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The 19 Hottest Wine Bars Across the Country Right Now

by Paula Forbes Dec 12, 2013, 7:15am EST

8 comments / new

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by Paula Forbes Dec 12, 2013, 7:15am EST

8 comments / new

Happy Holidays, time for a drink: here's Eater's guide to the country's hottest new wine bars, so that no matter where you may roam this Christmas and/or New Year's holiday, you will be able to find a nice glass of champagne (or pinot noir, or riesling, or whatever) to sooth your harried soul. While most of the choices below serve some form of food — from charcuterie to small plates and even a few limited entree selections — the picks do veer towards bars and away from wine-focused restaurants.

A good number of the bars focus on Italian wines, from Bar Cantinetta in Seattle to Terzo in Minneapolis to Eataly Chicago's Vino Libero. San Francisco is looking inward, with Fig & Thistle in San Francisco and Ordinaire in Oakland serving West Coast wines. There's also a shiny gold temple to bubbles in Vegas called Fizz, and a bar focused on small-production wines owned by the Joe Beef guys and somm Vanya Filipovic in Montreal called Le Vin Papillon. And there are a few notable exceptions to the wine-restaurant rule: no 2013 wine bar map would be complete without New York City's Pearl & Ash or Charlie Bird, both of which are technically restaurants but have bar seating available.

Here is the Eater Wine Bar Heatmap, the 19 hottest wine bars to have opened across the US (and one in Montreal) in the past year or so. Entries are in alphabetical order; please air your inevitable grievances in the comments.

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Bar Cantinetta

The boozier version of sister restaurant Cantinetta, Bar Cantinetta serves entirely Italian wines alongside small plates. [Photo]

2811 East Madison Street Seattle, WA 98112

2811 East Madison Street Seattle, WA 98112

Visit Website

Also featured in:

Bin 702

Located in Las Vegas' Container Park, Bin 702 is housed in a reused shipping container. While it may be teeny tiny, it makes up for it with 16 wines on tap (in addition to their bottle collection) and a menu of salads and paninis. [Photo]

707 Fremont Street, Las Vegas, NV 89101

Visit Website

Also featured in:

Camerata at Paulie's

Owned by Paul Petronella and directly adjacent to his restaurant Paulie's, Camerata offers an ever-changing bottle list from ex-Uchi Houston beverage director David Keck in a space that draws a hip, younger crowd. There are tons of by-the-glass offerings and, bonus, a late night sandwich menu.[Photo]

1830 Westheimer Rd, Houston, TX

Visit Website

Also featured in:

14 Excellent Options for New Year’s Eve in Houston

Charlie Bird

New York's Charlie Bird won the Eater NY Eater Award for Restaurant of the Year, and it wasn't just for the food. Placing a serious emphasis on wine, the entirety of wine director/owner Robert Bohr's wine list is available by the half-bottle, making pricier bottles available at more accessible price points.[Photo]

5 King Street, New York, NY 10012

Visit Website

Also featured in:

Fig & Thistle Wine Bar

A small (500 square feet) wine bar in SF's Hayes Valley, Fig & Thistle has a daily selection of mostly West Coast wines. [Photo]

Open in Google Maps

313 Ivy St., San Francisco, CA

Visit Website

FIZZ Las Vegas

Fizz is a $3.2 million temple to champagne at Caesar's Palace, which was opened in part with David Furnish (Elton John's husband). The space is in soft open until John's Vegas residency begins in the Spring, so make a reservation to check out the blinged out space (including art by Steven Meisel, David LaChapelle and Steve Klein and others from the Furnish/John personal collection). [Photo]

Open in Google Maps

Visit Website

Olio

Photo

]

Open in Google Maps

1634 Tower Grove Ave, St. Louis, MO 63110

Visit Website

Ordinaire

A wine bar owned by Berkeley PhD candidate Bradford Taylor, Ordinaire serves small-production California wines and offers tapped wines for sampling. The name comes from vin ordinaire, the wine drunk by winemakers that's never bottled. [Photo]

Open in Google Maps

3354 Grand Ave, Oakland, CA 94610

Visit Website

Oso Market & Bar

Oso Market is both a bottle shop and a sit down bar, serving 20 options by the glass, five dessert wines and sherries, and another four beers/ciders on tap. The focus here is on biodynamic and sustainable wines. [Photo]

726 SE Grand Ave, Portland, OR 97214

Visit Website

Also featured in:

Pearl & Ash

Wine is the star at this Bowery restaurant, which New York Times restaurant critic Pete Wells called "the city’s most exciting place to drink wine" in his two star review back in May. While the list might be lengthy, wine director Patrick Cappiello characterizes it as "what I can afford to drink as opposed to what my clients can afford to drink." [Photo]

220 Bowery, New York, NY 10012

Visit Website

Also featured in:

san diego cellars

San Diego Cellars is actually a winery, and customers can refill growler-esque "cruisers" with local wine to go. Flights are available as well. Wines by resident winemaker Todd Hipper include a viognier/chardonnay blend to a pinot noir rosé and a San Diego County syrah. [Photo]

Open in Google Maps

2215 Kettner Boulevard, San Diego, CA 92101

Visit Website

South End

Sommelier Mario Vollera, formerly of Piccolo Venice and Barbershop, is a partner at this Venice pizzeria. The wine bar lists "international" bottles, most of which are under $100. [Photo]

Open in Google Maps

2805 Abbot Kinney Blvd, Venice, CA 90291

http://www.southendla.com

http://www.southendla.com

Visit Website

Spoke

The bottles at Spoke are mostly French and Italian, with a handful of Californian options thrown in. Proprietress and wine industry alum Felisha "Flea" Foster calls herself "an Old World fanatic." [Photo]

89 Holland St, Somerville, MA 02144

Visit Website

Also featured in:

Stem Wine Bar

Located in the rapidly-growing dining scene in the East Cobb, Stem is the sister wine bar to Seed restaurant. Somm/GM Jason Raymond tells Eater Atlanta Stem "carr[ies] domestic, Spanish, Italian, and French wines only." [Photo]

Open in Google Maps

1311 Johnson Ferry Road, Marietta, GA 30068

Visit Website

Terzo

Terzo serves up small plates alongside a 1,000-bottle all-Italian wine list, with 40-50 wines by the glass. The restaurant gets its name from being the third enterprise at this intersection owned by the Broder family, and it's a hotspot for a glass of wine while waiting for a table at Broders' Pasta Bar. [Photo]

Open in Google Maps

2221 W 50th St, Minneapolis, MN 55419

Toast

Toast calls their wine list "delicious and uncommon": you'll find a well-edited list with lots of by-the-glass options and no bottles over $65. The also serve small plates and charcuterie. [Photo]

Open in Google Maps

1365 W 65th St, Cleveland, OH 44102

Visit Website

Le Vin Papillon

Le Vin Papillon is a wine bar from the Joe Beef team of Fred Morin, Dave McMillan, and partner Vanya Filipovic. Filipovic told Eater Montreal "I never buy more than 24 bottles of the same wine, so the wine list's flipping all the time." [Photo]

Open in Google Maps

2519 Notre-Dame ouest, Montréal, Québec, Canada

Visit Website

Vino Libero at Eataly Chicago

You didn't think Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich would bring their stately New York pleasure-dome of Italian food to Chicago and not include a proper wine bar, did you? All wines are Italian and part of the “Vino Libero” Association, and are "produced without chemical fertilizers or herbicides and have low levels of sulfites." [Photo]

Open in Google Maps

43 E Ohio St, Chicago, IL 60611

Visit Website

Winebelly

A combination wine and tapas bar in the former Green Muse space, Winebelly offers a geographically diverse selection of bottles at accessible prices. [Photo]

519 W Oltorf St, Austin, TX 78704

Visit Website

Also featured in:

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Bar Cantinetta

The boozier version of sister restaurant Cantinetta, Bar Cantinetta serves entirely Italian wines alongside small plates. [Photo]

2811 East Madison Street Seattle, WA 98112

2811 East Madison Street Seattle, WA 98112

Visit Website

Bin 702

707 Fremont Street, Las Vegas, NV 89101

Located in Las Vegas' Container Park, Bin 702 is housed in a reused shipping container. While it may be teeny tiny, it makes up for it with 16 wines on tap (in addition to their bottle collection) and a menu of salads and paninis. [Photo]

707 Fremont Street, Las Vegas, NV 89101

Visit Website

Camerata at Paulie's

1830 Westheimer Rd, Houston, TX

Owned by Paul Petronella and directly adjacent to his restaurant Paulie's, Camerata offers an ever-changing bottle list from ex-Uchi Houston beverage director David Keck in a space that draws a hip, younger crowd. There are tons of by-the-glass offerings and, bonus, a late night sandwich menu.[Photo]

1830 Westheimer Rd, Houston, TX

Visit Website

Charlie Bird

5 King Street, New York, NY 10012

New York's Charlie Bird won the Eater NY Eater Award for Restaurant of the Year, and it wasn't just for the food. Placing a serious emphasis on wine, the entirety of wine director/owner Robert Bohr's wine list is available by the half-bottle, making pricier bottles available at more accessible price points.[Photo]

5 King Street, New York, NY 10012

Visit Website

Fig & Thistle Wine Bar

313 Ivy St., San Francisco, CA

A small (500 square feet) wine bar in SF's Hayes Valley, Fig & Thistle has a daily selection of mostly West Coast wines. [Photo]

Open in Google Maps

313 Ivy St., San Francisco, CA

Visit Website

FIZZ Las Vegas

Fizz is a $3.2 million temple to champagne at Caesar's Palace, which was opened in part with David Furnish (Elton John's husband). The space is in soft open until John's Vegas residency begins in the Spring, so make a reservation to check out the blinged out space (including art by Steven Meisel, David LaChapelle and Steve Klein and others from the Furnish/John personal collection). [Photo]

Open in Google Maps

Visit Website

Olio

1634 Tower Grove Ave, St. Louis, MO 63110

Photo

]

Open in Google Maps

1634 Tower Grove Ave, St. Louis, MO 63110

Visit Website

Ordinaire

3354 Grand Ave, Oakland, CA 94610

A wine bar owned by Berkeley PhD candidate Bradford Taylor, Ordinaire serves small-production California wines and offers tapped wines for sampling. The name comes from vin ordinaire, the wine drunk by winemakers that's never bottled. [Photo]

Open in Google Maps

3354 Grand Ave, Oakland, CA 94610

Visit Website

Oso Market & Bar

726 SE Grand Ave, Portland, OR 97214

Oso Market is both a bottle shop and a sit down bar, serving 20 options by the glass, five dessert wines and sherries, and another four beers/ciders on tap. The focus here is on biodynamic and sustainable wines. [Photo]

726 SE Grand Ave, Portland, OR 97214

Visit Website

Pearl & Ash

220 Bowery, New York, NY 10012

Wine is the star at this Bowery restaurant, which New York Times restaurant critic Pete Wells called "the city’s most exciting place to drink wine" in his two star review back in May. While the list might be lengthy, wine director Patrick Cappiello characterizes it as "what I can afford to drink as opposed to what my clients can afford to drink." [Photo]

220 Bowery, New York, NY 10012

Visit Website

san diego cellars

2215 Kettner Boulevard, San Diego, CA 92101

San Diego Cellars is actually a winery, and customers can refill growler-esque "cruisers" with local wine to go. Flights are available as well. Wines by resident winemaker Todd Hipper include a viognier/chardonnay blend to a pinot noir rosé and a San Diego County syrah. [Photo]

Open in Google Maps

2215 Kettner Boulevard, San Diego, CA 92101

Visit Website

South End

2805 Abbot Kinney Blvd, Venice, CA 90291

Sommelier Mario Vollera, formerly of Piccolo Venice and Barbershop, is a partner at this Venice pizzeria. The wine bar lists "international" bottles, most of which are under $100. [Photo]

Open in Google Maps

2805 Abbot Kinney Blvd, Venice, CA 90291

http://www.southendla.com

http://www.southendla.com

Visit Website

Spoke

89 Holland St, Somerville, MA 02144

The bottles at Spoke are mostly French and Italian, with a handful of Californian options thrown in. Proprietress and wine industry alum Felisha "Flea" Foster calls herself "an Old World fanatic." [Photo]

89 Holland St, Somerville, MA 02144

Visit Website

Stem Wine Bar

1311 Johnson Ferry Road, Marietta, GA 30068

Located in the rapidly-growing dining scene in the East Cobb, Stem is the sister wine bar to Seed restaurant. Somm/GM Jason Raymond tells Eater Atlanta Stem "carr[ies] domestic, Spanish, Italian, and French wines only." [Photo]

Open in Google Maps

1311 Johnson Ferry Road, Marietta, GA 30068

Visit Website

Terzo

2221 W 50th St, Minneapolis, MN 55419

Terzo serves up small plates alongside a 1,000-bottle all-Italian wine list, with 40-50 wines by the glass. The restaurant gets its name from being the third enterprise at this intersection owned by the Broder family, and it's a hotspot for a glass of wine while waiting for a table at Broders' Pasta Bar. [Photo]

Open in Google Maps

2221 W 50th St, Minneapolis, MN 55419

Related Maps

Toast

1365 W 65th St, Cleveland, OH 44102

Toast calls their wine list "delicious and uncommon": you'll find a well-edited list with lots of by-the-glass options and no bottles over $65. The also serve small plates and charcuterie. [Photo]

Open in Google Maps

1365 W 65th St, Cleveland, OH 44102

Visit Website

Le Vin Papillon

2519 Notre-Dame ouest, Montréal, Québec, Canada

Le Vin Papillon is a wine bar from the Joe Beef team of Fred Morin, Dave McMillan, and partner Vanya Filipovic. Filipovic told Eater Montreal "I never buy more than 24 bottles of the same wine, so the wine list's flipping all the time." [Photo]

Open in Google Maps

2519 Notre-Dame ouest, Montréal, Québec, Canada

Visit Website

Vino Libero at Eataly Chicago

43 E Ohio St, Chicago, IL 60611

You didn't think Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich would bring their stately New York pleasure-dome of Italian food to Chicago and not include a proper wine bar, did you? All wines are Italian and part of the “Vino Libero” Association, and are "produced without chemical fertilizers or herbicides and have low levels of sulfites." [Photo]

Open in Google Maps

43 E Ohio St, Chicago, IL 60611

Visit Website

Winebelly

519 W Oltorf St, Austin, TX 78704

A combination wine and tapas bar in the former Green Muse space, Winebelly offers a geographically diverse selection of bottles at accessible prices. [Photo]

519 W Oltorf St, Austin, TX 78704

Visit Website

Related Maps