But local venues have been slowing down in the run-up to the awards over the past decade; (currently closed) Aria Brisbane took the national award in 2018, while Cru Bar does the same in 2022.
“The selection and quality of Queensland wine lists have improved significantly over the years,” said awards judge Jeni Port. “When the awards started in 1993 there wasn’t much to get excited about in the listings from the state that includes Brisbane.
“[That] It has changed slowly and has definitely gained momentum in the last 10 years. Greater professionalism is demonstrated, with full-time, serious, professional sommeliers now responsible for some of the most exciting wine lists in the country, an impression that can also be replicated across the country.
Port said he first noticed the change in listings from Fortitude Valley and the CBD, which could compete with the best in Melbourne and Sydney.
“These weren’t the largest lists in terms of the number of wines on offer,” Port said, “but they were exciting, thought-provoking, and looked at emerging trends like low-intervention wines, sustainability, chilled reds, the rise of female winemakers, and styles like skin-contact whites and non-alcoholic/low-alcohol options.”
“More importantly for the state’s winemakers, many people began to embrace Queensland wines. Queensland wine lists no longer displayed cultural disgrace towards Queensland wines, and good sommeliers began to find exciting wines.”
The Australian Wine List of the Year Awards were created in 1993 by Tucker Seabrook, Rob Hirst and the late Judy Hirst. They are considered the country’s most prestigious awards program for wine and beverage lists.
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Matt Shea is Food and Culture Editor at the Brisbane Times. He is a former editor and editor-in-chief at Broadsheet Brisbane and has written for Escape, Qantas Magazine, Guardian, Jetstar Magazine and SilverKris, among others.
