Sternewirth is a wine bar in Pearl, San Antonio.
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.
Food program: Bar snacks
Tip: Go for the room as much as the wine; the converted brewhouse is spectacular. Snacks come from the Emma kitchen.
Address: 136 E Grayson St, San Antonio, TX 78215
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.
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.
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.
