Tap a pin to open the venue. Gold pins are Exceptional venues.
Auckland drinks well by the glass, and the best of its wine bars prove it with lists that reward curiosity as much as loyalty. Here a glass of Central Otago Pinot Noir can sit beside Hawke’s Bay Syrah, grower Champagne or a mature Bordeaux, while the more adventurous pours run to sherry and even sake.
These 16 venues stretch from the sand at Onetangi Beach on Waiheke Island to the Viaduct waterfront. In between are the late-night energy of Karangahape Road, the neighbourhood bars of Parnell, Ponsonby and Mount Eden, and across the harbour, Birkenhead. What unites them is the thinking behind each list, and the chance to taste widely without committing to a bottle.
Exceptional
Ki Māha
Restaurant · 1 Fourth Avenue, Onetangi, Waiheke Island 1081, New Zealand
Ki Māha sits right on the sand on Onetangi Beach, Waiheke Island, and it carries the largest by-the-glass offer in this guide: 68 wines open at any one time, ranging well beyond the island. Bordeaux and Burgundy share the list with Champagne, Provence rosé and Cabernet Franc, while New Zealand bottles hold their own throughout. Island and local pours suit the setting, with Soho Family's 'Carter' Chardonnay from Waiheke and the house's own Black Label Syrah from Hawke's Bay among recent highlights. Elias Cuypers, whose palate was formed between Italy and New Zealand, steers the list on a refreshingly simple principle: the best glass is the one that suits the guest, not the rarest bottle in the cellar. Time the ferry back carefully, because a long lunch here tends to run late.
View Full DetailsOutstanding
Advieh
Restaurant · 1 Queen Street, Auckland CBD, Auckland 1010, New Zealand
Advieh takes its name from a Persian spice blend, and its kitchen at the bottom of Queen Street cooks Middle Eastern flavours with New Zealand produce. The wine list follows the same thinking. There are around 49 wines by the glass, led by local growers, with a small group of bottles from the Middle East chosen to sit beside the food, and the pairings change roughly every three months alongside each new menu. Recent pours show how thoughtful the selection is: a rare Central Otago Cabernet Franc from Te Kano's Northburn vineyard, made in a fresh Loire style; Hans Herzog's organic 'Mistral' blend of Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne from Marlborough; and Château Musar's 'Musar Jeune' from Lebanon's Bekaa Valley. Organic wines, Pinot Noir and sweet styles also feature. It suits an evening of slow, spice-led sharing plates.
View Full Details
Atelier
Restaurant · 292 Karangahape Road, Auckland CBD, Auckland 1010, New Zealand
On Karangahape Road, Atelier is the work of French chefs Kélian Monteil and Fantin Parpillat, who apply classic French technique to seasonal New Zealand produce in plates designed for sharing. The wine programme is just as restless. More than 40 wines by the glass rotate through the list, drawn from New Zealand, France and further afield, and the range runs from St-Émilion poured from magnum to pét-nats and skin-contact whites. Organic and biodynamic bottles are a clear strength: Felton Road's Bannockburn Pinot Noir from Central Otago has featured alongside Billecart-Salmon's rosé Champagne. Matt Gosset, who has written wine lists in Paris, Australia, Canada and New Zealand, brings that broad perspective to the selection. The Guide counts it among K Road's essential tables, a view Michelin shared with a Bib Gourmand in its first New Zealand edition.
View Full Details
Cibo
Restaurant · 91 Saint Georges Bay Road, Parnell, Auckland 1052, New Zealand
Cibo occupies a former chocolate factory in Parnell, set back from Saint Georges Bay Road with a private courtyard, and it has been a fixture of Auckland dining for more than three decades. That longevity shows in the cellar. There are 52 wines by the glass, and the list ranges from Alsace, the Loire, the Rhône and Bordeaux to Rioja, Ribera del Duero, Super Tuscans, the Barossa and Margaret River, with sherry, port and sweet wines at the end of the meal. Mature New Zealand reds are a particular pleasure: Te Mata Estate's 2014 'Coleraine' from Hawke's Bay has been offered by the glass, alongside a Gisborne Viognier from Clos de Ste Anne. Jeremy Turner and Brad Sullivan, with more than fifty years in hospitality between them, run the room with the ease of people who know their regulars well.
View Full Details
SOUL Bar & Bistro
Restaurant · 18 Lower Hobson Street, Auckland CBD, Auckland 1010, New Zealand
On the edge of the Viaduct Harbour, SOUL Bar & Bistro has spent close to two decades as Auckland's go-to for a long waterfront lunch, a glass after work or a late dinner on the terrace. Chef Gavin Doyle's menu puts seafood and New Zealand produce first, and the wine list is built for choice. Bottles are poured by the glass using Coravin, so the range stretches from Champagne and other sparkling wines through whites, rosé and reds to dessert wines, without anyone needing to commit to a bottle. A familiar Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc sits beside less expected picks, such as Piccolo Ernesto's Gavi from Piedmont, Stormwood's Waiheke Syrah and Paritua's Merlot-Cabernet from Hawke's Bay. The wine team of Geeling Ching, Retam Mukherjee and Zach Mullin is especially keen on unusual grapes and the stories behind them. Part of the Foley Hospitality Group.
View Full Details
The Wine Room by David Nash
Restaurant · 43/2 College Hill, Freemans Bay, Auckland 1011, New Zealand
Opened in late 2024 on College Hill, David Nash's Freemans Bay wine room spreads across several spaces: a restaurant and wine bar, a private dining room, an underground cellar, a cigar deck and a retail shop. Wine leads everything here, and the kitchen cooks to the match rather than the other way round. More than 40 wines are always open by the glass, drawn from a list of over 400 bottles that changes every month. That opens the door to pours rarely seen by the glass, including 2017 Dom Pérignon, grower Champagne, mature Bordeaux, and local Chardonnay and Pinot Noir poured next to their counterparts from abroad, such as Cloudy Bay's 'Te Wahi' from Central Otago. Sommelier Pierre Bernardeau guides guests through it, with sweet and fortified wines to close the evening.
View Full DetailsExcellent
Cassia
Restaurant · 58 Albert Street, Auckland CBD, Auckland 1010, New Zealand
Cassia is Sid and Chand Sahrawat's modern Indian restaurant, now in its third incarnation in central Auckland, where traditional spice and memory meet careful technique and first-rate New Zealand ingredients. The wine list is written with the food in mind. Its 30-plus wines by the glass lean towards fruit-forward styles that stand up to layered spice: crisp, refreshing whites sit alongside off-dry bottles with enough residual sugar to calm the heat. Alsace, Chenin Blanc, biodynamic wines, Malbec and Pinot Noir all appear, and the list makes room for real curiosities. A recent example was Grover Zampa's La Reserve Fumé Blanc from the Nandi Hills of India, served beside Peregrine's young Central Otago Pinot Noir. Sommelier Matthew Aitchison, a veteran of Auckland's top dining rooms, brings more than 35 years of experience to the floor.
View Full Details
Cazador
Restaurant · 854 Dominion Road, Mount Eden, Auckland 1041, New Zealand
Cazador has been feeding Mount Eden from its spot on Dominion Road since 1987, a family-run restaurant known for wild game, sustainable sourcing and produce from New Zealand hunters and growers. The small dining room has a character all its own, and the wine list matches it. Sherry is the heart of the drinks offer, presented in a thoughtful range of styles for anyone keen to explore one of wine's most underrated categories. Around it, the list favours small, independent New Zealand producers, with natural and low-intervention bottles alongside characterful wines from abroad. Felton Road's Bannockburn Chardonnay and a Fontanabianca Barbaresco from Piedmont have both appeared by the glass. Sommelier Camilo Deichler, trained in Santiago, was named among the country's top sommeliers in 2025 and pairs a relaxed manner with a sharp eye for food matches.
View Full Details
Cocoro
Restaurant · 56a Brown Street, Ponsonby, Auckland 1021, New Zealand
Cocoro, meaning 'heart and soul' in Japanese, occupies an old brick building on Brown Street, just off Ponsonby Road, where owner-chef Makoto Tokuyama has been cooking contemporary Japanese food since 2010. The drinks list is as much a reason to visit as the kitchen. There are 36 wines and sakes by the glass, built around New Zealand, Japan and beyond, with a particular interest in Japanese winemakers working in New Zealand. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir lead the wine side, chosen for their purity alongside seasonal dishes. The sake selection traces Japan's regional diversity, and includes premium Nabeshima sake from the chef's hometown that Cocoro alone pours in the country. Tokuyama shapes the list with sommelier Tony Suarez, named in the country's Top 100 Sommeliers, and their pairings are precise without ever feeling fussy.
View Full Details
Harbour Society at SO, Auckland
Restaurant · 67 Customs Street East, Auckland CBD, Auckland 1010, New Zealand
High above the Waitematā on Customs Street East, Harbour Society is the signature restaurant of the SO/ Auckland hotel, set high up with wide views across the harbour from early evening through to dinner. The kitchen works with New Zealand produce in a contemporary style, and the wine list mixes respected local labels with characterful international growers. Champagne is the anchor of the by-the-glass offer, with five Billecart-Salmon cuvées poured, prestige vintages among them, alongside a choice selection of French wines. Further down the list, a Loire Chenin Blanc in the sweet moelleux style from Domaine Vincent Carême sits beside FROMM's Marlborough Malbec, with Riesling, Pinot Noir and Syrah also well covered. The team of Roy Giam and Florian Berthet aims to keep wine approachable, so guests can try something unfamiliar without any feeling of intimidation.
View Full Details
Mulan
Restaurant · 10 Birkenhead Avenue, Birkenhead, Auckland 0626, New Zealand
Over the harbour bridge in Birkenhead, Mulan has served Malaysian cooking since 2016, a relaxed North Shore address for sharing plates and long, sociable dinners. Cocktails such as the Singapore Sling are part of the fun, but the wine list deserves equal attention. Mulan pours 36 wines by the glass, covering sparkling, whites, rosé, reds and dessert wines, with a strong New Zealand accent: three Central Otago Pinot Noirs, including Māori Point, plus Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc and Waiheke rosé. Bottles from France, Italy, Australia and Argentina widen the choice. The finish is unusually generous, with five ports by the glass running from Graham's Six Grapes to a 30-year-old Maynard's tawny. Sommelier Ramaiyah Balakrishnan has built the selection to sit comfortably alongside Malaysian spice and aromatics.
View Full Details
Onemata Restaurant at The Park Hyatt Auckland Hotel
Restaurant · 99 Halsey Street, Auckland CBD, Auckland 1010, New Zealand
Onemata is the waterfront restaurant of the Park Hyatt Auckland on Halsey Street, near the Wynyard Quarter, where the kitchen is guided by kaitiakitanga, the Māori principle of guardianship over the land and sea. The wine programme is one of the most ambitious in the city. More than 30 wines by the glass rotate on the list, from fine New Zealand producers to the great Champagne houses, with Champagne flights and pours from magnum on offer. The 2015 Louis Roederer Cristal served by the glass is a genuine rarity in New Zealand. The list is led by Suraj GC, twice named Best Sommelier of New Zealand and one of the ASI's rising young sommeliers in 2024. For the Guide it is one of Auckland's most serious lists, and Star Wine List also features the restaurant for its depth in Burgundy and French classics.
View Full Details
Oyster & Chop
Restaurant · Market Place, Auckland CBD, Auckland 1010, New Zealand
Oyster & Chop occupies a prime corner of the Viaduct Harbour at Market Place, a light, Hamptons-style steakhouse and oyster bar that suits long lunches, afternoon oysters and celebratory dinners equally well. The kitchen is built around dry-aged steaks and fresh shellfish, and the wine list is written to match both. There are 38 wines by the glass, covering New Zealand's leading regions alongside respected international producers, with Champagne ready for the oysters and Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah for the grill. Recent highlights include Man O' War's 'Dreadnought' Syrah from Waiheke Island and a mature 2015 Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir from Marlborough, poured with a decade of age. Chilean sommelier Bruno Arias, who represented New Zealand at the Top 100 Sommeliers event in 2025, guides guests through the pairings.
View Full Details
San Ray
Restaurant · 118 Ponsonby Road, Grey Lynn, Auckland 1011, New Zealand
San Ray brings a burst of Southern California and Mexico to the top of Ponsonby Road, cooking bistro favourites over coals and woodfire: smoky Caesar salads, steaks, woodfired chicken and Tajín fries. The mood is playful, the drinking is serious. There are 20 wines by the glass, with around twenty vermouths alongside them, and the list splits between unusual international bottles rarely found in New Zealand and a strong group from small, independent local growers. Biodynamic wines and regenerative viticulture are part of the brief. Recent pours include Ata Rangi's 'Célèbre' blend from Martinborough and an off-dry Vouvray from Vincent Carême with several years of bottle age. Sommelier Camilo Deichler, among the country's top-rated sommeliers in 2025, keeps the selection adventurous without losing the room's easy, sociable feel.
View Full Details
The Grill at Horizon Hotel by SKYCITY
Restaurant · 85 Hobson Street, Auckland CBD, Auckland 1010, New Zealand
The Grill reopened in 2024 inside the Horizon by SkyCity hotel on Hobson Street, close to the New Zealand International Convention Centre, with a classic yet modern menu of New Zealand steak and seafood. Sustainability guides the sourcing from land and sea, and the wine list keeps a firm focus on the country's premium producers. Rare and limited bottles are opened by the glass, which is where this list stands out. Trinity Hill's 'Homage' Syrah from the Gimblett Gravels, a benchmark for New Zealand Syrah, has been poured from the cellar's final bottles in the country. Kumeu River's 'Rays Road' Chardonnay from a limestone site in Hawke's Bay shows the region's citrus-driven side. Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir and Syrah make natural partners for the grill, and Chardonnay suits the fish.
View Full DetailsGreg's Hidden Gems
Est 1901
Restaurant · 224 Ponsonby Road, Ponsonby, Auckland 1011, New Zealand
Est 1901 occupies half of a heritage building on Ponsonby Road, restored with care so that the late-Victorian atmosphere still comes through: stained glass set in concrete arches, kauri floors, sage-green walls and a solid rosewood bar. It is an intimate wine and cocktail bar, warm rather than formal, and well suited to a quiet glass on one of Auckland's liveliest streets. The by-the-glass list mixes New Zealand bottles with wines from overseas, and Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, rosé and Italian wines are among its strengths. Recent pours include Tony Bish's 'Heartwood' Chardonnay and Big Sky's Te Muna Pinot Noir from Martinborough. Gracie-Mae Austin leads the floor with a friendly, confident manner. It is small, but the selection rewards anyone who likes to linger over the next glass.
View Full DetailsWine by the glass turns a single evening into a tasting flight, and the wine bars in Auckland above show how far a thoughtful by-the-glass programme can travel — from grower Champagne to bio-dynamic reds. Use the map to plan a crawl by neighbourhood, and open each venue for opening hours, the current pour list, and booking details.
The Coravin Guide reviews each venue independently, focusing on the ambition and depth of what they pour by the glass. No venue pays to be included.