The 7 best wine bars in Charlotte

A wine bar has to do one of two things well: teach you something, or leave you alone with a good glass. The ones below split roughly along that line, and the list says which is which. We ranked on the strength of the list and on whether the staff can guide a table without making anybody feel tested, because that is the difference between a wine bar and a restaurant with a wine menu. Every place here holds a public rating of 4.4 or better.

1. Frenchy’s Sip and Shop

The highest rated wine bar in the city, on West Tremont in South End, and a tasting room as much as a bar. The menu changes almost weekly and covers boutique producers that do not turn up elsewhere, with three ounce pours so you can taste properly before buying a bottle. Jamie, Oscar and Craig get named by regulars for teaching them about wine instead of selling to them.

Hours: Monday to Thursday noon to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday noon to midnight; Sunday noon to 8 p.m.

Address: 200 W Tremont Ave, Suite 103, Charlotte, NC 28203

Why it made the list

• The best rated on this list.
• No kitchen, so dogs come inside.
• A list that changes weekly.
• Cold beer alongside the wine.

Directory listing: Frenchy’s Sip and Shop

2. The Bohemian: A Wine Bar

On Pecan Avenue in Plaza Midwood, and cozy in a way wine bars often are not. The bottle list runs deep at reasonable prices with a large by the glass selection, and staff pour a taste before you commit. The food is better than it needs to be: the Buzzy Burrata comes rolled in bee pollen with Serrano honey, and the flatbreads are the other order.

Hours: Tuesday 4 to 10 p.m.; Wednesday and Thursday noon to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday noon to 11 p.m.; Sunday noon to 8 p.m.; closed Monday

Address: 1319 Pecan Ave, Charlotte, NC 28205

Why it made the list

• Bottle prices people call reasonable.
• Food worth ordering.
• A wine club for regulars.
• Doubles as a bottle shop.

Directory listing: The Bohemian: A Wine Bar

3. Substrate

North of Uptown on East 15th Street, with an art loft feel built from records, a disco ball and dried flowers. The list stays fresh and the staff teach instead of lecture. There is no kitchen and outside food is welcome, which regulars exploit by walking a pizza over from nearby. Pop ups and live music run through the year, and the patio is the seat.

Hours: Wednesday and Thursday 4 to 10 p.m.; Friday 4 p.m. to midnight; Saturday 2 p.m. to midnight; Sunday noon to 10 p.m.; closed Monday and Tuesday

Address: 512 E 15th St, Charlotte, NC 28206

Why it made the list

• Bring your own food.
• Live music and pop ups.
• Vermouth cocktails too.
• Unlike any other room here.

Directory listing: Substrate

4. Rosie’s Coffee & Wine Garden

A garden first and a wine bar second, on North Davidson, with vines, trees and small private corners cut into the planting so you keep finding spaces you missed. It opens at 8 a.m. for coffee and runs into the evening for wine, which makes it work for a morning meeting and an evening drink. Plants are sold on site. Parking is difficult and it closes Saturday.

Hours: Monday to Thursday and Sunday 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday 8 a.m. to 11 p.m.; closed Saturday

Address: 940 N Davidson St, Charlotte, NC 28206

Why it made the list

• The prettiest outdoor space on this list.
• Coffee from 8 a.m.
• Dogs and children welcome.
• Closed Saturday, which catches people out.

Directory listing: Rosie’s Coffee & Wine Garden

5. Sixty Vines Charlotte

Sixty wines on tap, which means you can order anything from a taste to a full carafe without opening a bottle. That is the whole concept and it works. The room is large with a patio, the kitchen does pizzas, pastas and a sticky toffee cake people return for, and there is a proper children’s menu, which no other wine bar here offers.

Hours: Monday to Thursday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Sunday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Address: 1415 Vantage Park Dr, Suite 100, Charlotte, NC 28203

Why it made the list

• Taste through to carafe pours.
• The only one here built for a family.
• Handles a large group.
• Book ahead, because it fills.

Directory listing: Sixty Vines Charlotte

6. Barcelona Wine Bar

The largest operation here, with nearly 1,900 reviews and a Spanish tapas kitchen running alongside the wine program. Croquetas, patatas bravas and a seafood paella are the plates. Servers know the list well enough to steer a table, which is what separates it from a restaurant that happens to sell wine. The room is dark enough that reading the menu is a genuine challenge.

Hours: Monday to Wednesday 4 to 11 p.m.; Thursday and Friday 4 p.m. to midnight; Saturday 11 a.m. to midnight; Sunday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Address: 101 W Worthington Ave, Suite 110, Charlotte, NC 28203

Why it made the list

• A proper tapas kitchen.
• Servers who know the list.
• An outdoor bar in good weather.
• Bring a phone torch for the menu.

Directory listing: Barcelona Wine Bar

7. The Wine Loft

A South End fixture for years on South Boulevard, run by an owner who greets regulars by name and will move your booking from the patio to the bar without fuss. Live music at the weekend, a generous patio set back from the road, and staff who are knowledgeable without the snobbery some wine rooms carry. The flight is three two ounce pours plus a full glass of whichever you liked.

Hours: Tuesday to Thursday 4 to 11 p.m.; Friday 3 to 11 p.m.; Saturday 2 to 11 p.m.; closed Sunday and Monday

Address: 2201 South Blvd, Suite 120, Charlotte, NC 28203

Why it made the list

• The flight is the best value here.
• Live music on weekends.
• An owner who remembers you.
• Closed Sunday and Monday.

Directory listing: The Wine Loft

Also worth knowing

The bar Charlotteans actually voted their favorite is Dilworth Tasting Room, which holds a 400 bottle selection and a back patio wrapped around a koi pond, and Charlotteans voted it their favorite wine bar in the city. It appears in our bars guide instead of here. If your wine bar is missing, tell us.