The Wine Merchant is a wine bar in Clayton, St. Louis.
A long-running Clayton wine shop with a tasting bar, The Wine Merchant pairs a curated retail wall with by-the-glass pours and a knowledgeable staff.
Food program: Cheese and provisions
Tip: Ask the staff to open something interesting by the glass at the bar. Strong for both gifts and everyday bottles.
Address: 20 S Hanley Rd, Clayton, MO 63105, St. Louis
Sasha's DeMun room pours an approachable by-the-glass list with cheese and charcuterie in a homey Clayton space, one of two long-running Sasha's wine bars.
Signature pour: A staff-picked glass to match the cheese board
Wine focus: Approachable Old and New World by the glass
Food: Cheese, charcuterie and small plates
Tip: Order a cheese-and-charcuterie board and let the staff pair glasses across it. The patio is the prize in warm months.
Twisted Tree backs its steaks with an extensive Old World and New World wine list, a Sunset Hills steakhouse where the cellar is as much a draw as the beef.
Signature pour: A bold red to match a dry-aged steak
Wine focus: Old World, New World and rare bottles
Food: Steakhouse and seafood menu
Tip: The list runs deep into collectible bottles; ask the staff for a steak pairing. A west-county splurge.
Eclipse at the Moonrise Hotel pours a galaxy of wine and beer alongside an award-winning cocktail program in the Delmar Loop, with a rooftop bar above.
Signature pour: A glass paired to the modern American plates
Wine focus: Wine, beer and award-winning cocktails
Food: Modern American menu
Tip: Pair a glass with the modern American menu, then head to the rooftop for a nightcap. Handy before a Loop show.
Open since 2001 in Lafayette Square, 33 lets you pull any bottle off the retail wall and drink it at the bar for a small corkage. A pioneering local wine bar.
Signature pour: A by-the-glass pour from the shop wall
Wine focus: Eclectic small-production and natural wines
Food: Cheese, charcuterie and small plates
Tip: Browse the shelves, pick a bottle, and pay shop price plus corkage to drink in. The cheese and charcuterie pair well.
Sasha's DeMun room pours an approachable by-the-glass list with cheese and charcuterie in a homey Clayton space, one of two long-running Sasha's wine bars.
Signature pour: A staff-picked glass to match the cheese board
Wine focus: Approachable Old and New World by the glass
Food: Cheese, charcuterie and small plates
Tip: Order a cheese-and-charcuterie board and let the staff pair glasses across it. The patio is the prize in warm months.
The Shaw outpost of Sasha's pours the same wide by-the-glass list and noshing plates near the Botanical Garden, a relaxed neighbourhood wine bar.
Signature pour: A by-the-glass pour to match the board
Wine focus: Approachable Old and New World by the glass
Food: Cheese, charcuterie and small plates
Tip: It works for a glass before dinner near the Botanical Garden. The board-and-glass pairing is the move here too.
By day a neighborhood cafe, Thursday to Saturday The Clover and the Bee turns its candlelit room into a natural wine bar with producer-led bottles and snacks.
Signature pour: A natural rose or skin-contact pour
Wine focus: Natural producers, sourced person-by-person
Food: Italian-leaning snacks, sweets and small plates
Tip: Come Thursday through Saturday after 5pm for the natural wine list; the kitchen leans Italian and sweets travel well by the glass.
