The Best Wine Bars in Toronto

The best wine bars in Toronto will sell you wine by the glass, but that's about all they have in common. From deluxe spaces for banker and high-end eateries to little storefronts with wine lists you could fit on the back of an envelope, the range and style of the wine bar has certainly evolved from the fern bar of the '80s. Right now it seems like Italian food is the dominant wine bar nosh, but that's as momentary as the decor, as the wine bar has become a great place for a decent chef to try something new under the cover of a thicket of merlot.

Here are the best wine bars in Toronto.

Enoteca Sociale

A redoubt of Italian on Dundas West’s Little Portugal strip, Enoteca Sociale features wine pairings from Italy and Ontario on every item of its rustic menu. The food isn’t fussy and the wines aren’t overpriced, and this cozy spot isn’t afraid to throw the odd curveball, like suggesting you sip a glass of Niagara Syrah with your grilled octopus and rapini. Also noteworthy is the presence of the Enomatic wine dispenser, which allows you to order a 1999 Barolo by the glass. More »

Local Kitchen and Wine Bar

Some wine bars have cellars larger than your nicest ever apartment. This tiny Parkdale spot (and its sister Bar Salumi) seems to fit its vintages into a couple of plastic milk cartons. Ontario and BC wines get pride of place alongside a handful of Italian offerings, and while the single page menu won’t confuse you, things get a lot simpler when you just order the cured meat platter. More »

Crush Wine Bar

There are deals to be had at this King West fixture. On Mondays you can bring your own bottle for a one dollar corkage fee, and on Wednesdays bottles on the general list are priced at just 10 bucks over cost (with a three course meal.) The menu is fine dining redux, while the wine list is extensive and globe-spanning, with up to 70 bottles by the glass. More »

Splendido

For some of us, this is the place we went to when mom and dad came to town, for others it’s a bucket list restaurant, with an apparently unassailable place on the city’s annual best of lists. The wine selection is as epic as you’d expect, and while you can do your best-ever playa impersonation with a $435 bottle of Moet, you can also affect penny-pinching frugality with a $13 glass of Chilean Sauvignon Blanc. More »

Reds Bistro

Located in the heart of the Financial District, Reds is a power suit place that naturally does a booming lunch business. The wine bar is technically on the first floor, but you can order from its groaning wine list upstairs or down, and take advantage of the whopping selection of 80 wines served by the glass and occupy Bay Street in luxury. More »

The Wine Bar

The onetime heart of Jamie Kennedy’s empire broke loose a few years ago, and chef Bryan Burke has taken Kennedy’s spot in the kitchen, serving a reasonably-priced menu of classics. Monday’s feature free corkage if you BYOB, but the globe-trotting and reasonably-priced wine list is full of real finds, like a $44 bottle of Bonal from Spain, or a $95 Domaine Tissot that comes with a warning that it’s “NOT for the faint of palate!” More »

Swirl Wine Bar

Through a discrete side door and upstairs, Leslieville’s Swirl has a speakeasy vibe, and features unconventional seating at vintage sewing machines in its two tiny rooms. Our 2009 review said it felt like a first date kind of place. With no kitchen on site, the menu features jars of pates and pickles, while the concise wine list is full of evocative descriptions, like the tropical fruit and white pepper that can be found in the Cassara Favula Grillo for just $30 a bottle. More »

Cava

Chris McDonald’s latin-loving menu is full of surprises like the chipotle-caramel popcorn for snacking, but gives Spanish vintages its full attention on the wine list, which happily features a broad selection of the sparkling white that gives the place its name. Small plates are the order of business, meant to hold their own against the selection of robust Spanish reds, ranging in price from $40 to $270. More »

Mavrik Wine Bar

Mavrik’s West Queen West location has seen some turnover, but this light-filled eatery has drawn in fickle locals with a changeable and shareable menu built around crowd-pleasers like steak frites and fish tacos, and a concise wine list with cherry-picked vintages that manage to span the globe while giving pride of place to local vintages like Lailey and Flatrock. More »