From a 43rd-floor perch over Marina Bay to an Argentinian grill 55 storeys above Orchard Road – these are the wine lists that just got the nod from one of the industry's most trusted authorities on drinking well. 

Good wine doesn't happen by accident. Behind every list that actually makes sense with the menu – not just impressive on paper – is a sommelier who’s spent years building relationships with growers, a cellar that’s been curated rather than just stocked, and a team that can guide you through a Barolo without making you feel like you should’ve studied harder in school. That's the kind of work Wine Spectator has been recognizing since 1981 — and this year, 42 Singapore restaurants made the 2026 list, more than in any previous year, a sign that wine is becoming an increasingly integral part of the dining-out experience here. 

First things first: What’s So Great About Wine Spectator’s Restaurant Award?  

Wine Spectator has been running its Restaurant Awards programme for 45 years since 1981, making it one of the oldest and most closely watched accolades in the wine world. The Wine Spectator team evaluates thousands of restaurant wine lists a year, judging them not just on size but on curation: producer quality, regional breadth, vintage depth, how well the list actually speaks to the menu, and – critically – the standard of service behind it. 

There are multiple award tiers a restaurant can achieve, two of which include:  

• Award of Excellence – goes to lists with a well-chosen assortment of at least 75 selections, featuring quality producers and a genuine thematic match to the kitchen.  

• Best of Award of Excellence – this award is a step up; real breadth across winegrowing regions, vertical depth from top producers, with a comprehensive list of at least 350 selections or more. Restaurants on this tier treat wine as a pillar of the guest experience rather than an afterthought, seen through the cellar and their service team.  

What makes it matter isn't just the certificate. It's third-party validation from an outlet with zero incentive to be generous – Wine Spectator isn't paid to feature a list, and the criteria are the same whether you're in Napa or the Central Business District. Here’s why it matters:  

• For a restaurant, it's proof the wine programme was built with intention.  

• For a diner, it's a signal: order off this list with confidence, because someone who knows what they're doing put it together. 

Which brings us to the Singapore restaurants honored in the Wine Spectator Restaurant Awards for 2026. What's notable about this year's list is a broader showing of non-Western establishments, with the awards increasingly spotlighting chef-led, contemporary cuisines. We can't possibly cover all 40-plus restaurants here, so we've narrowed it down to 8 venues where wine lovers can – and should – imbibe. 

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1. ALTRO ZAFFERANO

Contemporary Italian, 43 storeys up, and a cellar that leans hard into the boot 

Altro Zafferano's Brunch & Wine

Altro Zafferano has spent over a decade on the 43rd floor of Ocean Financial Centre doing exactly what a destination restaurant should: get better with age. This year, that includes the nod from Wine Spectator's 2026 Restaurant Awards – their first-ever entry into the renowned award program. And it’s for a list that's long been Italy-heavy – historically stocked with 800-plus New and Old World selections; with roughly 70% from Italy, running through Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) and Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) territory like Piedmont, Tuscany and beyond. 

The pairing logic is obvious once you're at the table. Group Executive Chef Andrea De Paola and Head Chef Federico Schiraldi cook with real conviction – bold, sun-warmed flavours from Puglia and Naples, built for sharing rather than fussing over. Something structured out of Piedmont holds its own against the Ravioli alla Robiola, finished in aged balsamic; a crisp Tuscan white does serious work alongside the Merluzzo, a pan-seared Atlantic Cod. It's the kind of list built by people who eat at their own restaurant, not just staff it. 

Wine Spectator’s Verdict 
Award Tier: Best of Award of Excellence (since 2026)  
Wine Strengths: Piedmont, Tuscany, Italy, Spain 

The Wine Program 
Selections: 350 
Inventory: 620 
Wine Director: Panneerselvam Soundararajan  
Cuisine: Italian  
Chefs: Andrea De Paola (Group Executive Chef), Federico Schiraldi (Head Chef) 

2. 54° STEAKHOUSE 

Same chef, different grill, an entirely different kind of red 

54° Steakhouse's Wine

Here's a bit of trivia for the wine-curious: 54° Steakhouse and Altro Zafferano share a boss in the kitchen. Group Executive Chef Andrea De Paola oversees both, and 54° Steakhouse – Food Concepts Group's first move beyond Italian cuisine – earns its own place among this year's Wine Spectator Restaurant Award winners for a list built specifically to stand up to open-fire beef. 

The restaurant’s name is a nod to 54°C, the internal temperature of a textbook medium-rare steak, and the wine programme takes its cue from the same precision. Old and New-World bottles anchor the list, with a notably strong showing of American labels – like Napa Valley Cabernets built for exactly this kind of protein-forward table. And if you're going all in, this is the only place in Singapore serving Porterhouse and T-Bone cuts of Black Market Beef by Rangers Valley – a rare, Australian beef that’s exclusive to the restaurant. A steakhouse wine list should do one job well – make a serious cut of beef taste even better – and this one, weighted toward Napa's bigger reds, was clearly built with that single-mindedness in mind. 

Wine Spectator’s Verdict 
Award Tier: Award of Excellence (since 2026)  
Wine Strengths: Champagne, California, Burgundy, Bordeaux  

The Wine Program 
Selections: 135 
Inventory: 2,800 
Wine Director: Panneerselvam Soundararajan  
Cuisine: Steakhouse  
Chefs: Andrea De Paola (Group Executive Chef), Federico Schiraldi (Head Chef) 

3. BORN

One Michelin star, nine guiding principles, and a cellar that refuses to sit still 

Born's Bar Counter

If there's a restaurant on this list built to reward genuine curiosity, it's Born. Chef Zor Tan's Circle of Life philosophy – nine principles from Birth to Legacy, expressed through a Contemporary cuisine that marries French technique with Chinese ingredients and memory – has already earned the Jinrikisha Station fine-diner a Michelin star and a run on Asia's 50 Best Restaurants since opening in 2022. That same instinct carries through to the wine list: influences from beyond the usual Western canon, Chinese ones especially, aren't treated as a compromise but folded confidently into a genuinely world-class selection. This year, the beverage programme adds another Wine Spectator Restaurant Award to that shelf. 

What makes Born's cellar worth seeking out isn't just the obvious French heavy-hitters – Burgundy and Rhône names like Bouchard and Paul Jaboulet, alongside cult grower Didier Dagueneau out of the Loire – but beyond. The list runs through Jura (eastern France), China's Shandong province and Galicia, alongside adventurous young producers like California's Finger Crossed and Argentina's Gran Enemigo. The Champagne programme is Grower-focused, and for anyone drinking low or no alcohol, Born's in-house ferments and Copenhagen import MURI stand in as genuinely interesting "wine-alternatives" rather than an obligatory mocktail. Born’s wine list is built by people actively bored of the obvious answer – and it makes the Michelin-starred cooking taste even better for it. 

Wine Spectator’s Verdict 
Award Tier: Best of Award of Excellence (since 2025)  
Wine Strengths: France, Burgundy, Bordeaux, Champagne  

The Wine Program 
Selections: 500 
Inventory: 3,450 
Wine Director: Leslie Loo 
Cuisine: French/Chinese  
Chef: Zor Tan

4. 1-Alfaro

Rooftop Emilia-Romagna, 34 floors above the Southern Straits 

1-Alfaro: Lifestyle Shot

1-Group's suite of restaurants makes up the rest of this year's haul, and 1-Alfaro is a fitting place to start – perched on Level 34 of Labrador Tower with unbroken views of the harbour and the Singapore Straits. Named for the lighthouses of Emilia-Romagna (Alfaro means "lighthouse" in Italian), the concept splits into Italian restaurant La Torre by day and rooftop bar La Luna by night, and both sides of that duality earn recognition this year. 

The wine list leans heavily and confidently Italian, moving from prestige Tuscan bottles like Masseto and Sassicaia to lesser-known regional gems from Emilia-Romagna and Puglia. Their by-the-glass program is equally strong, with standouts spanning Lambrusco fizz, a splurge-worthy Amarone, and classic Chianti Classico. Compact but well-curated, it's a list that clearly complements the restaurant’s soulful Italian cooking.  

Wine Spectator’s Verdict 
Award Tier: Award of Excellence (since 2026)  
Wine Strength: Italy 

The Wine Program 
Selections: 80 
Inventory: 100 
Wine Director: Davide Carella  
Cuisine: Italian  
Chef: Felix Chong  

5. MONTI

A decade at Fullerton Bay, and a cellar that's grown up with it 

L-R: MONTI's Wine Bottle, MONTI's Wine Service 

MONTI has spent 10 years as one of Marina Bay's most recognisable dining rooms – with floor-to-ceiling glass, a steak-and-pasta menu that doesn't take itself too seriously, and a room that turns from lunch service into a DJ-led night out without missing a beat. Its wine programme draws on the heritage of Masi, a family-run producer rooted in Valpolicella since 1772, celebrated for mastering the centuries-old Appassimento technique. The estate offers the industry's most extensive Amarone range, anchored by its flagship Costasera – a benchmark bottle often ranked alongside Barolo and Brunello among Italy's finest wines. 

The kitchen is kept firmly Tuscan-Italian, shaping a wine list that’s built for range rather than reverence. That flexibility is arguably the point: MONTI isn’t trying to be a hushed, white-tablecloth cellar-flex kind of restaurant, and the wine programme reflects just that. A genuinely good list doesn't have to be precious to be excellent – and MONTI’s is the proof. 

Wine Spectator’s Verdict 
Award Tier: Award of Excellence (since 2024)  
Wine Strength: Italy 

The Wine Program 
Selections: 145 
Inventory: 1,050 
Wine Director: Davide Carella  
Cuisine: Italian  
Chef: Andrea Chetta  

6. KAARLA

Coastal Australian, 51 floors up, grown a few metres from your table 

Kaarla: Lifestyle Shot

One of the most produce-obsessed entry on this list is definitely Kaarla: perched on Level 51 of CapitaSpring, and unapologetically Australian, with a custom wood-fire grill that runs on ingredients pulled straight from their very own 1-Arden Food Forest – the world’s highest edible garden.  

The Coastal Australian menu leans on native bush ingredients and ethically farmed meats – think salt-cured kangaroo and White Pyrenees lamb – with a wine list that’s certainly built to match. Kaarla's wine list is anchored by a strong showing of iconic Australian labels – including Penfolds' top tier and boutique Margaret River and Barossa producers – balanced by a comprehensive old-world selection spanning Bordeaux, Burgundy, Barolo, and Amarone. 

Wine Spectator’s Verdict 
Award Tier: Award of Excellence (since 2026)  
Wine Strengths: Australia, France 

The Wine Program  
Selections: 85 
Inventory: 500 
Wine Director: Shuaghn Scully  
Cuisine: Australian/Japanese  
Chef: Joshiah Black  

7. UNA

Spanish tradition, inside a Tudor-style heritage mansion 

UNA's Wine Cellar

UNA takes a different route entirely – a proper Spanish restaurant tucked in Level 2 of the heritage Tudor-style Alkaff Mansion. Think: whole roasted suckling pig, a genuine paella programme and Spanish grills done without shortcuts.  

UNA's wine list is unmistakably Spanish-led, underpinned by its status as the exclusive Singapore ambassador for La Rioja Alta, one of Spain’s most historic and respected wineries dating back to 1890. Here, you'll find an unusually deep run of their wines, from the everyday Viña Alberdi Reserva, up to rarer aged bottles like the Gran Reserva 904. UNA’s list is built for Iberian-leaning fine dining, with real depth for Rioja lovers and enough range elsewhere to satisfy broader palates. 

Wine Spectator’s Verdict 
Award Tier: Award of Excellence (since 2026)  
Wine Strength: Spain  

The Wine Program 
Selections: 80 
Inventory: 340 
Wine Director: Davide Carella 
Cuisine: Spanish 
Chef: Tom Kung 

8. FIRE Restaurant

Argentinian asado, 55 storeys above Orchard Road 

FIRE: Lifestyle shot

Enter the highest venue on this list, both literally and in terms of ambition. FIRE sits atop 1-Atico at ION Orchard, built entirely around the sacred Argentinian ritual of the asado, with Chef Advisor Soledad Nardelli named "Chef of the Future" by the International Academy of Gastronomy back in 2009. The restaurant has also been the recipient of Wine Spectator’s Award of Excellence since 2023.  

The wine list is unsurprisingly Argentina-forward – the restaurant is Singapore's ambassador for Kaiken, the Argentine venture of Aurelio Montes, the respected Chilean winemaker behind Montes Alpha, whose biodynamically-farmed Vistalba vineyard gives the partnership real pedigree, not just a marketing tie-in. That anchor shows up as genuine depth in Mendoza Malbecs, well beyond what a typical by-the-glass Argentine section offers. Serious wine drinkers can expect splurge bottles from Bordeaux (Margaux, Haut-Brion, Lynch-Bages) and Tuscany (Sassicaia, Ornellaia, Tignanello). Italy also brings solid range beyond the big names, from Barolo to Amarone to Sicily. A well-rounded New World selection rounds things out, though Argentina and Bordeaux are clearly where the list shines brightest. 

Wine Spectator’s Verdict 
Award Tier: Award of Excellence (since 2023)  
Wine Strengths: Argentine, France, Italy 

The Wine Program 
Selections: 165 
Inventory: 300 
Wine Director: Davide Carella 
Cuisine: Argentine 
Chef: Joshiah Black  

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The throughline for all 8 of these restaurants is simple: none of them treated their wine programme as an afterthought to the menu. Each list was built by people who have actually thought about what's in the glass – which is, at the end of the day, exactly what Wine Spectator is trying to reward. 

If you're the kind of person who reads a wine list before you read the menu, any one of these eight is worth the trip. You don't need to hit all of them in a weekend (please drink responsibly!) – but if wine is part of why you go out to eat, this is as good a shortlist as Singapore has right now. 

ADDRESSES

• 1-Alfaro: Labrador Tower, Level 34, Singapore 118479
• 54° Steakhouse: 54 Amoy Street, Singapore 069880
• Altro Zafferano: Ocean Financial Centre, 10 Collyer Quay, Level 43, Singapore 049315
• Born:1 Neil Road, #01-01, Singapore 088804
• FIRE Restaurant: Level 55, 2 Orchard Turn, #55-01, ION Orchard, Singapore 238801
• Kaarla: 88 Market Street, #51-02, CapitaSpring, Singapore 048948
• MONTI: 82 Collyer Quay, The Fullerton Pavilion, Singapore 049327
• UNA: 10 Telok Blangah Green, Level 2, The Alkaff Mansion, Singapore 109178