The best wine bars in Singapore

Like a magic trick, café Common Man Stan turns into natural wine bar and bistro Drunken Farmer with the pulling of decorative roller blinds and flashy vintage cinema projections at the strike of 6 o'clock. Once a travelling wine bar – you may know it from its regular pop-ups around town – Drunken Farmer has ditched the nomadic lifestyle for permanent digs on Stanley Street. Grab a bottle from Drunken Farmer's selection of over 80 natural, organic, biodynamic, and sustainably farmed labels. Sourced straight from winemakers in France, Italy, Chile, and Spain, these wines are hand-harvested, spontaneously fermented, have no added sulfites, and are most importantly, delicious. We recommend the Brutal Ancestral 2019, a unique and devilishly fruity Pet-Nat that will cut through the fattier dishes on the menu; as well as the La Scarabée Qui Bulle 2014, a gourmet Grand Cru chosen by Drunken Farmer's wine curator Eduardo Bayo as a subtly sweet and bubbly end to a heavy meal.

Think of wine bars and what often first comes to mind first are chic, sexy lounges with towering fridges filled with labels from the Old World. But as more people beyond the debonair become interested in wines, wine bars too have to adapt. It's not just about making spaces less exclusive and more welcoming; it's also about bringing in labels that surprise and delight – regardless of the price point. Rebel Rebel ticks all the right boxes. The cheery space is filled with portraits of winemakers smiling at you drape yourself over a leather couch or sink deeper into an oversized armchair. Feel free to ask the sommelier for recommendations from its 200-strong list. It offers a variety of bottles below $100, more mid-range options in the $200 bracket as well as 'unicorn' wines prized for their rarity.

With a glass of wine going for $6 and bottles priced from $30, Ginett is set to be your new favourite watering hole. The buzzy dining hall in Hotel G stocks a well-represented range of labels – available at various price points. Get three bottles for the price of two when you choose to take home the wines. 

This new natural wine bar by The Lo & Behold Group sees chef-owner and Burnt Ends alumnus, Keirin Buck, team up with head sommelier Josée Yeomans to bring ‘fine casual’ to the local bar scene. Bottles from boutique natural producers are paired with elegant yet approachable plates such as vegetable crudités with whipped roe ($28), heritage chicken ($68), and a stellar beef tongue sandwich ($26).

This monochromatic bar is your best bet if you’re looking for a crash course on wine. Praelum stocks about 1,000 labels in its walk-in cellar that you can order in tasting pours (from $10/25ml) and half-portions (from $28/75ml). Or leave it to the somm with the ‘Learn-a-Drink’ option ($29). Also check out the wine bistro’s flight tastings (from $45) that ranges from random to thematic.

With over 600 labels and 3,000 bottles of wine on offer in its leather-bound tome of a menu, Ma Cuisine has cemented itself as a gastro wine bar for serious connoisseurs. That's not to say that only the stuffy Bordeaux sipping elite are welcomed here – the restaurant's young owners Anthony Charmetant and Mathieu Escoffier want to share their passion for wine with beginners and experts alike, all within a casual setting that also serves homey French food. 

This is hands down, every oenophiles' most beloved shrine to natural wines. And you know it’s legit because it’s always buzzing with industry folks. There’s no catalogue at this gastrobar – its 150-or-so labels (from $78) are all on display and constantly changing. If it’s an education you’re after, swing by every day, because the wines-by-the-glass (there's usually one white, one red and if you're lucky, an orange, from $16) change daily. 

In an intimate 54-seater space, this wine bar places proud emphasis on vino from the Old World, with 32 European wines rotated every week alongside a Grands Crus selection – the highest level of vineyard classification in Burgundy, France. Owner Jean-Christophe Cadoret works closely with his team in France to select wines for import. You don't have to commit to a full glass either, there are tasting (25ml) and half-portions (75ml).

Sip, swirl and savour: that’s what co-owners Bruno Vaillant and Geoffrey Weckx hope you’ll do at 13% Gastro Wine. Their combined 50 years of experience in the wine game lend a hand in their selection of European labels and New World varieties, (shop)housed in a charming unit in Kampong Glam.

Housed in a sleek, well-lit chamber in La Terre are 500 labels of predominantly Old World reds, whites and champagnes. The wine and whisky bar takes its spirits seriously, too, but take your time to appreciate the vino. Because the sommelier here certainly does. Don’t hesitate to ask for recommendations: the somms here discern each customer’s palate depending on preferred fruit profiles and notes. And bottles are replenished twice a week, so you can be sure there’s always a good bubbly on hand.

A value-for-money wine bar in the heart of the CBD might seem like an impossible ask but the folks behind Hermitage Quality Wines have made it a reality. This intimate spot has none of the usual pretences of a wine bar and instead feels like a cosy bistro serving comfort food and affordably priced bottles – all with warm, genial service that makes this place feel like a second home. Peruse its menu of hearty mains like the beef rendang pie ($14), Thai green curry ($18) and beef stew ($18). It's an eclectic mix but the focus here is on keeping you well-fed and happy. Make jolly with wines from $8 a glass and bottles from $35.