15 Best Wine Bars In Denver According To A Local (Tasting Table)
Sarah O'Phelan
November 11, 2024
Colorado has long been praised for its thriving craft beer scene. There are currently over 400 breweries operating in Colorado, an active home brewing community, and anyone with an Instagram account has, at some point, come across the obligatory snapshot of a group of friends clanking cans of Fat Tire together after a trek through the mountains. What about a thriving wine scene? What are the 15 best wine bars in Denver?
However, I soon discovered that Colorado has an impressive wine culture as well — Denver boasts way more wine bars than one might think. There’s an abundance of wine bars clustered in trendy neighborhoods like RiNo and South Broadway, but honestly, I’ve found almost every neighborhood I’ve investigated houses at least one — so I made it my mission to uncover the absolute best, from hotspots to hidden gems. Through personal experience, friends’ recommendations, and suggestions from social media, I’ve curated the following list to represent my absolute faves in Denver.
Noble Riot
Smack in the center of Denver’s vibrant RiNo neighborhood, Noble Riot is one of the best natural wine bars in the US and serves up some of the greatest fried chicken in town. This Denver wine bar has made its mark on the city with an elevated yet unpretentious space, hip clientele, an exquisite menu, and special class and activity offerings.
Noble Riot serves up a small beer selection, but the main focus is a variety of natural, organic wine selections; most of which hail from Italy and Colorado. The food menu is a build-your-own-board situation, allowing diners to choose from a variety of small plate faves like burrata with balsamic, olives and chips, or a selection of tinned fish. Between the focus on unique natural wines, the inviting space, and the elegantly simple menu, Noble Riot is a must-visit for any wine lover in Denver.
Sunday Vinyl
At Sunday Vinyl, the word “vintage” encompasses more than just wines and functions as a laid-back retro wonderland amid the hustle and bustle of 16th Street Mall. Records are stacked behind the bar area, and musical classics spin on a turntable while classic wines are poured by the bartenders. Wine-by-the-glass options are plentiful, and thousands of wines are sold by the bottle — the full list is 30+ pages and breaks down basic categories like “whites” into subsections like “whites, brisk and edgy” and similar.
Despite Sunday Vinyl’s throwback theme, the interior space has a contemporary feel, and the food menu reflects the overall concept: It’s ripe with modernized versions of classic dishes like a spin on chicken cordon bleu or croquettes served with Manchego and Iberico pork. Rather than the standard “appetizers, entrees, and desserts,” the menu is divided up into clever, musically themed sections: Opening tracks (appetizers), chilled beats (salads), headliners (entrees), harmonies (sides), and of course, dessert.
Carboy Winery
Believe it or not, plenty of wine connoisseurs believe that high-altitude wines taste better than those from lower altitudes due to factors like soil quality, sunshine exposure, and temperature of the region. Colorado vintner Carboy Winery would certainly fall into that camp. Carboy produces sustainable wines that showcase the distinct terroir of the beautiful state.