The 12 best Barcelona wine bars

If you've got a sophisticated palate, you won't want to miss a visit to Monvínic, the brainchild of Sergi Ferrer-Salat and a wine bar/restaurant that has become iconic over the years. Even more so since Ariadna Julian took over in a kitchen that cooks up exquisite dishes in every sense. In addition to the wine bar (the cellar boasts 3,000 varieties), restaurant and award-winning decor, there's also a library, lounges, and the privileged chef’s table in the kitchen. 

In the pleasantly cool, shadowy interior of Can Cisa, you can appreciate the care that’s gone into the restoration of a neighbourhood bar. Their reverence for the tradition of buying wine from the barrel, plus some local pressure, persuaded them to combine a classic bodega at the entrance, with a wine bar at the back. They stock 300 wines, all from organic or bio-dynamic producers around the world, creating the feeling of a local old-style tavern that sells vermouth by the litre.

You'll find this bodega in the heart of the Born. It's got a great national and international selection and is one of the biggest wine distributors in Europe. If you want to do a wine tasting, you can settle in at one of the four tables and follow the recommendations of Eva Vila. The Pétalos del Bierzo wine was as subtle as I’ve ever had, and it paired incredibly with both the cheese and meats I tried as well. Yes, they also have a great food section: Vila Viniteca is one of those places where you can indeed taste the world: the world of fine wines, refined cheeses, and select cured meats.

After visiting Venice, a couple of friends decided to set up their own wine bar in Barcelona that runs on the same philosophy as our neighbouring country, opening a place where you can drink wine and have a nibble. The love of Italian culture is evident here, where they wines from around Spain as well as a good selection of Italian wines they like, and the popular Venetian spritz. If you want to stick around and have some goat's cheese croquettes or Iberian ham with your bottle, you'll have to pay a small corkage fee, a point where this spot differs from its Italian counterparts, who happily pile more and more food on the bar or your table at no extra charge.

At L'Ànima del Vi, they only work with natural wines with no additives that have managed to avoid chemical interference and human manipulation to reach your palate in their purest state. You can also get some great eats here, like the amazing octopus and potato salad or a delicate duck pâté. You're in an elegant Catalan-French mash-up.  But their passion for natural wines is what really makes the collection at L'Ànima del Vi something of a majestic exhibition of varieties that sometimes, unfairly, diminishes the role of the small treasures from the kitchen in the back. 

La Vinoteca Torres, the wine bar from the viticultural giant with an organic soul, has a goal to be known as a pleasant and cosy place, which stands out for its top gastronomy and harmony with the wines. And so it is: the menu is full of dishes that are easy to pair, well thought-out and tasty, with a nod to Penedès products – a big hit is the chicken from Vilafranca, glazed with shallot and carrots. And the wine list has a thousand varieties by the glass or by the bottle that you might not be able to taste in just one visit.

Lovers of good wine and tapas will be happy here. At Els Sortidors del Parlament they offer a stunning selection of wines from around the world, with a good range of varieties from Catalonia, all at shop prices and with a corkage charge of around €5. Propped against a barrel, you can enjoy a drink with selected cured meats and tinned products, and unusual tapas such as the quail egg omelette with black truffle oil.

At the Casa Mariol Wine Bar, which is part of the bodega of the same name, you'll have the chance to get to know Suau, which is a version of a drink (a blend of soda and coffee) that was popular in the Ribera de l'Ebre region decades ago. You can also taste cask wines from the Ebre, accompanied by a nice 'clotxa' (bread stuffed with herring, onions, tomatoes and garlic), and then top it all off with delicious cakes from Batea (a town also in the Ebre).

Just next to the Passeig del Born, El Diset boasts a wine list with over 60 Spanish wines, as well as bottles from France, Italy, Germany and Portugal. You're surrounded by bottle-filled fridges with all the colours in the wine rainbow: white, rose, red and sparkling. And conveniently enough, this is one of the few places in Barcelona ​​where you can taste champagne by the glass, without having to buy the whole bottle. They have a good idea of what value means, and the snack menu doesn't come up short, featuring good matches for whatever you fancy, including artisanal cold cuts and cheeses, Iberian ham, foie, Galician octopus and other delicacies.

Bar Salvatge is an innovative and popular spot with the aim of sharing the culture of natural wine with everyone. They offer wine by the glass at fabulously refreshing prices ranging from €2 to €6. The wine is served out of eight rotating tapped barrels, plus one filled with Rubén Parera vermouth. Parera also happens to be responsible for the interior design, which features plenty of wood, beautiful posters of wine fairs, and a wild neon sign on the ceiling that bathes the place in light. They also offer a good selection of snacks to keep something in your belly.

What makes this spot one of a kind are its 250 stratospheric wines from all over the world. We cannot responsibly say that most of the wines come at an affordable price, but there are at least some cheaper options that taste just as good to the untrained palate. A glass of mint-leaf burgundy goes for €97. But the fact that you can get a glass without having to buy the entire bottle is thanks to the Coravin dispenser they've got, which allows the wine to be extracted without opening the bottle. And for an affable €3 you can still try excellent wines such as Vinyes Velles 2014 Ferrer Bobet.

This Gràcia wine cellar par excellence has earned its reputation with more than 25 years of bringing the exciting world of wine to connoisseurs and new fans. In addition to its extensive wine cellar, another strength is that they organise tastings and pairings.