9 new Bay Area wine and bubbly bars with sensational sips and small plates

A tasting in Napa Valley may run you $50 these days, but you can get a glass or flight of something sensational for far less at one of Northern California’s many neighborhood wine bars.

The disruptions of the pandemic didn’t keep these businesses from pushing forward, as a flurry of natural, Italian, bubbly — you name it — vino-centric bars have flourished in the past few years. Joining the ranks of classics like Residual Sugar and Va De Vi in Walnut Creek, The Punchdown and Perle Wine Bar in Oakland and Velvet 48 in Burlingame are spots including Locanda Wine Bar in Livermore and The Tasting House in Los Gatos.

And stay tuned, because there are many more to come. Walnut Creek is expecting Fizz, a Champagne bar, to open by year’s end, and Goodtime, a natural wine bar, is headed for downtown San Jose around the same time. Also in the wine pipeline: Canteen, the all-day wine bar set for Menlo Park’s Springline development.

Slug, Oakland

Riding high on the buzz of Snail Bar – and natural wines in general – Slug opened this year in downtown Oakland, promising to be its sibling’s party-time equivalent. With its DJ booth, disco ball and frequent Champagne-cork pops, it mostly succeeds — to the slight chagrin of some Yelpers who seem surprised by the late-night mood lights and pulsing music.

The wines at Slug (available by glass or bottle) are, let’s say, eclectic. One dry rosé recently on offer from California’s Shasta Cascade region “rode bareback on a wild mare through an alpine valley in bloom,” according to the manufacturer’s description, then “crawled on its hands and knees into a cozy rabbit den to wind away the night to the hoots and plucking of a better-than-average woodland-critter jug band.” Rest assured it all comes through in the nose.

The Old World is touted in extra-brut Champagnes and fascinating picks from Italy – a sparkling Sicilian rosato, for example, with a plum pinkness and minerality from Mount Etna’s volcanic vineyards. If in doubt, it never hurts to order a wine that sounds like a DJ named it, like the “Lounge Lizard” or Willamette Valley’s “Disco Made Me Do It,” a pinot noir/apple blend that’ll have you wondering why more winemakers don’t do fruit hybrids.

The dish: Upscaled European plates make for fine wine pairings, including a rustic boudin or a fluffy burrata with curls of ham, brown butter and sherry. But for a decadent treat try the filet o’ fish that improves the fast-food classic with buttery buns and sauce gribiche.

Details: Opens at 5 p.m. Monday, Thursday and Friday and noon on weekends at 102 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, Oakland; slugbaroakland.com

The Tasting House, Los Gatos

For years, Silicon Valley oenophiles flocked to 368 Village Lane for sophisticated sips. And they are again, since new owners Denise and Mike Thornberry remodeled and reopened the space long associated with Cin-Cin as the Tasting House, a chic restaurant and wine bar with a look straight out of the 6th arrondissement, from the honeycomb floor tile to the bistro tables.

And while the Tasting House is a fine name for this French-centric bistro, an appropriate tagline might be an American-inspired one, Pairings R Us. That’s because the sommeliers here — yes, there’s more than one somm — have recommended pairings for every single dish listed on the extensive menu, from the Crispy Brussels Sprouts (a French sauvignon blanc, the 2019 Domaine Hippolyte Reverdy, $28) to the Chocolate-Chocolate Cheesecake (the 2016 Tommaso Bussola Recioto della Valpolicella from Vento, Italy, $18).

Always baffled by what to order with a salad? The Bacon, Tomato & Roquefort Salad ($20) with bacon batons meets its match in a 2020 German riesling, the Forstmeister Geltz-Zilliken Butterfly ($14). What if you are craving the brie-topped Beef Wellington ($32) but don’t want to shell out $30 for the recommended Bordeaux blend? No problem. Trust the inhouse experts to make another suggestion from the impressive list of 65 wines by the glass.

The dish: Besides a contemporary French menu, executive chef/sommelier Ryan Fillhardt’s kitchen turns out Roman-style pinsas like the Brie & Sun-Dried Cherry one ($22) and Asian-inspired plates such as Yellowfin Tuna Poke ($22). Weekend brunch features Croque Monsieur ($14) and Fried Chicken and Belgian Waffles ($18). And if you find a wine or cheese on the menu that you decide you must have for home, walk next door to the Tasting House’s well-stocked market.

Details: Opens at 4 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday and 11 a.m. Friday-Sunday at 368 Village Lane, Los Gatos; www.tastinghouse.com

Locanda Wine Bar, Livermore

This new alfresco-centric Italian wine bar on Livermore’s main drag — it’s part of the local chain of Locanda  restaurants in Danville, Campbell, Pleasanton and Lafayette — has a massive wine program, with 25 selections by the glass (starting at $11) and a dizzying 75-plus by the half or full bottle ($22-$305). Together, they celebrate the breadth of varietals from this Old World region. Add in the Italian tile sign, blue umbrellas and bistro chairs, and just cue the Positano vibes.

Engage the friendly, Italian-speaking servers to help drill down on classics — wine descriptors would make this list a vine-cyclopedia — as well as lesser known wines, including dry Sicilian bianco made from the carricante grape. Or reach for the leather-bound specials menu, which rotates to highlight what they’re drinking, like a 2017 Frassinello Super Tuscan ($16), which “succeeds in combining strength, intensity and elegance.” Sì grazie.

Unlike Locanda’s full-blown restaurant menus, the wine bar’s food program is smaller, with a focus on antipasti, including flatbreads, meatballs and cheese and charcuterie plates, to go with your vino. (There are a few pastas and secondis, in case you’re hungrier).

The dish: Polpette Della Mamma, marinara-slathered meatballs with crostini ($19.95) would stand up well to that Super Tuscan, and the rotating selection of cheese and charcuterie on the Antipasti for Two ($23.95), which comes with Sicilian marmalade and olives, was a home run with our crisp, mandarin-scented vermentino.

Details: Open from 11:30 a.m. Tuesday-Sunday and from 3 p.m. Monday, at 2293 First St., Livermore; www.locandawinebar.com.

Lamella Tavern, San Jose

What’s a dark, sleek destination that comes with wine, oysters — and an architectural lesson?

Lamella Tavern, the chic lounge that opened last winter on Willow Glen’s Lincoln Avenue. The wine experts here offer a curated, ever-evolving list that features 21 selections, evenly divided among reds, whites and bubbles, selected to pair well with the menu of raw-bar delights (up to 10 fresh oyster selections a day), flatbreads and shared plates.

The bright 2020 Kobal Sauvignon Blanc from Slovenia ($12) pairs nicely with the Anchovy Antipasti ($17), general manager Synnova Bjerke says, and she recommends the 2019 Chateau la Borie, a 50/50 syrah/grenache from Vin de France, for those ordering the bestselling Fig & Cheese Flatbread, a decadent number with stracchino, gorgonzola, caramelized onion jam and dried figs, all drizzled with balsamic. Bubbly cocktails include the signature Lamella Spritz, an Amaro/Benedictine/Lillet blend with Poema sparkling wine ($13), and a citrus-y Fairest of Them All ($13).

As for the promised architectural lesson, you need only look up. The Lamella name refers to the vaulted, barrel ceiling of the circa 1940 building, a cool discovery made when the building was being retrofitted. Turns out that’s an unusual style developed in 1908 in Dessau, Germany, by city architect Friedrich Zollinger.

The dish: Owner-restaurateur Jim Stump has just launched Sunday brunch with a menu featuring Salmon Tostadas (with sashimi-grade salmon, $18) and Bacon & Egg Flatbread ($16), with arrabiatta sauce and broccoli rabe. Naturally, there will be mimosas (the good stuff, not bottomless ones).

Details: Opens at 4 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday at 1109 Lincoln Ave., San Jose; www.lamellatavern.com.

Cordial Cellar + Lounge, Castro Valley

This subterranean lounge in Castro Valley is the quintessential European-esque wine bar. For starters, it’s hidden and off-the-beaten path — in the basement of the Castro Valley Marketplace — and stylish without trying to be, from the hammered copper back bar to the framed living moss artwork made by the owner’s mom (aww).

Cordial’s wine program, which includes flights of three 2.5-ounce pours ($18-$20), come via its well-stocked bottle shop inside the marketplace. But here, tucked into a black tufted corner booth where the WiFi is strong and the pours are generous, you could easily forget about the hustle and bustle of the market upstairs.

Our tasting attendant poured a complimentary splash of something French while telling us about his recent travels to Naveran, a cava house in Spain. What we most appreciated about Cordial, besides his warmth, was the manageable list: about eight wines among the whites, sparklings and reds, including a snappy, zin-based blend called The Whole Shebang ($8) from a heritage vineyard in Sonoma.

The dish: Cordial’s food program is also concise, with a few bar bites, boards, salads, flatbreads and chef’s specials. Those tangy Marcona Almonds with Oaktown Spice Shop’s shimichi togarashi ($5) likely never met a wine they didn’t like. For something heavier, don’t miss the Five Spice Short Rib Ragu served on creamy polenta ($19).

Details: Open from 2 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday and from noon Friday-Sunday at 3295 Castro Valley Blvd., #B100, Castro Valley; www.cordialcellarandlounge.com

Be Bubbly, Napa

Open since mid 2020, this downtown Napa bubbly spot with a handsome navy bar, velvet chairs and gold accents has quickly become a locals-heavy hang out for sipping domestic and international sparkling wines in the middle of wine country.

With its indoor-outdoor vibe and cozy parklet, proprietor Erin Riley’s Be Bubbly is the perfect neighborhood spot to tuck into salty snacks paired with a flute of Champagne, Schramsberg or Slovenian rebula. Did we mention the accompanying activities that range, depending on the season, from live music to witch-themed bingo and what should be an epic Halloween party. It almost feels like your favorite community-oriented brewery and winery had a baby.