Wine bar$$$pearlMon-Thu 15:00-00:00, Fri-Sat 12:00-02:00, Sun 12:00-00:00
Sternewirth, the bar inside Hotel Emma at the Pearl, pours wine and cocktails beneath the old brewery's restored cast-iron tanks in a striking room.
Signature pour: A glass under the brewhouse tanks
Wine focus: Wine and cocktails in a historic brewhouse
Food: Bar snacks
Tip: Go for the room as much as the wine; the converted brewhouse is spectacular. Snacks come from the Emma kitchen.
Wine bar$$$downtownTue-Thu 11:00-21:00, Fri-Sat 11:00-22:00, Sun 11:00-21:00, Mon Closed
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.
Wine bar$$$southtownMon-Thu 16:00-21:30, Fri-Sat 16:00-23:00, Sun Closed
Hola! at the entrance to Southtown is a Spanish tapas bar with a wine list to match, with a patio looking out to the Tower of the Americas and Hemisfair.
Signature pour: A Tempranillo with the patio tapas
Wine focus: Spanish-leaning by-the-glass and bottle list
Food: Spanish tapas and small plates
Tip: Order a spread of tapas with a glass off the Spanish-leaning list. The patio with the Tower of the Americas view is the seat to want.
Wine bar$$$pearlSun-Thu 13:00-22:00, Fri-Sat 13:00-23:00
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.
Wine bar$$$st-marys-stripSun-Thu 13:00-23:00, Fri-Sat 13:00-00:00
Little Death brought a bawdy, fun-first wine bar to the St Mary's strip, pouring affordable natural and lesser-known wines by the glass alongside oysters.
Signature pour: By-the-glass natural pours at a fair price
Wine focus: Approachable natural and lesser-known wines
Food: Oysters and snacks
Tip: Wine is kept affordable by the glass and bottle. The oysters are the snack to pair; it gets lively late.
Wine bar$$$downtownDaily 11:00-00:00
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.