Bar Francine, West End: Treading the tightrope between neighbourhood bar and full-on dining destination, Bar Francine ranks as one of Brisbane’s best wine bars thanks to its jaw-dropping array of vino. Bar manager Chris Bancroft has devised a beverage program anchored by a lengthy list of all-Australian, small-producer vino, which is backed by nostalgia-inducing cocktails and old-school tinnies. Special mention must be made to chef Brad Cooper, who is turning out a Euro-leaning array of dishes that favour vegetables and seafood.

South City Wine, Woolloongabba: The closest thing you’ll get to a Parisian wine bar in Brisbane, South City Wine serves Euro-chic vibes and a drool-worthy menu to match. This evocation of the cosy caves à manger of France comes complete with a classically elegant, Parisian-inspired aesthetic, shelves of wine housing almost 200 labels sourced from all over the world, and a menu featuring French eats like charcuterie and artisanal cheese, escargot à la Bourguignonne with garlic butter, venison tartare, and 300-g sirloin on the bone with frites and estragon butter.

Wineism, Albion: Part high-end bottle shop, part sophisticated wine bar, Wineism is a sleek and sophisticated resource beloved by wine lovers. Owned and operated by celebrated sommelier Ian Trinkle, Wineism stocks more than 700 labels, with Ian procuring everything from small artisanal producers through to big international names. At in-house bar you can sip your wine purchase (or a small rotating selection of wines by the glass), while snacking on bites such as cheese, charcuterie and anchovies on toast.

Maeve Wine, South Brisbane: Located a stone’s throw from South Bank’s cultural precinct, Maeve Wine is the perfect location to enjoy a glass or two before a show or exhibition launch. The selection here leans towards smaller producers and less conventional, minimal-intervention drops. Wines are available by the glass or bottle and those looking for a more serious sip can look to the Coravin and reserve list to find some incredibly rare bottles, predominantly from Burgundy and Bordeaux, but with a splattering of old Australian and Italian producers, too.

Snack Man, Fortitude Valley: If you’re craving intricate and delectable Chinese morsels and top-shelf European wines, Snack Man is the bar of your dreams. This chic space specialises in bottles you can’t find anywhere else, importing never-before-seen drops from natural and emerging winemakers and regions across the globe. The ever-changing selection features around 200 bottles to choose from, while a list of wine-wall highlights is perfect for wine novices keen to sample some recommended options.

Noir, Paddington: Every Friday and Saturday night, Given Terrace wine bar Noir rapidly fills with vino-seeking locals. It’s a testament to the community-oriented venue’s low-key atmosphere and cracking selection of wine (an ever-changing list showcasing harder to find varieties with a lean towards minimal-intervention processes) that Noir is perpetually busy. Rock up early to make sure you snag a seat!

Cordeaux Social Club, West End: Cordeaux Social Club opens early for sandwiches and coffee, sure – but at night the space comes alive as an after-dark bar with a concise-but-considered wine list and head chef Ben Chow’s snack-heavy food offering. Order a serve of whipped bottarga with rustic, hand-cut fries alongside wine from the likes of Hughes and Hughes, Mac Forbes, Eclectic Violet, Sven Joschke.

NIKY, Newstead: Like it’s coffee-slinging sibling Salt., NIKY is all about quality – but instead of specialty grade caffeine, it’s natural wine. Owners Zac Lazerac and Nicole Black opened NIKY as a way to further the cause of Australian natural vino. The shelf-like sconces in the pink-hued curved textured-concrete wall are filled with bottles of different sizes and colours, all filled with new age, natural and nectarous drops from an assortment of producers. Guests can gather around the large Microcement-topped table in the centre and catch up animatedly over a glass or bottle, while nibbling on a rotating menu of snacks from head chef Jianne Jeoung.

La Lune Wine Co, South Brisbane: Hospitality figure Paul McGivern is a die-hard wine lover, and his passion shines bright at his Fish Lane cave à vin La Lune Wine Co. The wine list is seriously lengthy, and includes incredible drops from Australia and further abroad. Old-world wines from Bourgogne in France and Tuscany in Italy share rack space with obscure reds from Greece, premier champagne from Champagne and cutting-edge Australian up-and-comers.

Adelita Wine Bar, Wynnum: This emerald-green beauty brought a touch of the inner-city to the Wynnum esplanade in 2022, wowing locals with a beverage list that traverses new-wave Australian wines and out-of-the-box cocktails that play with sweet and savoury flavour profiles. In the kitchen, head chef Lauren Kinne is turning out plates of outstanding snacks and mains – everything you need to enjoy a breezy afternoon by the bay.

City Winery, Fortitude Valley: This institution is the closest you can get to sampling from the source without trekking to wine country. Here, the City Winery team sources small parcels of quality grapes from some of the finest growing regions in Australia (think McLaren Vale, the Barossa Valley and Langhorne Creek), juices the fruit and then brings the liquid back here for on-site treatment and barrel process. What results is a range of world-class minimal-intervention drops – all crafted to complement Queensland’s climate.

Ardo’s, Newstead: The City Winery crew aren’t content with having one outpost for oenophiles to frequent. Ardo’s, a wine bar and bottle shop concept in Newstead, is serving wines from Australian and international makers, available to take away or enjoy on site. It also doubles as a micro cellar door for City Winery wines, with guests able to book in for a wine tasting or one of the signature City Winery experiences

Dark Red, Fortitude Valley: A dive bar that does wine. That’s one way to describe hole-in-the-wall vino spot Dark Red, which pairs its cosy, slightly grungy aesthetic with a killer range of Italian varietals. Options range from crushable, great-value drops to high-end sips dispensed by Coravin, with the range also boasting a discernible focus on female winemakers.

Barrels & Stills, Woolloongabba: Described as part lifestyle store and part wine and whisky bar, Barrels & Stills is a great emporium for those looking to pick up something nice to take home as well as a sit-in sipping spot featuring shelves of top-tier vino. With a wine list that encompasses pet nats, lo-fi whites and reds, fortified wines and dessert wines, it’s safe to say that Barrels & Stills has a range suited to every taste.

After Dark Wine, Newstead: Masters St. Coffee is a cosy caffeinery by day, but when the sun dips the space transforms into After Dark Wine – a community-focused wine bar that packs a lot of primo plonk into a tight menu. The range showcase a diverse array of expressions – think boundary-pushing new-wave wines and traditional old-world drops from both Australian and international producers. After Dark Wine is dog friendly, so bring your furry friend on your next visit.

Wineology, Brisbane City: Wineology is a new-age wine bar, bottle shop and tapas spot that looks to cater to those interested in learning more about wine, not just drinking it. It’s doing this with banks of enomatic wine-dispensing machines, which pour tasters of 96 wines from Australia and abroad, giving guests the chance to sample a wide range of vino before committing to a drop.

The Old Seven, Camp Hill: Boasting an intimate atmosphere, passionate staff and a killer list of libations, Camp Hill’s wine maison The Old Seven is a worthy entrant on this list. The 100-strong wine assortment features varietals from Australia, France, Italy and Spain, with 22 wines available by the glass alongside a small cocktail list and menu of epicurean delights.

Alba Bar and Deli, Brisbane City: While you can certainly get much more than just wine at this Burnett Lane hideaway, you’d be foolish to not cast a glance at the range available at this new-school wine-diner. This Basque-inspired hotspot is perfect for cocadillos and conservas, paired with a delightful sherry, glass of pet nat, disco grenache or dry sparkling txakoli.

Cru Bar + Cellar, Fortitude Valley: Wine lists don’t get more extensive that the dossier handed to diners at Cru Bar + Cellar. Wine buffs will get a kick out of flipping madly through pages of pages of wines, but even novices can find some plonk that’ll suit palate and price point. Cru Bar has a Coravin system that allows staff to access wines with the use of a specialised needle – penetrating the cork without the wine ever coming into contact with oxygen. Found a drop you want to add to your home collection? Cru Bar’s on-site bottle shop has a mammoth range to choose from.

Wine & Larder Bistro, Ashgrove: While we’re pretty sure Ashgrove locals would prefer the existence of Wine & Larder Bistro to remain secret, a wine list this good can’t stay secret for long. Owned and operated by Mark Whitaker (an accomplished sommelier) and his partner Leah Shelton, Wine & Larder’s offering is ambitious and fun – deftly negotiating a balance between traditional sips and experimental varieties. More than 25 wines are available by the glass, encompassing Australian and international drops (including a few from Mark’s favourite region, Beaujolais) as well as some high-end sips served via Coravin.

Mr Chester Wine Bar, Fortitude Valley: Kicking off our list is one of Brisbane’s first (and best) New World-centric wine bars. The team at Mr Chester Wine Bar prefers to champion smaller boutique producers, digging deep into the story behind each glass and understanding the terroir of its origin. The wine list is curated by an in-house sommelier, taking in everything including Tasmanian sparklings, whites from Adelaide Hills and juicy reds from Swan Valley.

Adela Wine Bar, Albion: Adela is not only making it easier to source curious wines, but also learn a bit more about them. The cosy wine bar boasts 150-strong selection of bottles from an assortment of makers, each with a sensational story behind, them available alongside Euro-inspired food made with fine-dining flair.

Wine Experience Bar, Paddington: Drinking amazing wine doesn’t have to be a snooty experience – which is where this European-inspired spot comes in. The team here is behind the eponymous Wine Experience cellar that stocks some of Brisbane’s best drops, and their mission is to deliver a quality experience for every wine lover’s budget. You can sip on some cutting-edge drops and snack on bites like cheese and charcuterie, all while learning a little more about the wine around you.

Baedeker, Fortitude Valley: Those that prefer old-world decor should make tracks for brick-and-leather heavy wine bar Baedeker. The wine list here is chock-full of glug-able wines from around the world – we’re talking drops from the Barossa Valley, Queensland’s Granite Belt, the Adelaide Hills, Margaret River, Martinborough in New Zealand, Mendoza in Argentina, Piemonte in Italy and Duoro in Spain.

Proud Henry Wine Bar and Ginoteca, Fortitude Valley: Fans of gin already count Proud Henry amongst their most-beloved haunts, but the crew behind this bar has two loves – the other being wine, of course. The shelves at Proud Henry hold a huge range of natural, organic and bio-dynamic small-batch wines from across Australia. The bar’s merchant licence allows guests to taste wine from any one of a number of wineries as part of the Urban Cellar Door experience, and you can purchase a bottle to take home or enjoy at one of The Valley’s BYO-friendly restaurants.

Clapham Juntion Wine Bar Provisions, Banyo: Brisbane’s north is home to a charming wine bar and charcuterie joint that looks to expand the tastes and experiences of locals. Clapham Junction stocks a mixture of boutique drops that will be slightly unfamiliar to some, yet enticing all the same. Sample aglianicos, tempranillos, barolos and vermentinos while snacking on lavish charcuterie and cheese boards.

Arcade Wine, Ashgrove: Tucked away down Sugar Cane Lane off Waterworks Road is Arcade Wine, a charming and cosy 24-seat wine bar and bottle shop that specialises in wines that boast Italian roots. Described by owner Danilo Duseli as an enoteca (a term used to for a wine repository or local vino shop in Italy), Arcade Wine lives up to the designation by stocking 127 bespoke labels (with between 40 to 50 of these available by the glass) encompassing regions such as Tuscany, Sicily, Puglia, Lombardy and Piedmont, as well as some French and Queensland labels. The offering is ever-changing as stocks are depleted and replenished, ensuring there is always something new to try each visit.

Grape Therapy, Brisbane City: With a name like Grape Therapy, you can hazard a guess as to what’s on offer. If you assumed lots of good wine, you are correct! The wine list here is chock-full of hard-to-find vintages and small-batch boutique wonders, with drops sourced from some of the world’s best growing regions. The wine list scored Two Glasses at the Australia’s Wine List of the Year Awards 2019 – a testament to the quality of the selection.

Honourable mentions: A bunch of Brisbane cafes are moonlighting as wine bars in the evening, including Priorities in Alderley, Gastown in Ashgrove, Hoo Ha Bar in South Brisbane and Josie North in Toowong.

Brisbane’s best wine lists: While the above locales are great spots for a casual sip, there’s a lot of great wine to be found at Brisbane’s top restaurants, many of which boast phenomenal wine lists of their own. If you want a comprehensive wine-and-dine experience, check out OTTO Ristorante, 1889 Enoteca, Blackbird Bar & Grill, e’cco Bistro, Greenglass, Bacchus, sAme sAme, Mosconi, La Cache à Vín, La Lupa, Gauge and Happy Boy.

Be sure to check out our list of Brisbane’s ten best bars, the best breweries in town, and the best cocktails spots in Brisbane.