Wine and Dessert Pairing Contests
MENIU
2025 participants
2025 10 27, Dūmų fabrikas
Winners
1st place: Demo restaurant
Restaurant team: Tadas Eidukevičius ir Alois Hermann
Combination: „Gratitude“ (meadowsweet sabayon, Jerez wine caramel, freeze-dried planktons, caviar, rice crisp)
Wine: Domaine de la Borde wine.
2nd place: Gaspar's restaurant
Team: Gaspar Fernandes, Lukas Stasytis, Krystsina Fernandes, Jibin Chembanmaril Mohanan, Albin Parambath Thankachan, Gintaras Repšas, Paulina Savičiūtė, Justina Kandrotaitė
Combination: „Tribute to Potato“: Potato, sour cream, caviar. Composition: potato cake, sour cream, oscietra caviar, potato caramel, burnt potato skin powder, potato crisp
Wine: Liliac & Kracher Ice Wine Transylvania 2023
3rd place: Dine
Team: Barbora Inciūtė - Čepulionienė, Arminas Darasevičius, Matas Jakaitis, Justina Borkovskaja
Christmassy pairing: Citrus sorbet, rosemary mouse, juniper
Wine: G. D. Vajra Moscato d'Asti DOCG 2024 wine.
Special nominations:
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The lightest pairing
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Public Favorite
Winners of special nominations:
The most Lithuanian dessert: Kauno kolegija & Roksala winery
Pairing „Harmony of Beetroot and Rowan Berries“: Peanut flour cookie, beetroot mousse, beetroot and rowan berry juice jelly, freeze-dried rowan berries and Roksala Šermukšnių wine 2024.
The most Insta-worthy dessert: Dia restaurant
Pairing „Immerse into red“: Mascarpone mousse, fresh raspberries, raspberry sorbet, raspberry jelly and Giacomo Bologna Braida Brachetto d'Acqui DOCG 2023 wine.
The best wine: 14horses & Nineteen18
Wine: Hager Mathias Ice Wine 2018
The special "Young Chefs" nomination:
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Kauno Kolegija
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Kaunas Technology Training Centre team "I am just like you" (Combination „Unique “: raspberries, nuts, butter, cheese, chocolate, edible plants and non-alcoholic sparkling wine d'Artigny Cuvee Prestige).
OTHER TEAMS
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Skóg restaurant. Pairing: caramelized apple curd, Pumpkin seed frangipane, candied pumpkin seeds, apple sorbet & quince compote and Vinyes Singulars Desembre 2019 – Xarel•lo grape wine.
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14Horses restaurant. Pairing „ Plum “Charlotte” with roses“: Ladyfingers, rose sorbet, plum and chokeberry sauce and Hager Matthias Eiswein Zweigelt 2018.
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HeJi restaurant (Team Sugar Kintsugi). Pairing „Reborn in Gold“: Caramel, apple, almonds, saffron and Joh. Jos. Prum Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Spatlese, Mosel, Germany, 2003.
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Nineteen18 restaurant. Pairing: Paprika, raspberries and rye bread and Hager Mathias Ice Wine 2018.
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Saint-Malo restaurant. Pairing „Tarte au pommes de mon grand-mére“: Beurre noisette and honey sponge cake, vanilla namelaka, apple compote, chamomile espuma and Andre Bonhomme Cuvée Botrytis wine.
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Taurakalnis Catering and Vyno klubas. Pairing „A Garden of a Monk: Pears & Spices“: Pears in various forms, seven spices, homemade lemon and ginger ice cream, cardamon gel, gold leaf, and almond pastry crumbs and Kesselstatt Riesling Piesporter Goldtropfchen Auslese #5 2019 wine.
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Red Brick restaurant. Pairing „Potato“: Potato peel ice cream flavored with delicate potato caramel, topped with crunchy roasted hazelnuts, fresh plums, and a delicious caramelized milk crispand Château Nairac Barsac 2009 wine.
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T.A.I.P. Cake bakery. Pairing „Little Hat“: Lemon sponge cake with almond flour and buttery notes, a crisp lime layer with white chocolate, citrus fruit jelly, lime–lemon cream, white chocolate and citrus fruit mousse and Kracher Cuvée Auslese 2023 wine.
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Oecumene wine bar. Pairing „Amber“: Sugar, cream, gelatin, vanilla, 72% dark chocolate, sea salt, butter, flour, pecan, icing sugar, egg, glucose, cheese, white chocolate, pear, lemon juice, blackcurrant purée, cane sugar and DUMANGIN Ratafia Champenois Craft Affinage sous Bois wine.
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TTT3 (Cloud Kitchen Desserts, desertusou.lt, Tridens). Pairing „The Sun by M. K. Čiurlionis“: Mousse, cream, white chocolate, almond flour, nuts, cocoa butter and Devaux champagne.
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Ertlio namas restaurant. Pairing „Forest tones“: Pine oil, juniper, thyme, blueberries, porcini mushrooms, chocolate and M. Chapoutier Rivesaltes Rouge 1995 wine.
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Amandus restaurant. Pairing „Frost“: Plum, almonds, quince and Gramona Vi de Glass Gewürztraminer.
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The Manor Taste Architects (SPA Vytautas). Pairing „Noblemen's Gold“: Caramel, apple, almonds, saffron and Chateau Derezla Tokaji Aszu 5 puttonyos wine.
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Frau Kirsche – Ilzenberg (Frau Kirsche restaurant and Ilzenbergo dvaras wine). Pairing „A date in a Lithuanian Forest“: Hazelnut ring, oak bark parfait, thyme mousse, pine bud namelaka, cranberry gel and Ilzenbergo Dvaro cherry wine.
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Nuogne skanu bakery. Pairing „Kretinga dessert“: Vanilla sponge with lemon zest, crunchy layer, pear confit, honey crémeux, white chocolate and lavender mousse and Vytautas Kanapka’s rhubarb wine “Barbė” from Kretinga.
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Old Town Grill restaurant. Pairing „Lithuanian Garden“: Apples, nettles, sourdough biscuit and Kesselstatt Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese 2018 wine.
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Justa Pasta restaurant. Pairing „Pera rosa“: Hazelnuts, flour, pear, wine, sugar, powdered sugar, butter, gelatin, cinnamon, anise, cloves, cardamom, vanilla and Brut Rose Metodo Classico wine.
JURY
Arūnas Starkus – the most passionate wine and dessert advocate in the Baltics, author and founder of this contest, and co-founder of the Lithuanian Sommelier School and Association.
Beatričė Laurinavičienė – leisure editor at Verslo žinios and long-time this contest judge.
Linas Vaitulevičius – robotics professional, passionate foodie, and contributor to Lithuania’s only wine magazine, Vyno žurnalas. You’ll find his detail review of this contest in the future issue.
Jurga Vaičiūtė – Lithuanian food journalist and restaurant communications specialist.
Ewa Rybak – representative of Poland’s leading wine magazine Ferment Mag, the country’s first wine blogger, and contributor to numerous books on wine and gastronomy.
Aivar Hanson – editor of the Falstaff restaurant guide for Northern Europe, representing Estonia.
Ben Colvill – London-based writer, editor, and restaurant reviewer, and a member of the renowned Jancis Robinson editorial team. Ben is also a member of the Guild of Food Writers and a judge of the Great Taste Awards.
Urtė Mikelevičiūtė-Dervynas – restaurant consultant and wine & water sommelier.
Justina Gedgaudaitė – podcaster of “Alkani ir Ištroškę” and radio host of “Sotūs ir Laimingi”.
Eglė Tranaitė-Mascarenhas – founder of Another Bite and creator of unique gastronomic experiences.
PARTNERS AND SPONSORS
