Santé! Wine Bars in New Orleans

New Orleans is best enjoyed with a glass in hand and nowhere to be. Our favorite places to grab a glass (or bottle) and enjoy the company of friends or strangers and let the time slide by.

Be sure to book one of our neighborhood food tours before checking out our wine bar recommendations!

• The Bywater tour is a perfect preface for visiting Bacchanal, St Roch Market and Faubourg Wines.

• A tour of the Garden District pre-civil war mansions, cemetery, shops and restaurants is just the thing to do before hitting Tell Me Bar, sipping at Really Really Good Wines or relaxing on St. Charles Ave, watching the streetcar go by at the Delachaise.

Bacchanal Fine Wine & Spirits: I've found most tourists have heard of Bacchanal in the Bywater - its casual neighborhood vibe and live music are a big draw. There is no table service, but there is food - without anyone trying to flip your table for the next guest, you can stay as long as you like, making this a great place to chill and kick back. It is also open seating, with communal tables so you may make friends and share a bottle! I'm especially fond of their cocktails on the second floor and staff is super helpful picking a bottle for your budget, but wine by the glass is also upstairs. Be sure to ask about ordering a cheese plate- you can pick out your own cheeses from the cooler. Happy hour Monday - Friday 4pm-6pm and wine tastings on Wednesdays. No kids, no pets, open 7 days a week, no reservations.

Tell Me Bar is an uber-hip, super hidden spot near the overpass, between the Central Business District and Garden District, not far from most hotels and the convention center. The walls hide an oasis from the bridge traffic and industrial neighbors- you'll find the closest thing to a speakeasy in the city and wines that compete with top bars on the coasts, but the staff is super friendly and not intimidating. You'll enjoy the Euro vibe and a great selection of natural wines and food pop-ups.

Really Really Nice Wines is owned by self-proclaimed wine nerds who were interested in creating

a wine shop that also acted as a neighborhood bar for convening and discovering new favorites. If you like to explore new wines by the glass with delicious tapas-inspired nosh, this is your spot.

Delachaise sits on St Charles Ave. and you can relax outside on the patio and watch the streetcar go by. No table service or reservations, this is where you'll find groups of friends quaffing a glass over mussels and frog legs in a super casual bistro vibe. A wide selection with something for everyone and well-priced offerings, you can spend a few hours here and not even realize where the night has gone.

Copper Vine is mostly restaurant, with an emphasis on their wine selection. In the heart of the Central Business District, it is an easy on the eyes choice for dining with an extensive wine list near most hotels and the French Quarter.

W.I.N.O. a.k.a. Wine Institute New Orleans has a unique, fun way to expand your wine education. Over 100 hand-selected wines are available to sample on  Italian-made and are state-of-the-art Enomatic wine dispensing machines. The machines are equipped with a wine-preservation system which guarantees that you get a fresh sample every time- the machines allow you to choose from 1oz, 2oz or 4oz pour sizes so you can taste lots of different styles and regions. Every wine has a description with either the winemaker's notes or their own tasting notes, as well as the retail price so you can find what you enjoy most!

St Roch Market is a great place to hit one of the many food stalls before settling down at the bar for their Thursday wine tastings or picking up a bottle to take with. Faubourg Wines and The Independent Caveau are neighborhood wine shops with bars tucked in them and 5 star reviews about the friendly and knowledgeable staff and owners. Faubourg Wines is located in the Marigny and opened following Hurricane Katrina- Cat the owner has created a community clubhouse full of colorful characters divulging intimate antecdotes, as well as friends and strangers sharing laughs, encouragement, valuable information and advice. Also, the wine is truly great and Wednesday hosts a fresh Gulf Oyster pop-up. As for the Independent Caveau, you only need to peek at the Google reviews to see they've inspired a loyal customer base.