Sip your way through the best our city has to offer as we reveal Sydney’s best wine bars.
From Pinot Noir to Pét Nat, our love for good wine continues to grow and thankfully in Sydney, we have plenty of choices when it comes to wine bars both diverse in nature and impeccable in reputation. From hidden candlelit hangouts to bustling CBD restaurants with a killer vino offering, here are the best wine bars in Sydney.
Millie Vini, Surry Hills
MV Bistro & Wine Bar of Surry Hills has turned into a luxe Italian restaurant and wine bar within the same space on Crown Street. The team has curated one of the largest ranges of Italian varieties going, with wines from Puglia, Piemonte, Tuscany, Veneto, Abruzzo, Sicily & Sardegna. The scene can be best described as moody but there’s a touch of elegance from the velvet drapes and brass and crystal chandeliers. It has a luxe, romantic atmosphere making it the perfect venue for your next date night. Find out more here.
De Vine Food & Wine, CBD
For a predominantly Italian wine list and a no-frills Italian menu, we recommend a visit to De Vine Food & Wine. Nestled on Market Street, escape the city’s hustle by tucking yourself away in their cosy, dimly lit bar/restaurant. Their team of wine connoisseurs provides quality banter while helping you navigate the 400+ wine list. There’s something for everyone with classics from Barolo to Chianti, as well as funky, minimal intervention style. Book your table here.
Banco Manly
Beats, banter and bloody good wine are what’s being served at this Manly hotspot. This intimate bar/restaurant is nestled down an unassuming alleyway with a neon bottle sign as the only identification. Made up of just 32 seats, Banco is the perfect spot for date night providing a vibing atmosphere as beats by Biggie Smalls, ASAP Rocky and Anderson Paak are blasted. Start your night on a refreshing note with the Celerity Marg, before moving onto their list of minimal intervention wines highlighting independent and small batch producers. Find out more here.
La Salut, Redfern
The Love Tilly Group and The People have combined forces to welcome a new Catalan-inspired wine bar to Redfern. La Salut is set to open this spring so you can play catch-ups with your loved ones over Spanish vino and share plates. The wine on the shelves, friendly hospitality and culture will transport you straight to a bar in Barcelona. Find out more here.
Bar Copains, Surry Hills
Bar Copains is Surry Hills’ cosy new wine bar offering a relaxed ambiance & French-inspired dishes that will keep you coming back for more. Co-owners Morgan McGlone and Nathan Sasi have a wealth of wine knowledge under their aprons. Wine connoisseurs will appreciate the plethora of bottles on the menu which have been personally collected throughout the years. From natural wines to traditional types and rare bottles, there’s something to suit your palate and they’ll easily point you in the right direction. Find out more here.
Lil Sis, Chippendale
The iconic pub on Broadway has been reinvigorated with a Parisian wine bar upstairs offering natural wines, freshly sliced deli meats & a killer jaffle selection. Lil Sis’ wine list caters to all taste preferences, whether you’re looking for natural, biodynamic, or more traditional types. The staff can easily pick a glass to suit your tastes, with the majority of bottles are available by the glass. To eat, you’ll find an unpretentious list of snack-style dishes designed for sharing, like tuna crudo, chicken liver parfait and a selection of freshly shaved meat and cheese. Find out more here.
Mister Percy, Pyrmont
Tucked away in Pyrmont is the aesthetically pleasing Mister Percy. What was once a former wool store has been transformed into a cozy oasis, complete with high ceilings, dark wooden beams and dim lighting. The wine menu will surprise and delight you, with many rare and vintage wines in the cellar just begging to be opened. Team it with Head Chef Luca Guiotto’s aperitivi and handmade pasta for a dining experience to remember. Find out more here.
Beau, Surry Hills
Beau Bar is Nomad Groups latest venture, with a focus on fresh seafood and lots of wine. Wine director Ged Bellis has personally sourced all the wine at Beau, visiting small producers over the world to fill up the several-hundred bottle wall behind the bar. Not a fan of bottles? There’s also wines on tap available from producers all over New South Wales. The by-the-glass list will change on a weekly basis, with ‘blink and you will miss them’ pours of super rare wines available for those with a keen eye. Find out more here.
Coogee Wine Room, Coogee
While still fairly new to the Sydney wine bar scene, opening in late 2019, Coogee Wine Room was quick to make itself known in this beachside suburb. A stone’s throw from the beach, go for an afternoon dip, dust the sand off your feet and mosey straight towards this sleek two-level space for a great glass of wine. Find out more here.
Ragazzi, Sydney
If you’re into intimate bar seats and cosy nights, Ragazzi will be your new favourite pick! The restaurant seats an intimate 38, where you can choose a table or the 10-seat wraparound brass bar. Wine by the glass changes daily, alongside 250+ bottles and more than 20 different amari and apertifs. Find out more here.
Reign at the QVB, CBD
A luxurious Champagne parlour and bar in the heart of the CBD, you say? How very regal. Light, bright and suitably adorned in marble and soft pink hues, lovers of a fine bubble in their wine will swoon over the 150+ Champagne and sparkling wine list. Find out more here.
poly, Surry Hills
With the team from Ester at the helm of this intimate wine bar, you know you’re in for a treat. Housed in the Paramount House building, poly shines in the realms of fine wine, exceptional bar snacks and well-executed main dishes. Expect plenty of quirky wines on the 16-page menu. Find out more here.
Monopole, Potts Point
Brent Savage and Nick Hildebrandt of Bentley are masters in blurring the line between wine bar and restaurant. At this moody Potts Point hangout, you could easily stay fixated on the 500+ rare and boutique wine list. However, after a glass of wine or two, it’s hard to resist the tasting menu. Find out more here.
Little Felix, CBD
One of the newer members of the Merivale clan and sister venue of Felix Bistro and Bar is Little Felix. Perfectly designed for a pre or post-meal tipple, Little Felix takes its cues from the great Parisian bars of the early twentieth century, with a French-centric wine and Champagne list. Find out more here.
Bartolo, Surry Hills
10 William Street, Paddington
10 William Street in Paddington is home to delicious food, but first and foremost, it’s a buzzing wine bar with an ever-growing list of reds, whites and natural vino by the glass. The prerequisite for every wine that enters 10 William Street is that it has to be grown organically – this is to recognise the extra effort being put in by farmers who avoid the use of synthetic chemicals to promote soil health. Find out more here.
She Loves You, Newtown
At the helm of this intimate 40-seater bar is the talented Sydney Sommelier, Sophie Otton. With over 20 years of experience in the industry (having worked as Wine Director at Rockpool Bar & Grill), you can expect a quality wine menu spanning Australia-wide and beyond. Find out more here.
Vini Divini, CBD
Vini Divini is a Mediterranean wine bar in Sydney’s CBD offering one of the city’s most geographically diverse wine lists, with an impressive wine wall stocking more than 1000 bottles from 10 different countries (including Greece, Armenia, Georgia and Turkey), as curated by Raphael Mulligan, former head sommelier of Rockpool Dining Group. Find out more here.
