Michelin-starred NOA Chef’s Hall made history by claiming Estonia’s first Golden Fork award. The winning pairing, “Olive Renaissance,” was created by chef Sander Kuldsaar, pastry chef Mihhail Korot, and sommelier Aleksei Pogrebnoi. The jury tasted the sweet dessert wine Domaine Rotier Renaissance Vendanges Tardives from Gaillac, France, served with a dessert built from Kalamata olives, olive oil, plum, almonds, elderflower, Maldon salt, bourbon, vanilla, and strawberries.

Contest founder Arūnas Starkus, co-owner of Vilnius specialized fine wine shop Vyno Klubas, noted that competition among the 14 teams was intense. He observed that Estonia already shows a high level of boldness and experimentation—a strong starting point to follow Lithuania, where this format has been refined over 15 years.

“The Estonian contest highlighted outstanding chefs, sommeliers, and restaurants that clearly treat dessert as a final opportunity to leave a lasting impression,” Starkus said. “ ‘Simply OK’ is not enough—dessert evokes the last emotion of the meal. The key word here is pairing.

A dessert can be wonderful on its own, but with wine it must elevate the experience and reveal something new. In Lithuania, pastry chefs experiment freely, using ingredients such as caviar, bell pepper, potatoes, beetroots, and pine, challenging the very idea of dessert. In Estonia, we saw more classic styles—sweeter, fruit- and berry-driven desserts and less minimalistic plating than we often encounter in Vilnius.

This is neither better nor worse; it simply reflects cultural differences between our countries.”

Another major honor, Best Estonian Dessert, went to Horisont Restaurant & Bar for its pairing “Rhubarb and Basil.” International and local jury members—including chefs, food lovers, and food writers—debated what truly defines a “national” dessert. Is it the origin of the ingredients, the flavor profile, the look, the concept, or the intention behind it?

Somewhat unexpectedly, the winning dessert combined rhubarb cooked with hibiscus and blood orange, white chocolate and apricot ganache, blood orange sorbet, rhubarb and grapefruit gel, basil and olive oil dressing, honey tuile, and apricot crumbs.

At first glance, few components looked strictly local. Yet a clear majority of the jury agreed that the prominent use of rhubarb, enhanced by creative international accents, resulted in something that felt distinctly Estonian in spirit.

The Best Wine of the Contest award went to Restoran Anno, which poured Kracher Red Roses Beerenauslese 2022 (Illmitz, Austria).

Starkus, who also runs Lithuania’s sommelier school and sits on juries for numerous wine and gastronomy competitions, pointed out that Kracher wines appear at nearly every wine-and-dessert event, regardless of country.

“Kracher offers an exceptionally wide range of wines at accessible prices, making them ideal partners for desserts in both everyday restaurant service and tasting menus,” he said. “In some cases they even challenge the world’s most iconic sweet wines, such as Château d’Yquem 2010 (Sauternes, Bordeaux), which was served—and won—at the Wine + Dessert Contest in Riga this February.”

RESULTS: Best Wine and Dessert Pairings in Estonia

1st Place & Most Insta-Worthy Dessert, sponsored by Copenhagen Sparkling Tea Company
NOA Chef’s Hall & Restaurant NOA
Team: Sander Kuldsaar, Mihhail Korot, Aleksei Pogrebnoi
Pairing: “Olive Renaissance” — 2017 Domaine Rotier Renaissance Vendanges Tardives, Gaillac, France, paired with a dessert of Kalamata olives, olive oil, plum, almonds, elderflower, Maldon salt, bourbon, vanilla, and strawberries.

2nd Place
Humal Bistro
Team: Riho Sommerman, Liisa Pajula
Pairing: “Vormsi Vieux” — Maxime Trijol Pineau des Charentes Vieux Blanc with Vormsi Forest Honey Cake (crème diplomate, fresh curd, bee bread and white chocolate balsamic, honey biscuit, pollen).

3rd Place
Sadu Resto
Team: Karmen Kähr, Kristjan Jekimov, Madis Einpalu, Viktoria Aleinik, Mari Reier
Pairing: “Asian Confusion” — Yunguna Takju, cloudy Korean rice wine (Denmark), paired with Rhubarb Bingsoo (rhubarb ice, condensed milk foam, persimmon, plums).

4th Place & Lightest Pairing Nomination, sponsored by Lithuanian mineral water “Akvilė”
Tabula Rasa
Team: Keili Õispuu, Achim Braitsch, Kirill Dubrovski
Pairing: “Muhu Autumn” — Josef Rosch Trittenheimer Apotheke Riesling Auslese, paired with a quince, walnut, and cultured milk dessert.

5th Place
Härg Restaurant
Team: Taigo Lepik, Madis Einpalu, Kalev Vanker, Elo Pulk, Berit Roi
Pairing: “A Walk in the Park with Autumn Flavors” — Edlinger Chardonnay Beerenauslese 2018, Niederösterreich, Austria, paired with pistachio–plum tiramisu (pistachio mousse, compressed plums, oat ladyfingers, plum purée, honey crisp, golden marigold).

6th Place & Best Estonian Drink and Dessert Pairing
Fotografiska Tallinn
Team: Gerli Travkin, Kristjan Kiho
Pairing: “Apple Pie” — Tori x Fotografiska Jääsiider with apple pie, chanterelle ice cream, and pine oil.

Best Estonian Dessert
Horisont Restaurant & Bar
Team: Marko Sõmer, Jüri Viital
Pairing: “Rhubarb and Basil” — Matiesen Muhu Veinitalu Dessert Sweet Rhubarb 2022, paired with rhubarb cooked with hibiscus and blood orange, white chocolate and apricot ganache, blood orange sorbet, rhubarb and grapefruit gel, basil and olive oil dressing, honey tuile, and apricot crumb.

Best Wine of the Contest, sponsored by “Liebherr”
Restoran Anno
Team: Anna Kaasik, Erno Kaasik, Rauni Tillisoo, Kerli Jalas
Wine: 2022 Beerenauslese “Red Roses,” Kracher, Illmitz, Austria
Dessert: Pistachio biscuit, blackcurrant–cherry cream, pistachio cream, fresh raspberry, blueberry, strawberry, caramelized walnuts, pistachios.

Next Up: Wine + Dessert Latvia—February 2026

What started in Lithuania 15 years ago now takes place annually across all Baltic countries, with ambitions to expand into the Nordics, Poland, and beyond.

On February 23, 2026, the second edition of the contest will be held in Riga. The inaugural Latvian competition in 2025 set a high bar and gave chefs and sommeliers valuable insight from their peers, so expectations for this year’s pairings remain very high.