Where to drink well in San Antonio by the glass and the bottle: natural, classical, and worth the cab fare.
Wine bars in San Antonio. natural, classical, and the grower-focused rooms worth the cab fare.
High Street Wine Co. at the Pearl is both shop and bar, pouring Old World and natural growers by the glass; buy a bottle to drink in with the cheese board.
Signature pour: Rotating European growers by the glass
Wine focus: Old World and natural growers, broad by-the-glass list
Food: Cheese, charcuterie, and small plates
Tip: It is a shop and a bar, so buy a bottle to drink in for a small corkage. The cheese board is the food order.
Little Death brought a bawdy, fun-first wine bar to the St Mary's strip, pouring affordable natural and lesser-known wines by the glass alongside oysters.
Signature pour: By-the-glass natural pours at a fair price
Wine focus: Approachable natural and lesser-known wines
Food: Oysters and snacks
Tip: Wine is kept affordable by the glass and bottle. The oysters are the snack to pair; it gets lively late.
Zinc Bistro & Wine Bar sits in a historic downtown building steps from the River Walk, with a cellar of more than 4,000 bottles and a candle-lit courtyard.
Signature pour: Something off the deep international list
Wine focus: Global cellar of over 4,000 bottles
Food: Bistro plates and shared boards
Tip: The courtyard is the seat to want at night. Ask the staff to steer you through the very deep list.
King William Wine Co. in Southtown is a shop and bar in one; browse the retail wall and open whatever catches your eye, a relaxed alternative to a restaurant.
Signature pour: A by-the-glass discovery from the shop wall
Wine focus: Curated bottles with a retail shop
Food: Cheese and small plates
Tip: Browse the retail wall and open whatever catches your eye in the bar. A relaxed Southtown alternative to a full restaurant.
Copa Wine Bar & Tasting Room is the best wine option in the Stone Oak suburbs, where self-serve tasting machines let you build a flight across rare vintages.
Signature pour: A flight from the tasting machines
Wine focus: Easy-drinking wines plus rare vintages
Food: Tapas and shared plates
Tip: The self-serve tasting machines let you build your own flight. The best wine bar option in the Stone Oak suburbs.
Postino brought its Arizona-born wine-cafe model to Broadway, with an accessible by-the-glass list and bruschetta boards in a converted industrial space.
Signature pour: A glass with the famous bruschetta board
Wine focus: Accessible wines by the glass
Food: Bruschetta boards and shared plates
Tip: The bruschetta board and a glass of wine is the deal, especially on the early-evening happy hour.
Anne's Wine Bar is an intimate downtown room east of the core, pouring a boutique-leaning list with cheese and charcuterie, part of the city's recent wine wave.
Signature pour: A boutique glass off the staff's recommendation
Wine focus: Boutique wines in a downtown room
Food: Cheese and charcuterie
Tip: Small and personal; lean on the staff to pour you something new. Cheese and charcuterie are the food to order.
Vino Grotta opened in the far Northwest near Cross Mountain to give that part of the city a proper wine bar, with a broad list and small plates; book on Resy.
Signature pour: A glass from the rotating list
Wine focus: Northwest-side wine bar with a broad list
Food: Small plates and cheese
Tip: A genuine wine bar in a part of town that lacked one. Book a table on Resy for a weekend evening.
Bar Loretta in King William is a restaurant and bar in one where wine pairs with modern Texas plates; the happy hour is the value entry, with bottles to go.
Signature pour: A glass to pair with the Texas-inspired plates
Wine focus: Choice wines with proper cocktails
Food: Modern Texas cuisine
Tip: It is a restaurant and bar in one; the happy hour is the value entry. The adjoining market sells bottles to go.
Stella Public House in the Blue Star complex pairs a curated international wine list and 20 rotating taps with Neapolitan pizza, a relaxed Southtown room.
Signature pour: A glass to drink with the wood-fired pizza
Wine focus: Internationally curated by-the-glass list
Food: Neapolitan pizza and Italian plates
Tip: The wood-fired pizza and a glass off the international list is the move. The patio overlooks the Blue Star complex.
Sternewirth, the bar inside Hotel Emma at the Pearl, pours wine and cocktails beneath the old brewery's restored cast-iron tanks in a striking room.
Signature pour: A glass under the brewhouse tanks
Wine focus: Wine and cocktails in a historic brewhouse
Food: Bar snacks
Tip: Go for the room as much as the wine; the converted brewhouse is spectacular. Snacks come from the Emma kitchen.
Tre Trattoria downtown pairs a Tuscan-leaning Italian list with its pastas, where happy hour is an easy way in for a glass and a snack before a fuller meal.
Signature pour: A Tuscan red with the pastas
Wine focus: Italian-leaning list with Tuscan focus
Food: Tuscan-Texas Italian plates
Tip: The Italian list pairs naturally with the pastas. Happy hour is a good way in for a glass and a snack.
Decanter is the wine lounge inside the historic St Anthony Hotel downtown, a polished room for a glass and a charcuterie board in one of the city's grand hotels.
Signature pour: A glass in the historic hotel lounge
Wine focus: Wine bar at the St Anthony Hotel
Food: Light bites and charcuterie
Tip: The historic hotel setting is the draw. A civilised stop for a glass before dinner in the heart of downtown.
Hola! at the entrance to Southtown is a Spanish tapas bar with a wine list to match, with a patio looking out to the Tower of the Americas and Hemisfair.
Signature pour: A Tempranillo with the patio tapas
Wine focus: Spanish-leaning by-the-glass and bottle list
Food: Spanish tapas and small plates
Tip: Order a spread of tapas with a glass off the Spanish-leaning list. The patio with the Tower of the Americas view is the seat to want.