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Wine BarCity Bowl
Culture Wine Bar on Bree Street in Cape Town pours South African cult bottlings, natural wines and imports from France to Australia, with weekend live jazz.
PourA sommelier-led flight pairing a South African natural wine against an international counterpart.
WineA wall of South African cult bottlings and small-grower natural wines alongside special imports from France and Australia.
FoodSnacky bits from chef Matt Manning: charcuterie, cheese boards, a prawn po'boy and a signature croque monsieur.
TipGo at the weekend for the live jazz, and book a booth ahead; the R150 a head deposit comes off the final bill.
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Wine BarTamboerskloof
Publik Wine Bar on Kloof Nek Road pours independent, small-producer Cape wines with no reservations taken, a Tamboerskloof wine fixture in Cape Town.
PourA by the glass list of lesser known Cape growers that changes regularly
WineIndependent, small-producer South African wines chosen for character rather than label recognition.
FoodA short snacking menu built to sit alongside the glass, not compete with it.
TipNo phone and no bookings, so arrive early on a Friday if you want a seat at the counter.
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Wine BarCity Bowl
Tannin on Bree Street stocks 430 purely South African wine labels across three floors, one of the most serious new wine rooms in Cape Town today.
PourA glass from the rotating South African by-the-glass list, chosen fresh each week.
WinePurely South African, with 430 labels on the list and around 40 poured by the glass.
FoodSeasonal small plates and platters that change with what is available.
TipThe ground-floor bar is first come, first served, but the first-floor restaurant needs a booking.
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Wine BarCity Bowl
Leo's Wine Bar shares a Bree Street room with a daytime bagel shop, then pours low intervention and natural wines after dark in central Cape Town.
PourA natural wine by the glass from a small, specialised producer
WineLow-intervention wines from small, specialised producers, with natural wine always on the list.
FoodLight bar snacks nightly, plus midweek pop-up chefs who take over the kitchen.
TipIt is Max Bagels by day and Leo's by night, so the wine list only starts at 5pm.
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Wine BarGardens
Judd's Local on Kloof Street runs a free wine tasting every Tuesday evening alongside its kitchen menu, a Gardens neighbourhood room in Cape Town.
PourWhatever is poured at the free Tuesday evening tasting, usually a small Cape producer.
WineA quality-first wine list on Kloof Street, with a standing Tuesday tasting slot.
FoodAn all day restaurant menu from 08:30, served alongside the wine shop list
TipTurn up for the free Tuesday tasting between 6pm and 9pm if you want to try before you commit to a bottle.
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Wine BarCity Bowl
Lunacy on Harrington Street pours a mostly local wine list with small sharing plates in a relaxed dive bar setting, an East City spot in Cape Town.
PourA glass from the mostly-local list, picked by whoever is behind the bar that night.
WineA mostly local wine list with a little international flare, run as a wine dive rather than a formal cellar.
FoodSeasonal small plates for sharing, from cold starters to oxtail gnocchi and grilled prawns.
TipBook a seat online for the seasonal small plates, from oxtail gnocchi to grilled prawns, with the mostly local list.
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Wine BarV&a Waterfront
Cultivar Wine Bar inside Time Out Market pours sommelier led flights of South African terroir, a boutique V&A Waterfront wine stop in Cape Town.
PourA sommelier led tasting flight across South African regions such as Stellenbosch and Swartland
WineA boutique, sommelier-led South African list inside Time Out Market, with terroir flights across Stellenbosch and Swartland.
FoodNo kitchen of its own; pair a glass with any of the market's food stalls.
TipIt has no kitchen, so order from any Time Out Market stall; the market trades to 23:00 from Thursday to Saturday.
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Wine BarNoordhoek
Furny's Fine Wines and Taste Room pours over 70 wines by the glass beneath milkwood trees, a family run wine find in Noordhoek, near Cape Town.
PourWhatever is on the Friday complimentary tasting, drawn from the 400-bottle shop list.
WineOver 70 wines by the glass and 400 bottles to buy from the attached shop, family run beneath the milkwood trees.
FoodShared platters, cheese and charcuterie, plus a deli counter of local produce.
TipCome for the free Friday tasting from 4:30pm, and bring the family, they welcome children and dogs outdoors.
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Wine BarConstantia
Buitenverwachting pours a five wine tasting for R150 in its thatched, 250 year old cellar on a historic Constantia farm, a short drive from central Cape Town.
PourA five wine tasting for R150, chosen from the estate's current list
WineA Constantia estate list running from Sauvignon Blanc and Hussey's Vlei to the Maximus red and a Brut Rose.
FoodCharcuterie platters with fresh baguettes at the tasting centre; Beyond Restaurant on the same farm covers full meals.
TipThe Double Cab is poured for tasting only on Fridays and Saturdays, so time a visit for those days to include it.
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Wine BarConstantia
Steenberg's tasting room pours a benchmark cool climate Sauvignon Blanc flight on its Constantia estate, a short drive from central Cape Town.
PourA glass from the Sauvignon Blanc collection, the variety the estate is best known for
WineA global benchmark for cool-climate Sauvignon Blanc, tasted through a dedicated varietal flight and the small-batch Canvas Collection.
FoodNo kitchen at the tasting bar; Bistro Sixteen82 on the same estate covers meals.
TipBook ahead, since the tasting room takes no walk-ins, and bring a card, because the estate is a cashless facility.
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Wine BarNewlands
Wine Concepts Newlands pours free tastings six days a week behind its retail counter in the Cardiff Castle building, a Cape Town specialist wine shop.
PourWhichever bottle is open at the daily free tasting counter that week.
WineA specialist wine, beer and spirits shop in the Cardiff Castle building with a standing free tasting counter.
FoodRetail only, no kitchen; tastings are poured alongside the shop shelves.
TipTastings run on weekdays from 16:00 to 19:00 and on Saturdays from 12:00 to 15:00, so time a visit to that window.
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Wine BarConstantia
Groot Constantia's tasting room pours from South Africa's oldest wine estate, in the historic Constantia valley a short scenic drive from Cape Town.
PourThe Grand Constance dessert wine, a revival of the estate's 18th century original.
WineSouth Africa's oldest wine estate, pouring its Sauvignon Blanc, Pinotage and dessert Grand Constance in the Cloete Cellar and Manor House.
FoodNo kitchen at the tasting counter; Jonkershuis and Simon's restaurants sit on the same estate.
TipBuy the Visitors Route Experience ticket, which adds the Manor House Museum and Cloete Cellar to a five wine tasting.
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Wine BarConstantia
Klein Constantia's tasting room pours the revived Vin de Constance dessert wine on its historic Constantia estate, a drive from central Cape Town.
PourVin de Constance, tasted vertically across three vintages.
WineHome of the revived Vin de Constance dessert wine, poured with the estate's own Klein Constantia range.
FoodTastings only for now; the estate Bistro is closed for renovations until the end of October.
TipBook ahead, since capacity is small; the Vin de Constance Experience, a vertical of three vintages, costs R1000 a head.
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Wine BarConstantia
Constantia Glen's tasting room pours Bordeaux style estate wines with sweeping mountain views, a boutique Constantia stop near Cape Town city.
PourThe estate's flagship Bordeaux-style red blend, tasted on the terrace.
WineA boutique high-altitude estate pouring Bordeaux-style whites and reds with sweeping mountain views.
FoodA food menu for lunch or an early dinner, with lighter dishes to pair with the five wine tastings on offer.
TipSit on the terrace for the mountain view, and go Friday or Saturday when the tasting room stays open into the evening.
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Wine BarCity Bowl
Openwine on Wale Street, opened by an Italian family in 2016, pours small batch South African wines from weekly specials in Cape Town's first enoteca.
PourWhichever small batch South African bottle leads that week's specials
WineBilled as Cape Town's first enoteca, stocking small batch South African labels with no fixed list, only weekly specials.
FoodA short food menu to go with the wine, alongside a Sunday house band and jam session.
TipGo on a Sunday for the house band's improvised set and the jam session with visiting musicians that follows it.
