Where to drink well in Ghent by the glass and the bottle: natural, classical, and worth the cab fare.
Wine bars in Ghent. natural, classical, and the grower-focused rooms worth the cab fare.
Edelrot is a natural wine bar and bottle shop next to the Belfort tower, focusing on low-intervention, natural-process and skin-contact wines by the glass.
Wine focus: Natural wines, wild beers, artisanal non-alcoholic
Order: Ask the bar team to pour a glass from the current natural skin-contact white: the house selections change.
Tip: Open from 15:00 Tuesday to Saturday; the bottle shop inside allows you to buy what you tried. Prices are honest for natural wine.
ONA is a wine bar near the Kouter square with a carefully curated list of authentic European wines from smaller producers. The format is intimate: a few bar.
Wine focus: Artisanal European wines, smaller producers
Order: Ask for a producer flight: three glasses from one region, poured side by side to show terroir differences.
Tip: Open Wednesday to Sunday from 16:00; the Sunday noon opening makes it an unusual afternoon wine destination.
Chubby Cheeks is a convivial natural wine bar where interesting small-plate dishes are designed to match unusual bottles. The card runs from funky orange.
Wine focus: Natural wines and small plates
Order: Natural orange wine by the glass with a small cheese plate: the house pours rotate weekly.
Tip: A Gault and Millau HIP pick; the menu changes frequently so the best visit is a return one.
Bar Terroir sits steps from the vegetable market square, sourcing wines from small estates and pairing them with artisan cheeses and charcuterie plates.
Wine focus: Small-estate grower wines and artisan cheese
Order: Cheese plate with a Loire valley white: the bar curates the pairings and they rarely disappoint.
Tip: The private room with a Ghent towers view seats up to 15; book it for a wine dinner group.
Vinogradoff is a wine shop and bar specialising in natural and biodynamic wines from Eastern Europe: Georgia, Bulgaria, Slovenia and Czech Republic alongside.
Wine focus: Eastern European and natural wines
Order: Georgian amber wine in a traditional qvevri style: skin-fermented, oxidative and unlike any European.
Tip: Shop-bar hybrid; most visits start with the staff recommending a region and end with buying a bottle home.
Win is a compact natural wine bar on Burgstraat near the Gravensteen castle, with a weekend brunch menu and an afternoon coffee service in a renovated room.
Wine focus: Natural wine and brunch cafe
Order: Afternoon glass of the current house natural red with home-made madeleines: the most Ghentian pre-dinner.
Tip: Open Wednesday to Saturday from 10:00; the brunch format on weekends is popular, book ahead.
Hey Frankie is a neighbourhood wine bar open Fridays to Sundays near Vrijdagmarkt. The list is natural-wine focused: growers who farm without pesticides.
Wine focus: Natural wine and wine shop
Order: Weekend natural wine pairing glass with bar snacks: the team selects from what arrived that week.
Tip: Open only three days a week; the Friday evening slot before a Vrijdagmarkt dinner is the sweet spot.
Allegro Moderato has one of the few wine terraces in Ghent with direct views of the medieval guild houses, focusing on Belgian and French grower wines.
Wine focus: Belgian and French wines with canal views
Order: Belgian natural wine by the glass with oysters: the Korenlei terrace turns this into a postcard.
Tip: The terrace fills fast on summer evenings; book a table and stay for dinner to hold it.
Volta's wine list is one of the most ambitious in Ghent, matching modern Belgian cooking with grower wines from across Europe in a converted turbine hall.
Wine focus: Modern European wines at a fine restaurant
Order: Ask the sommelier for the glass of the day: the team changes the by-the-glass selection nightly.
Tip: Walk-in seats at the bar are easier to get than a table booking; the park setting adds to the atmosphere.
Roots is a farm-to-table Patershol bistro that treats its natural wine list as seriously as its food. The optional wine pairing for the tasting menu brings.
Wine focus: Natural wine pairing at farm-to-table bistro
Order: Wine pairing with the seasonal menu: four to five small pours matched by the kitchen to each course.
Tip: One of the best-value wine pairings in Ghent; the pairing adds around €25 to a €45 tasting menu.
Steendam 66 runs a wine lounge attached to its Gault and Millau-listed bistro. The by-the-glass selection pairs with the short, seasonal lunch menu.
Wine focus: Creative wine pairings at a fine-dining lounge
Order: Lunch wine pairing: two or three glasses matched to the daily menu, with commentary from the team.
Tip: The lounge bar is easier to access than the dining room without a reservation.