While the Big Easy is known for Daquiris, Hurricanes, and Sazeracs, there are a surprising number of places you can enjoy wine in New Orleans.
If you're not interested in cocktails on Bourbon Street, check of one of the spots listed below to drink a nice wine and relax in a less hectic setting.
French Quarter
You don’t even need to leave the French Quarter to find good wine in New Orleans. Just one block off of Bourbon Street is the Orleans Grapevine Wine Bar & Bistro. This casual bar serves over 375 different types of wines by the bottle and 65 wines and champagnes available by the glass.
When Bobby and I visited New Orleans last June, this spot provided a welcome break from the heat and crowds. We each enjoyed a flight of wine. I got the Old World flight, while he ordered the Pinot Noir flight.
We happened to walk in during its bacon happy hour, which includes free bacon served with your wine. It happens daily from 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm and 10:00 pm – midnight.
Pro tip: ask about the stuffed olives. We saw the bartender preparing these while we were there, and they looked awesome. Bobby tried one - it was full of cheese and tasted great.
Carrollton
Another great place to drink wine in New Orleans is Oak – a wine bar in the Carrollton area of New Orleans. We wandered into Oak to avoid the rain after finishing the Big Easy Food Tours in the same neighborhood.
Oak offers a variety of food and drink options. If we hadn’t just taken a food tour, I’m sure we would have opted to try some of its small plates.
If you’re in the area, it’s a great place to stop in for a quick drink. Oak offers a slightly different atmosphere compared to nearby New Orleans classics such as the Maple Leaf Bar or fun dives like Snake and Jake’s – both worth their own visits!
Bywater
East of the French Quarter, the Marigny and Bywater are neighborhoods you definitely want to check out. Full of tons of interesting art and eateries such as Studio BE and The Country Club, this part of New Orleans has a lot of offer. These neighborhoods are also adjacent to Crescent Park, which offers my favorite views of the New Orleans skyline.
Pro tip: Feel free to ask for your wine in a To-Go (or To-Geaux) cup. New Orleans does not enforce open-container rules the way much of the United States does. Drinking in public is perfectly fine, if not encouraged. As long as you’re not using a glass container, you’re in the clear. (Pun not intended 😉).
Based on its setting alone, I recommend Bacchanal to any NOLA visitor who prefers life a little laid back. Bacchanal advertises itself as a “wine laboratory where food, music and culture collude with Holy Vino to create the most unique evenings you will ever experience in New Orleans Ninth Ward.” It features a wine shop in the front, but the backyard is where Bacchanal truly shines.
Visitors can enjoy wine and snacks on the back patio, and live music is offered daily. The patio is full of flowering plants and mismatched furniture. Although it was fairly empty when we arrived on a Friday afternoon, Bacchanal is packed on weekends and evenings (as seen in the photo above), especially in good weather.
Bacchanal is also not far from the Lower Ninth Ward Living Museum, an important place to learn the history of the Ninth Ward both before and after the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina.
Mid-City
The Bayou Wine Garden is a great find in Mid-City, just a block off Bayou St. John. It shares owners and a back patio with the Bayou Beer Garden, providing options for whatever you’d like to drink.
This spot offers multiple wines and beers on tap, as well as a long menu of drinks available by the glass or in bottles and cans.
The bar frequently holds crawfish boils, private parties, and other fun events. It also features multiple large-screen TVs, which makes it a great place to watch sports.
Irish Channel/Touro
Located right on St. Charles is another one of my favorite spots to drink wine in New Orleans – The Delachaise.
This is actually one of the first bars I went to when I moved to New Orleans. Located less than a mile from my apartment, it offers a low-key setting that’s perfect for a date night or catching up with friends.
If you’re coming from the Quarter, Delachaise is an easy trip to make on the streetcar. Stop by this cute spot to try one of over 350 wines and French fries that have been voted the best in Louisiana for over five years.
New Orleans is a city with an amazing amount of history, culture, food, and drinks to offer. Living there for a year, I still barely scratched the surface. The options listed above are just a few of the hidden gems where we’d suggest finding wine and other beverages in New Orleans.
Please feel free to contact us directly at info@winewithourfamily.com for more suggestions on what to do and where to go during a trip to the Big Easy.