Wine bars in Kyoto. natural, classical, and the grower-focused rooms worth the cab fare.

Where to drink wine

Yoramu Sake Bar ★ 4.6

karasuma-kawaramachiWed-Sat 18:00-24:00. Closed Sun-Tue

Israeli-born Yoram Ofer's koshu sake bar in a Nakagyo machiya in Kyoto. The most-cited aged-sake list in the country, served at a six-seat counter.

Signature pour: Five-glass koshu flight

Wine focus: Aged sake (koshu) and growers' sake

Food: Snack-only sake pairings

Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 604-0831, Japan

Sake Bar Yoramu ★ 4.4

nakagyoWed-Sat 18:00-24:00, closed Sun-Tue

Yoramu in Nakagyo in Kyoto is Yoram Ofer's eight-seat aged-sake counter, koshu flights from across Japan, small Israeli-Japanese plates, a hidden alley find.

Signature pour: Three-koshu tasting flight

Wine focus: Aged sake (koshu) and small-batch nihonshu

Food: Small Japanese plates

Tip: Reserve by phone; the koshu flight changes weekly. Closed Sunday through Tuesday.

Matsuyacho 35-1, Nijo-dori, Higashinotoin Higashi-iru, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 604-0831, Japan

Komorebino Natural Wine Bar ★ 4.5

gionDaily 17:00-23:00

Komorebino in Gion's Hanami Kaikan pours 200 carefully chosen natural wines from Japan, France and Italy with a list rotating to 24 seasonal Japanese terms.

Signature pour: House-curated Japanese pet-nat or Loire Chenin by the glass

Wine focus: 200 natural wines from Japan, France and Italy rotating to 24 solar terms

Food: Small plates pairing with seasonal Japanese ingredients

Tip: Counter seating with the sommelier is the only way to taste the off-list Japanese bottles; reserve a week ahead.

123 Tominagacho, Higashiyama-ku, Hanami Kaikan 1F, Kyoto 605-0078
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