Wine bars popping up everywhere like champagne corks on New Year’s Eve… Wine bars are having a moment and importantly answering the call to serve great wines by the glass (no more settling for the “house” brand), in stylish and wonderfully sociable settings, with fabulous food to match. It’s where an end-of-day wind-down easily turns into a great night out. These are our favourite wine bars in Cape Town and Stellenbosch.
Cape Town
Culture
Adjacent to chef Matt Manning’s popular Grub & Vine bistro on Bree Street is Culture Wine Bar, stocked with the finest SA wines, including rare gems and cult classics, and globally sourced picks from the “Wanderlist” (a special black-leather-covered menu available on request). The bar is sophisticated, cosy and moody – all leather booths and exposed brickwork – making it a wonderful spot to unwind with friends over a glass or two. Try something new, learn more about wine and engage with the sommelier and other fundis at their weekly Vine Night, Culture Club and other bespoke wine events – sans the snobbery.
Where to find it: 103 Bree St, Cape Town City Centre
Publik
This little bar on Kloof Nek Road – with its irresistible row of barstools outside a pavement window-counter – is the stuff (sustainable) vino dreams are made of. With a slew of bottles from local organic farms and small artisans, as well as a few ‘new wave’ European wines, you can be sure of tasting something new and exciting each time you visit. There’s a lively, down-to-earth vibe, with everyone from suits to 20-somethings looking for a place to whet their whistle. If you want to learn while you sip, ask one of the resident connoisseurs for a breakdown of all things tannin-, tone- and nose-related.
Where to find it: 11D Kloofnek Road, Tamboerskloof, Cape Town
Openwine
This cosy, sophisticated locale on Wale Street, Openwine, is oenophile heaven. The Italian concept store (or enoteca) was opened by Raphael Paterniti and Marta Gobbo back in 2016, and was the first of its kind in Cape Town. They wanted to serve South African wines “in the French/Italian way”. Not only does it stock an extensive selection of bottles for purchase, but also invites visitors to taste an array of meticulously sourced fine local wines. Sit at the convivial bar, or in a pavement-facing window seat, or cosy up in the plush lounge with a bottle or glass of your choice (from over 200 options!). There’s also a downstairs cellar where you can enjoy an informative tasting, plus live jazz jams on Sunday afternoons.
Where to find it: 72 Wale Street, Cape Town
Penny Noire Winebar
Zambian-born sommelier Penny Setti (formerly of Canteen and Chefs Warehouse) likes all things unusual, independent, quirky and unsung, and her little wine bar at Heritage Square presents a constantly changing line-up of her favourite finds. It’s not much more than shelves lined with bottles and a long counter, but it’s at the very heart of LOCAL – foodie heaven in an 18th-century stone-walled courtyard in the innercity (where, appropriately, the oldest vine in the city, planted back in the 1770s, still grows). You couldn’t find more atmosphere if you hired a Hollywood set decorator…
Where to find it: Corner of Shortmarket, Bree and Buitengracht Streets, Cape Town
Stellenbosch
Le Grand Domaine Enoteca
As an urban alternative to a farm visit, this Devon Valley estate’s stylish emporium on Stellenbosch’s buzzing Church Street is an atmospheric spot for aficionados (and novices) to indulge their passion, with more than 30 wines available by tasting portion, glass or bottle. It’s a beautifully adorned space, with copper, leather, decorative tiles and dark wood detailing – and a wine-library of shelves showcasing the boutique Le Grand Vin de Stellenbosch range and Stellenview portfolio. Look out for the “secret magnums” on offer every now and then. On weekday evenings, you can sip your chosen vino to a soundtrack of chilled singer-songwriters.
Where to find it: 7 Church Street, Stellenbosch
The Wine Glass
The Stellies sibling of the highly rated wine bar in Hermanus offers a taste of (just about) all of this region’s nectar – by glass, bottle or a tasting flight of six – in one convenient location on Ryneveld Street. The Wine Glass is an elegant, modern space in a heritage building, with suede banquette seating and fireside tables, a bar-lounge called The Jungle Room and a cool courtyard – home to a statue called Lady Temptation. Indeed, with over 130 choices of wine, repeat visits will be essential.
Where to find it: 13 Ryneveld Street, Stellenbosch
Qbar
Shaded by plane trees and canvas umbrellas, the sophisticated yet relaxed Qbar evokes the grand style of Quoin Rock wine estate on a smaller scale. Marble-topped tables and green-and-gold velvet banquettes take centre stage in the small but perfectly elegant interior, with comfy raw-wood chairs spreading out into the hidden courtyard. Here you can sample all their wines (and take them home at cellar-door prices), accompanied by utterly delicious fine-dining tapas by chef Jack Coetzee. Don’t leave before you’ve had a glass of the Black Series MCC or the grappa-esque Husk Spirit.
Where to find it: De Wet Centre Courtyard, Church St, Stellenbosch Central
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