10 November 2021. Words by YGOW.
The Wineslinger 2021 list of Australia’s top places for wine fun is here, and Sydney’s Top 20 venues have got it all, from the classic to the experimental.
Wine has long been fundamental to the DNA of Sydney’s bars and restaurants, but the paradigm has shifted in recent years away from a focus on big names, star regions and marquee varieties, bringing smaller producers and more esoteric, low-intervention expressions into the fold. That’s due in part to the work of ultra-focused niche importers and distributors, but also to a flourishing landscape of diverse wine-obsessed venues, both large and small. The Harbour City’s Top 20 Wineslingers prove that in spades, with more than a handful of venues pledging allegiance to the wild-fermented, un-fined and unfiltered.
Sure, you can still score a bottle of booming Hunter Valley shiraz and a bavette steak overlooking Bondi Beach at one of the country’s most famous restaurants and call it a ‘quintessential Sydney experience’, but others might argue that a glass of hazy grechetto from Umbria and a few anchovies on buttered brioche at a neighbourhood wine bar sums it up just as well. And that’s the beauty of drinking wine in Sydney: there’s room at the table (or the bar) for everybody. Pull up a seat and get stuck in.
Here are Sydney’s Top 20 places for wine fun in 2021
10 William Street, Paddington
Albertos Lounge, Sydney
Bentley’s Restaurant & Bar, Sydney
Bibo Wine Bar, Double Bay
Big Poppa’s, Darlinghurst
Cafe Paci, Newtown
Continental Deli Bar & Bistro, Newtown
Dear Sainte Éloise, Potts Point
Fix Wine Bar + Restaurant, Sydney
Icebergs Dining Room and Bar, Bondi Beach
Monopole, Sydney
Nomad, Surry Hills
P&V Merchants, Paddington
Ragazzi, Sydney
Restaurant Hubert, Sydney
Sella Vinoteca, Randwick
She Loves You, Newtown
Vernon’s Bar, Summer Hill
Where’s Nick, Marrickville
WyNo x Bodega, Surry Hills
It’s a fantastically mixed bunch, but one thing they all have in common is they love wine, and they want to share that love with you. Whether you’re in for the long haul or a quick drink and a snack, these Wineslingers just want to see you, and to share what they know, share what they love.
Venues have bounced back from lockdown fighting fit and ready for action, menus are fine-tuned, wine selections polished, and eager professionals are ready for wine-fuelled fun.
And with the doors open again, it’s the perfect time to remind yourself how much you love your regular wine-focused venues by both paying them a visit and getting your vote in for the People’s Choice. The Young Gun of Wine website also has detailed profiles on all the Wineslinger Awards top venues, with everything you need to know to find your next favourite haunt.
Vote on the People’s Choice here.
This year’s Wineslinger Awards trophies include top spot ‘Wineslinger’, ‘Best New Haunt’, the ‘Maverick’, which recognises a venue pushing the boundaries of possibility, and the publicly voted ‘People’s Choice’.
Everyone that votes in the ‘People’s Choice’ can go into the draw to win a host of amazing prizes, including a Liebherr wine cabinet, a year’s supply of wine from ygowstaging.wpengine.com, and gift packs from Cullen, Henschke, Ocean Eight and Swinney. People’s Choice voting is now live online via younggunofwine.comwineslinger. Voting closes on Monday 3 December at 12:00pm.
The 2021 Wineslinger trophy winners will be announced on evening of Monday 6 December.
