Where to drink well in Edinburgh by the glass and the bottle: natural, classical, and worth the cab fare.
Wine bars in Edinburgh. natural, classical, and the grower-focused rooms worth the cab fare.
Smith and Gertrude on Hamilton Place in Stockbridge Edinburgh, opened 2014, a 30-cover natural wine bar with a cheese-led food list and a vinyl record-changing.
Signature pour: Loire valley natural Sauvignon Blanc, by the glass
Wine focus: Low-intervention wines and cheese
Food: Cheese, charcuterie and seasonal small plates
Tip: BYO cheese policy from the deli next door at GBP 5 corkage on a Tuesday. Pours are 100ml or 175ml from a chalkboard list.
The Bon Vivant on Thistle Street in Edinburgh New Town, opened 2008 by Stuart McCluskey, a candlelit wine bar pouring small-producer European wines and serving.
Signature pour: Argentine Malbec from Mendoza, by the glass
Wine focus: European boutique producers
Food: Mediterranean small plates
Tip: By-the-glass list runs 24 deep; their adjacent Companion food bar and Hoot the Redeemer cocktail bar are part of the same group.
Toast on The Shore in Leith Edinburgh, opened 2019, a daytime-into-evening wine bar pouring biodynamic European producers beside open-fire-toasted sourdough.
Signature pour: Italian piquette by the glass
Wine focus: Natural and biodynamic wines
Food: Small plates, charcuterie and sourdough
Tip: Wine flights of three pours run a fixed list at GBP 18; lunchtime sandwiches double as a snack-with-wine programme.
Joe and Dan Worthington's wine bar on Dean Street in Stockbridge Edinburgh, opened 2015, a brother-run natural wine room with rotating snacks and a 30-deep.
Signature pour: Tasmanian Pinot Noir by the glass
Wine focus: Natural wines and growers' Champagne
Food: Cheese, charcuterie, daily snacks
Tip: Sunday is closed for the cellar audit; Tuesday is the new-wine night with growers' tastings every other month.
The Wine Pantry on St Stephen Street in Stockbridge Edinburgh, opened 2017, a retail-wine-shop-meets-bar pouring shop-bottle by-the-glass with a small.
Signature pour: Burgundy Chardonnay by the glass
Wine focus: Boutique European producers
Food: Tapas, charcuterie boards and cheese
Tip: Buy any bottle on the retail shelf and drink it in-house for a GBP 10 corkage; doubles as a value play for natural wine.
Vinatura on Bath Street in Portobello and Leith Edinburgh, opened 2022, a seaside natural wine bar with a daily-changing list of small-producer Italian, French.
Signature pour: Sicilian Catarratto by the glass
Wine focus: Natural and biodynamic wines
Food: Small plates and seasonal sharing dishes
Tip: Sunday and Tuesday closed for cellar work. Friday natural-wine flight at GBP 22 is the value play with cheese.
Stuart Ralston's Noto on Thistle Street in Edinburgh New Town, opened 2019, a Japanese small-plates dining room with a wine and sake list pairing modern.
Signature pour: Aged Junmai sake or Mount Etna red
Wine focus: Modern Italian and Japanese sake
Food: Japanese small plates
Tip: Counter seats look at the sushi pass; the wine list is short but unusually well-curated for sake pairing.
Scott Smith's Fhior on Broughton Street in Edinburgh, opened 2018, a tasting-menu room with one of the city's most-thought wine and non-alcoholic-pairing lists.
Signature pour: House non-alcoholic fermented pairing
Wine focus: Scottish-distilled and natural European wines
Food: Set tasting menu only
Tip: The non-alcoholic pairing of house-fermented juices is the best in Edinburgh and worth the cover charge alone.
Peak food season in Edinburgh is year-round.
Local dining hours: lunch around 12:30, dinner from 19:30.
service is typically included; small extra is welcome but not expected.
Ask the next local you meet what they would order. Edinburgh rewards trust.