15 Places to Drink Wine on the Cheap
I love going out to dinner. I also love wine. Unfortunately my wallet doesn't allow me to indulge in the combination of these pleasures as often as I'd like. With many restaurants marking their wines up more than 150%, the cost of a decent bottle is, in a word, exorbitant. Despite this, the prospect of a restaurant meal without wine just isn't that enticing to me. So what to do?
Because eating in on a permanent basis isn't the solution I'm looking for, I've searched the city for those places that offer good food and affordable wine. What constitutes affordable? Subjective as this term may be, I think a good selection of wines below the $40 mark fits the bill when it comes to dining out. And, of course, decent stuff below $30 is a real bonus.
Here are 15 options where the prices on the wine list aren't going to break the bank for diners on a budget:
Le Paradis, 166 Bedford Rd.
For lovers of wines from the Languedoc region of France, this is the place. This Annex fixture boasts a list that's constantly changing to facilitate new arrivals, most of which can't be found at the LCBO. Perhaps more importantly, there's a hefty dose of delicious offerings in the $35 range and daily selections offered by the glass.
Café Taste, 1330 Queen St. West
Unfortunately wine consumption can leave quite the carbon footprint. But, in keeping with this Parkdale wine bar's goal to be environmentally conscious, there's an extensive selection of affordable local wines on offer, many of which are available by both bottle and glass. The artisanal cheese offerings both compliment the wine and allow it to take center stage.
Pizzeria Libretto, 221 Ossington Ave.
Arguably the city's best pizza, this Neapolitan outpost on Ossington may also offer the best deal on a bottle of wine. At under $20, the red and white Umbrian offerings from Morretoni pair well with the no-fuss food and offer a perfect excuse to drink with impunity (save for the hangover). The short list also features a number of other reasonable Italian offerings, all of which can be purchased by the glass, half-litre and bottle.
Weezie's, 354 King St. East
Chef Constance Guitard's food may be the main draw, but this Corktown bistro also features a nice little wine list. With nothing over $50 and plenty under $40, there are ample ways to wash down one of the city's best burgers. Those not up for a full bottle will like the carafes and various by-the-glass options.
Midi Bistro, 168 McCaul St.
As the name suggests, this Baldwin St. bistro offers a list heavy on bottles from the South of France - never a bad thing. These wines are the perfect accompaniment to the French classics that Midi specializes in. While there's great selection in the under $40 range from reliable producers and sub-regions, the by-the-glass offerings are a little on the sparse side.
Niagara St. Café, 169 Niagara St.
Owner Anton Potvin makes good use of his sommelier training to fashion a list that offers both rare and (mostly) reasonable gems. For those intimidated by lists featuring lesser known varietals and regions, the servers are happy to help with the selection process. While the list tends to jump above the $50 mark pretty quickly, the well-priced food helps to offset liquid indulgences.
Terroni, Various Locations
The other candidate for best pizza, the different Terroni locations all feature a small number of reasonably priced Italian selections alongside the more expensive stuff. Keep an eye out for their featured regions, which often include affordable options by both the bottle and glass.
The Black Hoof, 928 Dundas St. West
Charcuterie doesn't generally require the most expensive wine be paired with it, so the under $30 bottles of house red and white make great companions with the food at this Dundas West hotspot. Feeling more adventurous? Be sure to check out the bin end list, which often offers good values.
Tati Bistro, 124 Harbord St.
One of the now many restaurants along Harbord between Spadina and Bathurst, Tati gets the nod for most affordable and interesting wine list (nudging out Harbord Room, which is slightly pricier). With a great selection of international offerings in the $40 zone and every wine available by the glass, Tati does wine like a bistro should.
Fat Cat Wine Bar, 331 Roncesvalles Ave.
Although there are only a few selections in and around the $40 mark, Fat Cat makes the list by virtue of its excellent by the glass and half-litre options. With a well-selected and worldly list that pairs well with the Tapas-style menu, this Roncesvalles wine bar is one of the few that actually lives up to such a designation.
Swan, 892 Queen St. West
Don't let the diner-like appearance fool you, this West Queen West eatery offers a number of dishes begging to be paired with wine. Thankfully, their list offers a decent number of tasty options around the $40 mark. Best bet: pair a reasonably priced Chianti with their savory braised short ribs.
Batifole, 744 Gerrard St. East
The small size of this very French restaurant in East Chinatown is not reflected in their selection of wines. Although many of the offerings are above $50, there's a small but smart selection under $40 and some great stuff at $45. As with some of the others on this list, low food prices may permit extra spending on the other half of the meal.
La Palette, 256 Augusta Ave.
While the lengthy and internationally themed beer list takes center stage at this Kensington Market bistro, there remains a small selection of reasonably priced wines, all of which are available by the glass, half-litre and bottle.
Jaipur Grille, 2066 Yonge St.
Indian food can present challenges when it comes to wine pairing, but you won't be lacking in affordable options this Midtown establishment. Jaipur offers an admirable selection of bottles in the $35 range, and ample by-the-glass options. The red wines in particular appear to be chosen with an eye toward standing up to the flavour-rich food.
LCBO, Various Locations
Okay, this might be a bit of a copout, but the best way to save money and still get fabulous wine is to skip restaurants all together. If $35 is considered affordable at a restaurant, think about how far that goes at the various Vintages sections throughout the city. And with such savings, it's easier to justify going all out!
Comments (29)
A great bistro where the wine is both affordable and selected to be in stock to match the various tasty dishes. Worth the drive/Transit to Queen just east of DVP.
@blogto Cafe Crepe on Queen St. W now sells bottles for between $21 and $35 and glasses $5 and up! With a long list of wines.
Hair of the Dog on Church north of Carlton has a solid wine list with many bottles in the $30-40 range. Good value and better food than most others in that 'hood.
Is the Greek Texan still around on Lakeshore beside the south campus of Humber College? In 2001 we used to go there and get a bottle for a little more than some restaurants charge for a glass. $11 or $12 a bottle, maybe.
This may sound really "on the cheap" but i have been making my own wine (at home) at at places like Macedo Grape Juice at 30 Ossington. House red (which is really good), about 26 bottles for $56 (not including bottling and bottles).
They also have a location at 50 caladonia park by St Clair, there is another place on Caladonia park which is great as well but I forget the name of it.
Macedo is also going to start making organic wines aswell in the near future.
Nirvana on College, just east of Bathurst, has a surprisingly decent list of about 20 wines. I don't think that any are over $50.
Does anyone have any recommendations for Ontario wine? It seems really expensive, but the stuff I've tried has been no better than some local $4/bottle that you can get in any convenience store in California...
handfed,
Go to a good LCBO and ask for their recommendations, first for quality, then for value. Some of the Ontario wineries are getting very good at what they do. It's not cheap, but they'll give you some ideas on where to find value.
I find it curious that this article doesn't acknowledge that you can bring your own wine to many restaurants (and pay corkage, of course) nowadays...
A lot of Ontario wine is, indeed, expensive for what you get. Because of our climate, we don't do all varietals that well (despite the fact that we grow them). In general, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Riesling perform well in and around Niagara. There are, of course, exceptions...
The following producers are my favorites (but not really cheap): Le Clos Jordanne, Stratus, Fielding Estate, Thirty Bench, and Hidden Bench. Cave Spring also makes some nice Riesling. Unfortunately, it can be tough to find many of the above in the LCBO, but they do generally come through the Vintages sections.
Re: Corkage. Look out for that to be featured in another post. A lot of the places that offer a cheap/affordable wine list don't do the corkage thing, so dividing them seemed to make sense...
Ontario Wines:
Try Trius... the blends or single grape are quite nice.
There are some amazing vinyards if you go down highway 81 that borders the escarpment. If you drive along here and stop in for free tastings, you will find some really nice treasures at good prices. I believe east of St Catherines are where majority are.
re: Ontario wine
Naked grape Shiraz is pretty tasty in my opinion, and cheap! And comes in a box as well!!
re: Ontario wines.
I'd recommend a new vineyard from Niagara region. It's called Angel's Gate. Very good.
Trius as previously mentioned is also one of my favs from our region.
The phony "Bring Your Own Wine" program here in Ontario should have allowed using your own bottle at non-LCBO establishments (ie. McDonalds).
At least if you haven't finished the bottle, you can take it home with you, if you can recork it. If you can't recork it, you can not bring it home, and must be drunk or poured down the drain.
I m french and it s really killing to spend up to 30$ in an average bottle of wine...
In France you can have a really good bottle for something like 10 dols :'(
I'm hardly a wine connoisseur, so I'll drink Naked Grape, but I think it's not really "Ontario wine" in any real sense. The label says something to the effect of "cellared in Canada from imported and domestic wines", which I take to mean they dumped a bunch of Chinese bin ends into a big vat and swished it around.
There are a bunch of reasons why we don't and won't see 4 dollar wine here. Even in a post LCBO scenario with wine in grocery stores there is a lower limit we can see of about $6.50 a bottle. Some of this is about economies of scale, some of it is about input costs (it costs somewhere over two bucks for the winery to wholesale the bottle/label/cork and capsule, sometimes well over) some of it is sin taxes.
If you want to buy Ontario wine as a rule you should try to get it directly from the winery rather than the LCBO, most of the wineries will deliver as long as there is someone over 19 available to sign for the delivery (and you get some fun surprises, when I ordered some stuff from Malivoire, Martin Malivoire himself showed up at me door with the wine) when you do this the winery gets to actually make a profit off the wine, as a rule when you buy from the LCBO they get the profit and the winery gets shafted.
So glad you featured Tati. Aside from the great wine selection, their menu is comforting, creative and wonderfully executed (as a bistro menu should be) and the portions left us hobbling out the door 2 hours later in semi-comatose glee. Fantastic value.
Hey Derek
Not sure if you have finished your research on BYOW restaurants yet, but check out Bloom in Bloor West, $5 corkage Tuesdays & Wednesdays. Somewhat splash, but good value.
Cheers
Some great Ontario wineries have already been mentioned, but I'll add Henry of Pelham. They do amazing things with their baco noir (especially in years when they make the reserve). But they just launched their Sibling Rivalry label, which features a blend of whites and a blend of reds (in different bottles, of course). The white was so-so, but the red was very, very good and I think $14. Comparable to the 2007 Trius Red, which at $22 is slightly overpriced.
Also, a lot of restaurants will pour half glasses (they just may not advertise it). That cuts down on the price and makes it easier to pair a wine with each course without going over budget.
I think the cheap house red at Pizza Libretto is awful, actually. I went with friends and after tasting it we complained to the server, who took it away and off the bill because they know it's bad (of course they probably just sold the open bottle by the glass afterward).
I know you're doing corkage on a seperate list, but JAM Cafe on Carlton (just west of Parliament at Ontario Street) doesn't have a corkage fee on Sundays.
We love the food there, so we go with our own bottle of wine and fill up on appetizers and drink our wine of choice. We quite like it.
A little update and response to Paul regarding Libretto's $20 bottle. I was just there last night, and they've changed the red from Morretoni to Toser Merlot, which is nowhere near as good. The one they used to offer was really similar to a Chianti, but the Toser is a lot like the homemade wine I used to drink when I was 17. Ah well, there's still some great stuff at the $30 mark.
Seven Numbers has Grevepesa Chianti as their house for 27$ a bottle and 18$ for the half litre? Really good text book Chianti, plus they have three or four obscure organics that are worth trying under 40$
Love their wine...It is soo easy. All you have to do is order the juice (the house blend or premiumm like merlot) and they will bur it for you. It takes about 4-5 weeks. Then they call you and you pick it up. Super easy. They also have state of the art equipment if you want to bottle at their location. They have a new location on Dufferin and a newly renovated location on Ossington. Check them out!!!!
as a toronto boy who left for greener pastures about six years ago, i find it astounding how little torontonians realise just how badly they're butchered on the cost of wine... and alcohol in general. which brings us to quality... as price almost universally dictates this... i live in the uk where wine is amongst the cheapest (to buy, not quality) anywhere on the planet... and what would be a $40+ bottle at the LCBO in toronto can easily be had on sale for about 5-7 pounds sterling... about 15 bucks max. in restos, it is a bit worse, but not nearly as extortionate as in toronto eateries. shame. in spain or france or italy... the price drops even more, while the quality seems to go up at the same time!!! i think europeans visiting canada must think "what a bunch of suckers" (en francais, spanish, italian etc) when they order plonk in with a meal. it truly sucks when a government mandates the accessibility of quality (wine) by taxation/monopoly. nice wine should be something that is relatively affordable... a true simple pleasure.
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