A Wine Lover’s Guide to Newcastle: Where to Sip & Shop
Love wine? Then you'll love our round-up of the best places to find fine wine in Newcastle.
Drink trends come and go – is tequila or gin the spirit of choice this month? How hoppy is too hoppy? – but the love of a fine wine never wavers.
And whether you’re enjoying a glass of red over dinner and Netflix at home or trying a crisp white in a great restaurant with someone special, Newcastle has plenty of options for experiencing excellent wine. We’ve rounded up a few of the best.
The French Quarter, Westgate Road
Founders Cédric and Catherine Boc-Ho (from the Loire Valley and Northumberlabd respectively) opened The French Quarter six years ago with the aim of countering the chains and de-mystifying French cuisine. The result is a cosy, friendly little place offering a small plates menu and a long and exemplary wine list that includes such unusual wines as vins oranges and liquoreux among the more usual Beaujolais and Sancerre. And all of their wines are available to buy in person or online too.
Gaucho, Market Street
A newcomer to Newcastle's dining scene, Gaucho specialises in sustainable steak which it teams with the finest Argentinian wines. Its professional sommeliers are on hand to recommend the perfect wine pairing for each course and promise to whisk diners away on a journey across the vineyards and pampas fields of Argentina. Like their steak, Gaucho's wines are sustainable so you can enjoy a glass of vino and a juicy steak completely guilt-free too.
Kaltur, Dean Street & High Bridge
Kaltur is one of the jewels in the Newcastle restaurant crown, an innovative and predictably wonderful pair of restaurants offering forward-thinking tapas (truly original dishes like Wild BlueFin Red Tuna Tartar) and other Iberian delights. The wine list is great too – all Spanish (who knew there were white riojas?) and available by the bottle or glass, and a couple of dozen sherries too. And many of these are available to purchase and take-away (along with plenty of other Spanish-sourced drinks including vermouths and beers).
St Vincent, Broad Chare
St Vincent has recently reopened after a three-year hiatus and thankfully is still doing what it does best – fine food and wine in a friendly environment. Restaurant manager Matthew Clarkson summarised their wine list as ‘reassuringly old-school but not always familiar’ and the list is definitely curated with knowledge and love. Many are available by the glass too, so you can experiment without feeling it in your pocket.
Fuego, Fenwick
Fuego is one of the small restaurants adjacent to Fenwick Food Hall and offers everything Mediterranean - from tapas to pizzas - to punctuate a shopping spree or give you a break from the city centre bustle. The short but well-chosen wine list is an added attraction, and there’s some serious champagne available if you’re really celebrating.
Barluga, Grey Street
Everything about the Newcastle branch of Barluga is impressive, from its home in a former bank to its sun-trap roof terrace, from its gastro-pub comfort food menu to, of course, a fine wine list. There’s several dozen wines and champagnes available, all locally sourced and from all over the world including New Zealand, Argentina and South Africa. Many are available by the glass too.
Cavavin, Westgate Road
Cavavin is a veritable temple of the grape, part of a French buying group that gives it access to a lot of specialist bottles as part of its broad and expertly constructed wine lists. Wines from Europe and beyond are available at competitive prices and often include hard-to-find wines from unlikely sources. There’s a Cavavin Wine Club and they offer wine tastings and cater for corporate events and weddings.
Hotel du Vin & Bistro, City Road
On the eastern edge of the city with its prominent site above the Tyne, Hotel du Vin is – as the name suggests – very big on wine. Whether you visit for a meal, you’re staying in one of the lush rooms or you just popped in for a drink on a summer’s evening, the wine list is long and impressive and the resident sommelier is on hand to guide you through it if you want. And their regular Wine Dinners (as recently featured here) are definitely a brilliant way to experience what their wine cellar has to offer.
Dobson & Parnell, Queen Street
The regularity with which Dobson & Parnell garners awards is a clear indication of what a high quality venture it is, and that extends to its wine list as much as every other aspect of the business. The list is extensive, full of surprises and often available by the glass to encourage you to be a little experimental. There’s a fine selection of sherries and ports too and they host regular wine tastings and wine dinners - check their events page for upcoming dates.
The Newcastle Wine School boasts a team of qualified wine educators who see it as a mission to make wine accessible, enjoyable and fun. They offer wine tastings, wine dinners, wine courses and private events in the city and beyond. The six-week Wonderful World Of Wine looks especially tempting and they offer WSET (Wine & Spirit Education Trust) courses towards formal qualifications too. Many of their events take place at historic city centre restaurant Blackfriars, so the setting will be lovely too.
Fenwick Food Hall’s Wine Room, Fenwick, Northumberland Street
The Wine Room in Fenwick Food Hall is one of the best places in the city to choose from a large and thoughtful selection of wines. It stocks bottles from all over Europe, South Africa and the New World as well as some domestically sourced lines. Keep an eye out for the impromptu tasting sessions too.
We’ve been making - and drinking wine – for about 8000 years by latest estimates, and this grape-derived deliciousness shows no sign of falling out of favour. So whether your tastes are for the traditional, the innovative, the top shelf or the budget, check out our suggestions and get yourself a bottle of something special in Newcastle.
