Adelaide boasts a wonderful selection of wine bars offering the best local drops and international stars alongside tantalising food. Did you know that wine is slowly becoming Australia’s favourite alcoholic drink? As Australians sip less alcohol overall, wine looks to overtake the traditional favourite of beer. This factoid is a no-brainer in Adelaide, a city wedged between so many world-class wine regions. Sitting beside the inimitable Barossa Valley, McLaren vale and the Adelaide Hills, with even more spiralling out across South Australia, Adelaide is a nirvana for wine-lovers. Nothing demonstrates Adelaide’s wine culture or caters to our growing taste for the vine better than the recent emergence of fantastic wine bars across the city. With a range of boutique locales all over town, there are more than enough options to keep your glass full, plus show off the best wines SA and the world have to offer. Tucked away behind Rundle Street, Mother Vine is the perfect spot to enjoy a local or imported wine along with some delicious tapas style dining amid gorgeous modern design.

A couple dozen wines are always on selection at Mother Vine, with most coming from South Australian regions like the Adelaide Hills and Eden Valley, along with a few rarities from international vino powerhouses like France, Italy, Greece and Spain. best wine australia 2012Food-wise, the hot tip is to grab the Motherboard; best wine with grilled salmona typically Mediterranean collection of charcuterie, cheeses, nuts and olives. best dallas wine stores Literally just across the road from Mother Vine you will find the Tasting Room as part of the East End Cellars. best red wine under 20 canada 2015This gem pairs the joy of tasting wines with purchasing them. best place to drink wine in europe

Customers can happily wander into the Tasting Room’s breezy surrounds to taste that particular week’s featured wines along with nibbles and reputedly the best toasted sandwiches in Adelaide. wines of spain canadaThen, you can pop next door to the Cellars to pick up whatever you fancy to enjoy a drink on the terrace or at home. Cantina Sociale is one of Adelaide’s truly special wine bars. There is no other place in the city where one can buy their wine straight from the barrel. This unique spot on Sturt Street possesses a gorgeous stack of barrels containing an ever-changing roster of premium local wines, and watching the sweet nectar spill forth from those taps is a fine form of theatre indeed. A range of delicious rustic cuisine also accompanies the wines at Cantina Sociale, with meats, cheeses, terrines and tasty arancini on the menu. Set a floor above the bustling foodie heaven that is Gouger St, the smartly sophisticated Loft Oyster and Wine Bar sits in a repurposed ballroom and serves wine alongside a stunning seafood menu.

The wines cover a broad swathe of styles and points of origin, from German Riesling to New Zealand Pinot Noir to the obligatory South Australian Shiraz. These are best enjoyed while sucking down a few fresh oysters and appreciating the view, both inside and over the balcony. Proof, yet another hidden treasure of Adelaide’s small bar scene, lies on Anster Street just off Waymouth, and specialises in top notch service, wonderful local and international wines, small plates and cocktails. Set in warm and wooden surrounds, Proof has multiple levels, including a top storey terrace. With a variety of seating areas on offer and high level service, Proof is an ideal location to head with a loved one or a celebrating group. Hiding away off Hindley on Gresham Street is a little slice of Paris in La Buvette Drinkery. Step into this classically decorated small bar and you’ll feel as though you just disembarked the Metro for a night of drinking avec des amis. Stocking a solid range of natural and organic wines from SA and France, La Buvette Drinkery also specialises in aperitif and bites of French cuisine.

The little bull that could, Bar Torino is a trendy spinoff from its neighbour Chianti, and proudly proclaims itself as a vermouth bar. This speciality wine bar merges Chianti’s Italian tradition with a Spanish one, serving up a variety of the fortified wine that is vermouth, laced with curious varietals and brilliant history to boot. Of course, Bar Torino is known for its brilliant modern cuisine and cocktails too. .au   Photos: Jonathan VDK, Andre CastellucciYou’ll be delighted with the fine range of wine bars in Sydney. There are plenty of stylish wine bars in the city centre, including Ash Street Cellar, Spice Cellar and Bambini Trust. There’s even a winery with a cellar door in a hip inner-city neighbourhood and small gems such as the Wine Library. Savour elegant local and international wines in delightful Sydney wine bars, from stylish city venues to comfortable hideaways and hip neighbourhood spots. Your tastebuds are in for a double treat, with many wine bars offering delicious food menus using the freshest produce to match their wines.

In the city centre is a fine selection of wine bars, including Fix St James and the Ash Street Cellar. In the grand St James Trust Building, opposite beautiful Hyde Park, is the inviting wine room of Bambini Trust. You’ll find an impressive sherry collection at Tapavino, a stroll from the Sydney Opera House. The David Jones Wine Bar is in the Market Street food hall of the upmarket department store. A short walk away is Town Hall Station and trains to the wine bars around lively Newtown, including the Bench Wine Bar, 212 Blu and Urban Winery Sydney, which is an actual winery with a cellar door.Darlinghurst is another vibrant inner-city neighbourhood, with cutting-edge theatre, cabaret and wine bars such as Cork & Screw and Love, Tilley Devine. In neighbouring Surry Hills is 121 BC, which has extensive Italian wine list, and in Paddington is the charming bolthole 10 William Street.The Wine Library is a compact gem in neighbouring Woollahra. North across the Sydney Harbour Bridge, in McMahons Point, Delicado specialises in Spanish wines and tasty tapas.