Wine Bars Perfect for Your Next Girlfriends Getaway
If you and your best girlfriends are struggling with where to go for your next girls getaway, why not plan your travels around one of your favorite things to do together: drink wine. Weather you sip Merlot together while binging your favorite female-forward series or a weekly happy hour brings you together at your favorite local wine bar, there’s no reason why you can’t plan your next escape together according to where the coolest wine bars on the planet are.
If you are wondering how to pick the best…well, choosing is a bit subjective, but there are somethings you can take into consideration. Does your crew prefer modernized luxury wine houses or traditional wine bars? After you’ve decided what kind of drinking experience your group wants to have while exploring a new destination, you should dive into the basic criteria for what makes a good wine bar.
The Wine List: A good wine bar will have an carefully curated list of wines available by the bottle and by the glass. It should include wines from unique vineyards that can’t easily be found in a local grocery story. The offerings should include diverse wines from around the world and older vintage, or library wines as well.
The Stemware: A good wine bar has high-end stemware that is beautiful and well cared for. The glasses are large or, even better, they have the correct shape of glass for the type of wine being served.
Best Bites: A good wine bar serves excellent food. The food could include complete dishes or simply delicious snacks that compliment the wines being served.
Service: Excellent service makes all of the difference when it comes to your sipping experience. A wine bar worth traveling for will have the best customer service and be known for it.
Listed here are four distinctive wine bars that are worth planning your next girls getaway around.
Al Brindisi, Italy
If you love long-lived wine bars with old wooden booths, you should plan your girlfreinds getaway to Enoteca Al Brindisi. This tiny enoteca is the home of the oldest wine bars. It is located on the elegant medieval roads of Via Adelardi, behind Ferrara’s striking Romanesque cathedral.
It has been uncorking wines since 1435 and has a large variety of vintage wines, giving customers plenty of exceptional options. If you’re indecisive, you can ask for recommendations from the barkeeper.
Then, you’ll witness an old way of picking wines—climbing a ladder to take out the bottle from a floor to ceiling shelf and dusting it off. You can also have some ciupéta (traditional twisty bread of Ferrara), freshly cured meats, and local cheese. You’ll surely enjoy aperitivo!
Online: albrindisi.net/
CIVB Bar à Vin, France
Almost every local in Bordeaux would recommend CIVB Bar à Vin. It’s not your ordinary, privately owned traditional bar. It’s more like a tasting room run by the Bordeaux Wine Council with the vision of promoting local wines, such as White Bordeaux Blend Wines, to foreigners who are touring around France.
If you’re looking for a place in France for your girls getaway where you can learn something, CIVB Bar à Vin is definitely an excellent place to go. The wine-by-the-glass list is passably short, but each wine is painstakingly selected. Rest assured, quality is never a worry. Plus, you’ll even receive a handy information sheet for each glass of wine you’ll try—the best note-taking you can have.
Chocolate platter, charcuterie plates, and, of course, cheese are a few of the pairing you can nibble at CIVB Bar à Vin. The onsite sommeliers are very amiable and knowledgeable, as well. While enjoying your wine and bites, they will talk to you, so don’t be shy.
Online: baravin.bordeaux.com/fr/
Nuoyan Xialiang Wine House, China
Just because grape wines aren’t popular in China, doesn’t mean the country doesn’t have excellent wine bars. Korea’s Makgeolli, Japan’ Sake, India’s Handia, Vietnam’s Rượu cần, Laos’ Lao Lao, and Malaysia’s Lihing and Tuak are all wines made from rice. Adding to the list, Nuoyan Rice Wine is another real deal. As its name implies, it’s mainly served at Nuoyan Xialiang (Rice) Wine House nestled in the quaint of Beixinqiao Hutongs, Beijing, China.
This rice wine house also offers an exquisite rice wine tasting event for visitors. The bar staff will walk you through the process of the rice wine production and would offer you free nibbles and sippings. Not only that, the building showcases an elegant influence of Chinese art and history. It can be one of the best places to unwind and grab a drink after touring the Forbidden City and the Great Wall of China.
More importantly, the wine house allows you to experience different tastes of rice wine. Aside from the original flavor, there are bayberry, vanilla, osmanthus, rose, and other flavors that you can choose from. The bar also offers a wide selection of traditional Chinese cuisines, as well as western dishes that all complement well with the rice wine.
Online: www.nuoyanricewine.cn
Gordon’s Wine Bar, London
Let’s fly back to Europe for another perfect girlfriends getaway option. If you want to have an elegant modern cave-like experience, you should grab a drink at Gordon’s Wine Bar in London. This underground cellar is always packed with many visitors and drinkers due to its inexpensive yet great wines and cozy environment. If you’re an outgoing person, this place is a must go! Alternatively, it’s best to go to off-peak if you want to have some peace of mind.
Gordon is a 19th-century wine bar. Its interior embraced the original Dickensian-style décor. Also, pictures of the British royal family and other seemingly gauche crown heads were hung on the wall, giving you a visualization of a drunken hermit’s lair lost to time.
There are more unexplainable reasons why you should visit the place. In simple terms, you’ll experience an old school drinking—dark and candlelit, wooden slabs, talking with friends or strangers, decent wine right from the barrel, chilled and dusty vintage wines. I bet you will never forget your first time at Gordon’s.
Online: gordonswinebar.com
Wine bars are perfect stopping spots for any girls getaway. So why not make them the focal point or the main highlight of your next trip. Just remember, when picking a wine bar look for a place with a diverse selection of wines, an awesome atmosphere, and food that can complement the wine. While the wine itself is an unforgettable experience, don’t forget to choose the wine bar that allows you to enjoy the full experience.
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