This is an update of Schiller’s Favorite Wine Bars in Bordeaux City (2015), which I prepared following the Bordeaux Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015).
See here for earlier lists:
Schiller's Favorite Wine Bars in Bordeaux City, France (2015)
Schiller's Favorite Wine Bars in Bordeaux City, France, 2014
Schiller's Favorite Wine Bars in Bordeaux (City) (2012), France
The list below is in no particular order.
Bordeaux City
The city of Bordeaux is a jewel, with vestiges from the Roman era and medieval town gates. However, the 18th century was its golden age. Victor Hugo once said: “Take Versailles, add Antwerp, and you have Bordeaux.”
Bordeaux is often referred to as "Little Paris". Baron Haussmann, a long-time prefect of Bordeaux, used Bordeaux’s 18th century, big-scale rebuilding as a model when he was asked by Emperor Napoleon III to transform a then still quasimedieval Paris into a “modern” capital that would make France proud.
The city was ruled by the English for a long time, which is why Bordeaux seems to have an "English flair". After the marriage of Henry II to Eleanor of Aquitaine, Bordeaux came under English rule between 1152 and 1453. It was then that the British first developed their taste for Claret, as the red Bordeaux wine is called in the UK.
The city has recently been classified by UNESCO as an “outstanding urban and architectural ensemble”.Bordeaux has a million inhabitants, including a lively university community of over 60,000.
Bordeaux is a flat city, built on the left banks of the Garonne. The Garonne merges a dozen kilometers below the city with the Dordogne to form the Gironde, which is biggest estuary in France. The two main entertainment spots are: (1) Formerly inhabited by wine merchant warehouses, the docks (les quais) are now home to gardens, bike and skate paths, boutiques, museums, cafés, bars and restaurants. (2) La Victoire is the other area for entertainment: Historical monuments meet student life and bars. Most of the pubs and bars of the town are here. Virtually, all the shops in the surroundings of this area are bars.
See:
In the Wine Capital of the World: the City of Bordeaux, France
Bordeaux Tour by ombiasy WineTours 2016, France
Bordeaux Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015), France
Bordeaux Wine Tour 2013 by ombiasy
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Bars
Le Millésime Wine bar and Tapas Restaurant
4 rue du Puits Descujols
Le Millésime Bar à vins: Situé dans le cœur historique de Bordeaux, à 20 mètres de la Place de la Bourse, le Millésime est un nouveau concept de bar à vins et restaurant à Bordeaux qui propose la dégustation de grands crus classés au verre, accompagnés d’une grande variété de tapas élaborés à partir de produits frais des marchés du sud ouest et d’Espagne. Notre chef Martial décline également à travers une carte de plats typiques les saveurs de la cuisine du sud ouest de la France. L’ambiance du Millésime est à la fois chic et décontractée, appuyée par la présence récurrente d’un DJ pour les soirées week-end. Le Millésime vous propose un grand choix de vins au verre avec plus d’une trentaine de références principalement de vins de Bordeaux, Bourgogne, vallées du Rhone et de la Loire, sans oublier les vins Espagnols et d’Amérique du sud. Parmi ces choix, Le Millésime a également la particularité de proposer des premiers grands crus classés au verre : ce mois-ci Château d’Yquem 1995, Château Cheval-Blanc 2004, et Château Haut-Brion 2002.
Le Wine Bar
19 Rue des Bahutiers, in the historic St. Pierre district
Run and owned by two charming Italians, Giancarlo Savini and Emmanuel Cadei, and their French wives, the wine list also includes many wines from Italy and other countries. A cosy, small place. The food is charcuterie and cheese. Le Wine Bar is an excellent location to enjoy a glass on an outdoor terrace.
Le Bar a Vin
3 Cours du 30 Juillet
Le Bar a Vin is located on the ground floor of the Maison du Vin de Bordeaux, diagonally opposite the Grand Théatre. Le Bar a Vin is one of the few wine bars open all day. However, if you are interested in premium Bordeaux wines, this is not the place to go. Le Bar a Vin does not showcase the wines of the perhaps 400 producers people talk about in the world, but the wines of the 15.000 or so other producers that also make excellent wines. Most wines are around Euro 3 per glass including tax and service.
The menu - updated every several weeks - includes about 20 Bordeaux wines, all served by the glass only. But Le Bar a Vin also serves one or two premium wines; we had the 4. Cru Classé en 1855 Château Lafon Rochet 2007 at €8. The food menu is plates of charcuterie, and cheeses for Euro 6.
Max Bordeaux Wine Gallery
14 Cours de l'Intendance
Not too far away from Le Bar a Vin is Max Bordeaux Wine Gallery, just the opposite of Le Bar a Vin. The enomatic system contains wines of the 400 producers or so that are known all over the world. For higher-end wines, Max Bordeaux is the place to go. If you have questions, a wall-mounted iPad offers fact sheets and wine critics’ tasting notes about every single wine, in English. However, no casual seating or food is available. Also, Max Bordeaux closes early in the evening (8 pm).
Restaurant la Terrasse Saint Pierre
7 place Saint Pierre
Still the place to go on a Friday and Saturday evening, is the buzzy St Pierre district in the heart of Old Bordeaux. The historic centre of the city is brimming with shops, restaurants and bars. One of the many restaurants is the Restaurant la Terrasse Saint Pierre. I have never eaten there. I go there for the wine list, which is quite interesting.
Aux Quatres Coins Du Vin
8 Rue de la Devise
Like Max Bordeaux Wine Gallery, wines are also dispensed with the enomatic system and, more like Le Bar a Vin, this cute wine bar offers more affordable wines. Unlike both Le Bar a Vin and Max Bordeaux Wine Gallery, its selection includes also non-Bordeaux wines - 32 different wines: 8 whites, 8 red from Bordeaux, 8 red from other parts of France and 8 red from abroad. In addition, you can always order a bottle from the 130 references wine list. Aux Quatres Coins Du Vin also serves cheese and charcuterie platters, but not a full meal. A hipp, young crowd.
Wine Lounge
17/19, Place du Palais
A new place.
Login Bar
23 rue du couvent
Tripadvisor: Le concept : comme son nom l'indique le login bar est connecté et chacun passe sa commande grâce à une tablette positionné sur chaque table. Personnellement je préfère les choses traditionnelles mais finalement le fait d'avoir une carte virtuelle permet de se renseigner sur les produits notamment les vins et de passer sa commande rapidement sans attendre le serveur. Le personnel est super accueillant notamment la cuisinière qui apporte elle meme les plats. Super vin super camembert chaud et super charcuterie très fine. Bonne adress.
La Brasserie Bordelaise
50 rue Saint-Rémi 33000
Antony Peregrine (The Telegraph): On one of the key old streets in the St Pierre district, La Brasserie (5) is the sort of eatery where no one’s sure whether it’s food or conviviality which has the upper hand. The place has barrels as tables, bottles along every wall and the buzz of locals tackling great meat and shellfish as if decibels were desirable. This is not the setting for your romantic dinner à deux – but if you want Bordelais bustle and a sense that you’re at the centre of things, you could do very much worse. There’s also a surprisingly satisfactory wine list, plus a selection of cognacs and armagnacs to satisfy the most exacting.
Wine More Time
8 Rue St. James
Wine Shop and Wine Bar
Winerist: With a wine list that changes frequently, Wine More Time is a wine store, a wine bar and a temple to all things wine. Offering a wide range of French wines at reasonable prices, the bar also offers a unique selection of beers and spirits as well as deli plates. With its dedicated tasting space, they offer specialised wine courses and planned tastings and can organize private events.
Le Flacon
43 rue Cheverus
Tom Mullen – Drink like a local in Bordeaux (Forbes): Julien led us into Le Flacon, a deceptively unassuming locale within the city center with hundreds of carefully selected niche wines. Wonderful aromas blew off steaming dishes from the open kitchen, where owners Gilles Davasse and his wife Valerie prepare food. We sipped glasses of Antoine Sanzay Cabernet Franc from the Loire Valley and nibbled from a plate of charcuterie, though dishes available range from burgers to crispy pig’s feet. The location is well suited for kicking off an evening of exploring this intriguing city.
Le Petit Bois
18, rue du Chai-des-Farines
Oonagh Turner - 10 Best Wine Bars in Old Town Bordeaux: People are drawn to this magical bar for its romantic allure, intimate setting and its fantastic wine list. The décor is original, with a beautiful tree strung with fairy lights in the heart of the bar serving as an artistic centerpiece. Relax with a glass of fine wine on the plush sofas and enjoy the enchanting setting that is dimly lit with gentle candlelight. To complement the wine list, customers can choose from a selection of charcuterie, or the plat du jour.
Vins Urbans
27 Rue des Bahutiers
Formerly Vinset, a new wine bar just around the corner of Le Wine Bar.
Trip Advisor: It doesn't look much from the front - a slot in the streetfront. It opens up in the back. Warm welcome from owner, good range of 20+ very good wines by the glass, plus tapas stype snacks.
Le Boutique Hotel Wine Bar
3 Rue Lafaurie Monbadon
Winerist: A small and cozy bar in the lobby of a Boutique Hotel in the city center, this wine bar is a great experience for the adventurous wine lover. Here also the waiters don’t offer you a menu, rather they ask what type of wine you prefer and bring you a bottle with a hidden label. You then can taste and attempt to discover the varietal, vintage and production area, which isn’t always even in France. In addition, the bar offers tapas and deli plates as well as a garden seating area for the warm summer months.
Verre o Vin
43 Rue Borie, (Chartrons)
Winerist: Located just down the street from the Wine Museum in Chartrons, Verre o Vin is a small local bar with an amazing offering. Carved into the historic limestone buildings of the city’s ancient wine district, Verre o Vin offers both bottle service and wines by the glass served from Enomatic machines. There is also a small but high quality menu of farm-to-table deli plates and regional items, like foie gras, to accompany your tasting.
La Ligne Rouge
6 Rue de la Porte Cailhau
Oonagh Turner - 10 Best Wine Bars in Old Town Bordeaux: This bar is a small but homey establishment in the heart of the Bordeaux’s historical district. The wine list is diverse, with over 200 wines hailing from as far afield as the vineyards of South America. There is also a menu featuring a choice of cured meats, cheeses, simple but tasty salads and patés to pick from. The staff are attentive and friendly, carefully explaining the origins of wines and divulging the concept of the wine bar to customers. The barmen are also sure to listen to the requests of the guests, giving the bar an intimate touch.
Le Point Rouge
1 Quai de Paludate
Tom Mullen – Drink like a local in Bordeaux (Forbes): Opened seven months ago, this spacious and low-lit restaurant and bar differentiates from Bordeaux contenders by fusing an American/English cocktail culture with that of French food and wine. They sell 40 wines by the glass, a thousand by the bottle and over a hundred cocktails. Within this 5,300 square foot building, there are three distinct spaces, each for a separate phase of your visit. Begin with cocktails at the bar, pass to the restaurant for dinner and wine and then ascend stairs for a final digestif or cigar.
Touches of elegance include massive red lights from German designer Ingo Maurer, as well as a display of special Chivas Regal bottles (including one encrusted with dozens of diamonds and sapphires).
Palais de La Truffe
2 Place du Palais
www.petitfute.com: Un nouveau lieu, porte Cailhau, sur la place du Palais, attenant à la cave Art & Vins et créé par Pierre Simoès, voici le Palais de la truffe. Un concept food and wine et piano-bar. Un lieu convivial où l'on se retrouve autour d'un bon verre de vin avec quelques huîtres, des assiettes et des plats (fromage, omelettes...) à base de truffes. Pour le plaisir d'une dégustation entre amis, vous pourrez vous laisser tenter par ces accords mets et vins dans une ambiance chaleureuse. Des soirées à thème, concerts et piano-bar agrémenteront votre repas. Une expérience inoubliable à vivre au Palais de la truffe.
L`Oenolimit
2 rue des Ayres
Tripadvisor: … trendy but tasteful little wine bar. Fantastic. Great tapas and wine list to die for. Great ambience. a must if you are in Bordeaux
Latitude 20
La Cité du Vin
Open daily from 11.30 a.m to 11.30 p.m., Latitude 20 is a wine bar on La Cité du Vin’s ground floor with more than 50 different wines by the glass and a selection of tapas from around the world, a snack bar with a big choice of snacks for any time of day and a worldwide wine cellar with more than 14,000 bottles from more than 80 wine producing countries.
In addition, Restaurant Le 7 is on the 7th floor, with 500 bottles on the menu and 110 seats.
Garopapilles
62 rue Abbé de l’Épée
Before opening Garopapilles, Chef Tanguy Laviale used to be the chef at Haut Bailly.
Tom Mullen – Drink like a local in Bordeaux (Forbes): “The whole place is off the beaten track,” Gaël Morand said inside this modern, airy restaurant with am light streaming through large windows. The Jay Hawkins song “I Put a Spell On You” played as he poured a glass of 2009 Château Marsau from the Côtes de Bordeaux Francs appellation, northeast of Saint Émilion. “Hundred percent Merlot,” he said. “I call it the modern style of Bordeaux. Easy to drink and not looking for power.”
Morand worked as a diplomat in Paris and Geneva for a decade before deciding to shift to the food and wine scene of Bordeaux. He and chef Tanguy Laviale are business partners running this two-year-old restaurant/wine cellar. The interior seats 24, and there are 15 additional seats on the porch. What differentiates this restaurant is that the menu is fixed (though diners can opt to select their own wines). Visitors generally appreciate being led on this gastronomic discovery. … The wine list includes 500 bottles—80% of them non-Bordeaux, including selections of Muscadet and Beaujolais, and wines from Jura and Alsace. There is also a range of non-French choices.
L’Univerre
40-42 Rue Lecocq
Bar – Restaurant – Wine Shop
Bordeaux expert and Bordeaux City resident Jane Awson recommendation on twitter.
Decanter: L’Univerre Wine Shop opened in April 2014 by Olivier Beyre. The restaurant was already well known for its extensive wine list, but now the bottles are available to buy and take off-premises, with an excellent range from Bordeaux, the Rhône, Burgundy, Germany, Austria… you name it.
The Wine Cellar Insider: L’Univerre known for its extensive wine list of Grand Crus Class wines as well as traditional wines from smaller producers. A more recent arrival to the wine bar scene in Bordeaux, L’Univerre is the brainchild of Fabrice Moisan. His curated menu is short, with well-executed dishes of classic French comfort food paired with an extensive wine list (which is 62 pages long!). While most Bordeaux wine bars stick to Bordeaux, that is not the case here as you can also find wines from the Rhone valley, Burgundy, the Loire as well. In the cellar are older vintage Bordeaux that are priced to sell and Fabrice is open to queries about his other rare bottles.
L'Intendant
2 Allées deTourney
Wine Store
Not a wine bar., but an amazing wine store of 4 levels connected by a single spiral staircase, just next to the Grand Hotel. The collection includes over 15,000 bottles.
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Schiller’s Favorites
Here is a complete list of Schiller's Favorites:
Europe
Germany
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Schiller’s Favorite Wine Bars in Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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Schiller’s Favorite Wine Bars in Frankfurt am Main, 2013, Germany
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France
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Bars and other Wine Venues in Chablis, France
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Bars in Beaune, Bourgogne
Dinner at a Bouchon - Chez Paul - in Lyon: Schiller’s Favorite Bouchons in Lyon, France
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Schiller's Favorite Seafood Places in Bordeaux City, France
Schiller's Favorite Wine Bars in Bordeaux City, France, 2014
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Bars in St. Emilion, France
Schiller’s Favorite Restaurants, Brasseries, Bistros, Cafes and Wine Bars in Paris, 2012 France
Schiller's Favorite Wine Bars in Bordeaux (City) (2012), France
UK, Spain, Austria, Hungary
Schiller's Favorite Winebars in London, UK
Schiller’s Favorite Tapas Bars in Logroño in La Rioja, Spain
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Bars in London, 2012, UK
Schiller's Favorite Wine Bars and Other Wine Spots in Vienna, Austria
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USA
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Asia
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Africa
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