City wine bars to try

For a while it seemed as if cocktails were the craze, but wine by the glass is making a comeback, and not just any old plonk.

Luxembourg city boasts a number of wine bars (there’s also a good one in Esch). Try bio, organic, chemical free wines, the latest vintage from new and younger estates, or rarer bottles from around the world, at these city wine bars.

If we've missed an out of town wine bar let us know and we'll add it to our list. 

Bar à Vin

This pint-sized bar has a very French feel complete with chequered table cloths and pretty floor tiles plus a prime location on rue des Capucins. Sommelier Pascal has worked at Luxembourg’s top restaurants, and won several international accolades. You can eat a three-course lunch, or lighter bites such as cheese and charcuterie platters, and even pick up a bottle to take home.

Glou

Just around the corner, taking over the former cat café, this wine bar serves “natural” wines grown without pesticides. It’s a small, intimate place, serving French, Italian, Spanish and German wines, and about 20 Luxembourgish offerings. There is rare wine, and orange wine, on the menu too. The brainchild of Lucas Ney, the biodynamic wines on offer are lower in calories and less likely to give you a hangover, precisely because they don’t contain any chemicals. You can sup them with an entrecote or a bread and cheese platter.

Flûte Alors

Not wine, but champagne, but who cares if you’ve just spent a small fortune in the designer boutiques – only the best will do. This Grand Rue establishment is fairly new, and has a small informal terrace. It’s run by Rodolphe Chevalier (of Vinoteca) and Agnès and Sébastien Rouillaux from Craft et Compagnie. There are some rarer bubbles and wines on the menu, but you can get a glass of Champagne Pierre Gerbais for €14. You can also tuck into a four-course vegetarian meal or just nibble on some sharing plates including oysters, caviar and foie gras. There is a selection of wine by the glass too.

Cafetin Buenos Aires

Designed like the beautiful cafes of Argentina’s capital, this place has an extensive wine menu, and an exposed wood and stone interior, plus a lovely terrace, complete with ivy-covered walls bearing hanging pots of flowers. You can try a host of different South American wines, including several Malbecs. Located in the old town, it serves Argentinian and Luxembourgish dishes.

Vins Fins

There is something cute about the wooden tables and school chairs at this cosy wine bar located on rue Münster. Offering organic and biodynamic wines, and regional food, it is the place to go for a glass and a local sausage. It also offers platters, snails and other nibbles, and if you like the wine you’ve tasted, you can buy a bottle to take home. At certain events you can also meet the winemaker, if your fascination runs deeper than just tasting.

Pas Sage

Snug, with a dark wood interior, this Grand Rue wine bar wouldn’t look out of place on a side street in Barcelona. It’s a seafood bar, serving crab, octopus, and sardines, and specialises in Spanish wines, but you can get plenty of Luxembourgish wines, and the delicious Crémant from Alice Hartmann, plus a huge array of French wines. Bottles line the walls like a bookshop, so you can browse wines to take home.

Dipso

Calling itself a wine republic, and located in a lovely old building, the interior is perfect for a first date (or a second or third) whilst the summer terrace area is a great spot for people watching on a sunny Sunday. It’s also a good place to catch some live music. Pizza and tarte flambee will soak up the alcohol, or you can try a cheese platter or Japanese Gyoza.

Vinoteca

This is probably Luxembourg’s longest established wine bar, located on rue Wiltheim in historic thousand-year-old stone cellars, for that authentic feel, although it also has a nice summer terrace with stunning views of Kirchberg. Run by award-winning sommelier Rodolphe Chevalier, you can sample about 20 wines by the glass in all price categories, with wines originating from all over the world. Cheese and charcuterie platters are also available.

Wine House

Located on rue Chimay, this bar does what is says, and offers wine and cheese, with sommelier Christophe Menon always willing to give you a helping hand in your selection. His love for Burgundy can be seen from the list of wines on offer, but there are plenty of other choices, including selections of the season. You can wash it down with cheese, charcuterie, or a plate of roasted quail’s legs.

La Réserve

Tapas meets wine bar, tucked away on a corner of Avenue Pasteur, with some out-of-this-world croquettes and a tasty octopus salad, there are only a few seats so it is probably best to "reserve" a space if you want to be sure of one. A great selection of European wines, and staff are more than willing to recommend you one from the board.

Barrels

Around the corner and opposite Glacis this wine and tapas bar is a popular after-work destination. Sommelier Sebastien carefully chooses a unique selection of wines each month, with options hailing from Europe, South America, South Africa, and Australia. Tapas includes croquettes, chorizo, grilled peppers or baked camembert, although if you’re feeling hungry you can tuck into Chateaubriand for two.

Come  à la Cave

More than 750 wines from across the world, and if you prefer beer, then there are 120 craft varieties, plus champagne and gin. A good selection of wines from Italy, France, and Luxembourg, available by the glass, and prosecco, champagne and crémant. You can tuck into pizza or burgers, but if the wine is the main attraction, try the sharing plate with Italian cheeses with truffle, or the fish platter with octopus, carpaccio and smoked salmon. Velvet sofas and eclectic décor inside, and a nice green and shady terrace for summer outside.

Wine Not

Head to Merl for the latest adventure with Cocottes, located on Place Joseph Thorn, with a nice terrace for summer supping. Inside the simple décor of wooden benches with cushions and stools give it a laid back feel. Food is paired with wine to make your choices easier, and you can tuck into a cheese platter with a glass of Côte du Rhône, or local goats cheese on toast with a Luxembourgish Riesling. Wine by the glass is also on offer.

De la Vigne au Verre

Gasperich-based wine bar offering European wines from young estates. Luca, the owner, takes pride in suggesting wines, and knows his grapes. There is tapas, from cheese boards to meat plates, and a seasonal focus on wine from specific countries - from Greece to Luxembourg via Italy, Germany and France. The soft furnished chairs and wooden tables are surrounded by shelves of produce – not just wine, but oils and canned specialities.

Drupi’s – Esch-sur Alzette

This centrally located wine bar is the right place for a romantic assignation or a business discussion over a glass or two. A wooden theme, with low lighting and tables spaced far apart so no one can hear your conversation. This is the place to sample Italian wines, with a selection of cheeses, charcuterie or carpaccio. 

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