Whether staunchly old-world or distinctly modern, the wine bar is one of our favorite haunts—the place where we go to slip into the rhythms of a neighborhood. Here, five top spots across the Continent.
Serving everything from deep Ribera del Duero reds to sweet Sauternes, this wine cellar and French restaurant with its stylishly simple, burnished brass bar more than holds its own among the city's famously sleek establishments. 63–65 Bredgade; 45-3/311-4515.
Even Madrileños turn out early for a table at this venerable tavern in the Latina neighborhood. Customers squeeze in for wines paired with standout tapas such as pastel de puerros (leek mousse) and cecina, an air-cured beef. 17 Calle del Nuncio; 34/91-365-4704.
This former épicerie remains a purveyor of candies and books as well as fine wine served in the backroom bar. For almost 40 years, the owners have sourced little-known vins de terroir; they also host regular tastings. 1 Rue de la Banque, 2nd Arr.; 33-1/42- 60-07-12.
The quintessential enoteca: a rustic room that's half wineshop, half neighborhood bar, where old men serve glasses of wine with antipasti plates all afternoon and into the evening. 992 Fondamenta San Trovaso, Dorsoduro; 39-041/523-0744.
Tucked into tight quarters in the basement of a high-end gourmet shop, this candlelit bar offers fortifying Zweigelts and Grüner Veltliners in a convivial atmosphere that is worlds away from the see-and-be-seen crowd upstairs. 19 Grabenstrasse; 43-1/532-3334.
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