02 December 2025
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For 125 years, The MICHELIN Guide has celebrated people and places that embody excellence in gastronomy and hospitality, with the MICHELIN Stars introduced in 1926 and the MICHELIN Keys launched in 2024. This expertise in finding the best of the best is now extending itself to the world of wine, a key part of the gastronomic experience.
The MICHELIN Guide has long highlighted exceptional wine lists and sommeliers, notably through the 'wine' pictogram created in 2004 to highlight outstanding food and wine pairings. In 2019, the MICHELIN Sommelier Award was introduced to honor professionals whose expertise enhances the guest experience through exemplary mastery of wine selection and service.
The MICHELIN Grape, The MICHELIN Guide’s new distinction, will now spotlight wine estates across different regions of the world. It will assess their overall excellence based on five universal criteria.
The MICHELIN Grapes: A New Way to Showcase Wine-Growing Talent
In the world of wine, The MICHELIN Guide aims to reward not only the vineyards but also, above all, the people who run them. With this new distinction, the Guide intends to showcase the unique knowledge and passion passed down through generations, but also innovative techniques and contemporary practices, using a strict and independent methodology.
The MICHELIN Guide now provides wine lovers with a trusted benchmark: One, Two or Three Grapes, as well as an additional selection of recommended vineyards.
Three Grapes
Exceptional producers. Whatever the vintage, wine lovers can turn to the estate’s creations with complete confidence.Two Grapes
Excellent producers who stand out as exceptional within their peer group and region for both quality and consistency.One Grape
Very good producers who craft wines of character and style, especially in the best vintages.Selected
Dependable producers who have been chosen for regular review, producing well-made wines that deliver a quality experience.
The 5 Criteria for the New Distinction
Quality of Agronomy
The assessment evaluates the vitality of the soil, the balance of the vine stocks and the care provided for the vines. All are essential factors that directly influence wine quality.Technical Mastery
The evaluation focuses on the technical skills in the wine-making process. Our Inspectors are seeking precise and rigorous wine-making processes producing well-developed wines which reflect the terroir and the vine types, without any distracting flaws.Identity
The Guide will highlight winemakers who craft wines that express the personality, the sense of place and the culture behind them.Balance
Evaluation of the harmony between acidity, tannins, oak, alcohol and sweetness.Consistency
Wines will be evaluated across multiple vintages to ensure unwavering consistency in quality, even in the most challenging years. The Guide celebrates wines that reveal greater depth and excellence as time goes by.The Experts Behind the Scenes
Future selections will rely on the expertise of dedicated wine Inspectors, all professionals employed by the Michelin Group. This team, which will make their recommendations collectively and with complete independence, will bring together seasoned wine specialists and newly recruited Inspectors.All team members have been selected not only based on their qualifications, but also on their ability to assess a vineyard with rigor and integrity. They are all seasoned professionals in the sector — former sommeliers, specialized critics or production experts — and bring concrete and in-depth experience of the wine-producing world to the team.
Their assessments will follow a rigorous methodology including a panel review process and editorial supervision.
In 2026, the MICHELIN Grapes Will be Launched in Burgundy and the Bordeaux Region
The MICHELIN Grapes project will start with two regions that are among the most emblematic in the worldwide wine-producing landscape: Burgundy and the region around Bordeaux. Through these regions, the awards will celebrate the diversity, the historical intensity and the cultural richness of wine à la française.
Over the centuries, Bordeaux has established itself as a historic force in the world of wine. Its distinguished vineyards and their reputation go far beyond France's borders. The entire prestigious Bordeaux region is renowned throughout the world for its innovations and its traditions.
Burgundy, for its part, differentiates itself by its approach deeply rooted in local heritage. Its family-owned vineyards reflect rigorous traditions and care imposed at each stage in the production process. Generation after generation, legacies have curated the local identity and forged the worldwide reputation of Burgundy.
Keep your eyes peeled in 2026 for the very first selection of the MICHELIN Grapes.
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