Best Wine Bars in Brisbane
Wine, glorious wine! There’s no denying our love for wine bars – the swanky hotel ones, the ones down alleyways behind secret doors, the hipster ones that serve tipples while perched upon milk crates and cushions – they are an ideal way to sample a range of fine wine. In Brisbane especially, with its romantic sandstone architecture and intoxicating endless summer vibes, the love of the grape experience can be found in almost any direction you turn, with passionate restaurateurs and sommeliers ready and willing to impart their thirsty wisdom.
From reds to whites and everything in between, Best’s Wines are popping up in venues all around this beautiful town. So here is a snippet of the Best Brisbane restaurants and wine bars (pun intended) where you can sip, swill, pontificate and ponder life over a glass or two of fine wine.
Blackbird Bar & Restaurant
Cracking sunsets over the iconic Story Bridge? Check. A terrace bar to rival them all? You got it. Best’s Great Western Cabernet by the glass? Sure is. Blackbird Bar & Restaurant down at Eagle Street Pier with its restaurant and two bars has a distinct prohibition-era vibe with an extensive wine list well worth settling in and exploring.
Restaurant Tartufo
True wine geeks ‘get’ Pinot Meunier. True Italophiles ‘get’ the Percuoco family’s restauranting pedigree. And when these two legendary elements come together? Well. There’s no telling what could possibly happen, but we can assure you it’s almost definitely good. Restaurant Tartufo is the breathing body of true, classic Italian dining. Stylish and sophisticated yet comfortably familiar, the food is the kind that lingers on in your memory long after the meal has ended and the last drops of Best’s Old Vine Pinot Meunier loiter in the glass.
OTTO Ristorante
Missed that flight to spend time in Italy for the European summer? Jump on your Vespa and head to OTTO Ristorante instead. Located on Queen Street casually overlooking the harbour and the Story Bridge, OTTO Ristorante is a place that simply screams “Triple serve of Truffled Mushroom Fettuccini with Best’s Bin No. 1, thanks”. Oh, and it also was awarded the Australian Good Food Guide’s wine list of the year for 2018, so you know Best’s are in some very good company indeed.
Bacchus
The Roman God Bacchus sure did know how to have a rollicking good time. Much like its namesake, there is nothing restrained about Bacchus in Brisbane’s Southbank. With a wine list as big as an epic novel, its grape-inspired journey ranges from the tame to the dizzyingly opulent. Whether it’s date night, a fancy night or simply an end-of-week Friday night, Bacchus most certainly has something for everyone.
This James Street hangout has been favourite for folks who like to sip the good stuff for many years. More well known for their wide selection of champagne and bubbles, Cru’s ‘other’ wine list is extensive in its selection of varietals and regions, meaning there’s no shortage of gustatory adventure. With its indoor-outdoor seating plan and impressive eye-catching chandelier, Cru is the ideal spot for lingering with a glass on any day ending in -y.
Spirit House
A little way out of Brisbane but worth a notable mention is the Spirit House in Yandina. Tucked away from the coastal strip in amongst the Sunshine Coast rainforest, the Spirit House has long been regarded as one of the best dining experiences in Australia. A breathtaking spot that includes a cooking school, a restaurant, bar and private dining room. The Hong Sa Bar is where you’ll find us perched, matching the modern Thai bar snacks with a glass of riesling. In a word… Wow! A super sleek spot to while away a weekend.