10 of Sydney’s best wine bars

The wine bar has never been better. From slick and sophisticated with tough-to-find bottles and restaurant-worthy menus, to well-loved neighbourhood haunts where everybody knows your name (or soon will), here are the top spots to fill up your glass at right now.

Bar Copains

It’s all about small plates, considered food and natural wine at Bar Copains, the newest venture from Nathan Sasi (founding chef at Nomad) and Morgan McGlone (ex-Belles Hot Chicken). Despite its experimental leanings, the wine list has something for all tastes, with both classics and new-wave wines (such as Maxime Magnon’s red blends, cultivated in the steep vineyards of Corbieres, France) keeping things interesting. The food menu is similarly versatile, allowing for casual snacking or shared mains depending on the occasion.

Don’t-miss dish: Barbecue wagyu flank steak with condiments, $52

67 Albion Street, Surry Hills, barcopains.com

Beau

The team behind two-hatted restaurant Nomad opened 50-seat wine bar Beau in February. The small, laneway bar has a cool, clean aesthetic and a dimly lit, temperature-controlled wine bar spanning its entire back wall. More than 300 wines feature on Beau’s opening list, including a selection of premium, rare wines by the glass, served from Coravin. Nomad Group’s beverage director Ged Bellis says he’s focussing on “ultra-small production wines from new and emerging producers”, particularly those from overseas.

Don’t-miss dish: Southern rock lobster with nori salsa verde and Marie Rose sauce, $110

52 Reservoir Street, Surry Hills, beau.sydney

Coogee Wine Room

Keep an eye out for the wine dinners held regularly at Coogee Wine Room, where diners can have a cellar-door experience while enjoying a one-off three-course menu created by head chef Greg Humphry. Owner Tom Hardwick curates a lengthy wine list, highlighting classic varietals from smaller, family-owned wineries such as Bellebonne in Launceston, Tasmania and Castagna in Beechworth, Victoria.

Don’t-miss dish: Crab spaghetti, summer beans, parsley and dill, $38

222 Coogee Bay Road, Coogee, coogeewineroom.com.au

Dear Sainte Eloise

Devotion to wine is declared at every turn at this slick all-purpose bar, from the 300+ list of classic labels and exciting ingenues to the insightful, cheery menu notes featuring a heartfelt ode to riesling. Current pours vary from moreish chilled reds by Little Red to the fun and textural oranges of young guns Aristotelis Ke Anthoula. They’re thoughtfully paired with seasonal share plates such as porcini and pecorino croquettes, and anchovy brioche.

Don’t-miss dish: Tuna tartare, horseradish, tarragon, chilli oil and frites, $32

5/29 Orwell Street, Potts Point, dearsainteeloise.com

Kahii

After-work drinks have levelled up at Kahii, an intimate CBD wine bar attached to hatted Japanese restaurant Kuro. With Kuro head chef Taka Teramoto at the helm, the menu boasts some seriously tasty snacks such as saltbush tempura and a zesty zucchini salad with fromage de chevre. Their wine list has a French focus, with current pours by cult Burgundy producer Lucien Le Moine and the Amoreau family, pioneers of biodynamic viticulture in Bordeaux.

Don’t-miss dish: Saltbush tempura with Yukari and cocktail sauce, $16

364 Kent Street, Sydney, kahii.com.au

Lil Sis

Settle into a wood booth by the window for an evening of Mediterranean-inspired share plates, charcuterie and wines by-the-glass at this new addition to Chippendale. The Abercrombie’s wine bar has more than 40 pours by the glass, ranging from your approachable Domaine Berthier ‘L’instant’ sauvignon blanc to your funkier Das Juice white maceration. Sommelier Zoe Brunton aims to keep the list relaxed and fun, with a focus on passionate and sustainable producers from across the globe.

Don’t-miss dish: Spaghetti and cheddar jaffle, $10

100 Broadway Street, Chippendale; abercrombie.sydney/lil-sis

Lokal

Hospo veterans Patrick Frawley and Nelson Cramp are sharing their passion for low-intervention producers at Surry Hills bar Lokal. The light, airy space takes inspiration from intimate European wine bars with honeyed timber seating and locally made ceramics. Natural wine lovers will be spoiled for choice, with a generous selection of 60 minimal-intervention wines by the bottle and 14 by the glass, including skin contact Grenache blends from the Rhone Valley and viognier from the Adelaide Hills.

Don’t-miss dish: Grilled mussels, charred leeks and prawn bisque butter, $28

104 Fitzroy Street, Surry Hills, instagram.com/lokal_wine

Poly

You don’t come to Mat Lindsay’s Ester follow-up knowing what you are going to eat or drink. The menu changes without notice and that tiny, glowing, wood-fired kitchen in the corner plays havoc with your expectations as much as it plays with its produce. But the hatted, subterranean Surry Hills space is, foremost, a wine bar guided by “passionate winemakers … driven by organic and biodynamic principles”. Bonus: It’s a known favourite of Good Food contributor and RecipeTin Eats founder Nagi Maehashi.

Don’t-miss dish: Roasted hispi cabbage with anchovy, garlic and parmesan, $20

74-76 Commonwealth Street, Surry Hills, polysurryhills.com.au

She Loves You

Behind a nondescript wood-framed door on Newtown’s King Street hides one of Sydney’s best wine bars. She Loves You is a small, candlelit space with booth seating, old-time tunes and a notable absence of written menus. To order, you’ll have to ask owner and resident sommelier Sophie Otten for her recommendation. The selection is varied and highly curated, boasting everything from a skin contact tsitska from the riverside city of Imereti, Georgia, to a mineral-driven chardonnay from the alps of France.

530 King Street, Newtown, she-loves-you.business.site

Where’s Nick

Dismissing natural wine as elitist can be tempting, yet the approach that owners Julian and Dominic Abouzeid and Bridget Raffal take is far from alienating. The atmosphere at this Marrickville venue is as lo-fi as what’s in your glass, and savvy staff can steer you towards whatever your heart desires. Hard-to-source beers, ciders, artisan sake and small-batch spirits round out the selection.

Don’t-miss dish: Confit duck leg, blood plums and cavolo nero, $30

236 Marrickville Road, Marrickville, wheresnick.com.au