Life is too short to drink bad wine

Portuguese wines are high in quality yet low in price, and Lisbon is the only capital in the world located in a wine-producing region that bears the same name. Astonishingly, there isn’t an abundance of good places in town serving wine by the glass. Luckily, they are increasing in number and calibre. Here are some of our favourites.

Chez Chouette ALVALADE

Chez Chouette is a wine bar and grocery shop selling French and Portuguese products that Leopoldo Calhau has opened in Alvalade. The name is tonguein-cheek based on the French expression “C’est chouette”. “They use this expression when something is nice, lively, cool, trendy. That’s what I want.” He designed the whole thing in petroleum blue on the bar, tables and shelves. The simple menu is handwritten on white tiles.àRua Acácio de Paiva, 20A. +351 214 098 817. Mon-Fri midday-7pm.

O Pif ANJOS

A French lawyer, an eyeopening trip and an unexpected passion. This sums up the story of O Pif, the latest wine bar in the Anjos district. With rosé, red, white and sparkling wines, O Pif offers more than 20 labels. They are all Portuguese, organic, from small wineries and hand-picked by Adélaïde Biret. Sold by the glass (starting at €4), the wines come to the indoor and outdoor tables with a bottle of water and some seasoned olives. Other snacks include cheese, home-made burrata, rillettes and pickles and uncured black pork sausage with kimchi, all of which are served with a basket of fresh bread from Terra Pão. → Rua Maria, 43A. +351 911 752 752. Tue-Sat 5pm-11pm.

A Viagem das Horas ARROIOS

Wine, tapas, plants and vinyl are the watchwords at the place voted Time Out Best New Bar in 2021. Sit outside at Viagem das Horas in Arroios, where music is always on tap to entertain you, mostly played by its founder Ricardo Maneira, better known for his night job as DJ Rykardo. The produce is hand-picked. Choose from cashew or almond vegan cheeses all the way from Artisan & Chef ’s Table in Aljezur or products from Arroios Market and Terra Pão bakery just down the road. The wines are all organic, from small wineries. There’s a happy hour on Wednesdays. → Rua José Ricardo, 1. +351 937 012 163. Tue-Sat 5pm-11pm.

Lisbon Winery AVENIDA

A wine tasting centre and bar with its own 16th century cistern, which is part of Lisbon’s archaeological heritage. It houses over 100 small-batch Portuguese wines, the cheapest of which will cost you €5 (per glass). Pricier choices include Port or Madeira wines. You can also order a whole bottle, which is the wiser option if you go with a group of friends. Enjoy it in true Portuguese style, with a cheese and charcuterie assortment. Alternatively, opt for the premium tasting menu (€85), which includes specialist commentary, five top Portuguese wines by the glass, six different varieties of artisanal cheese, six types of cured Alentejo-sourced pork sausages, pata negra longcured ham, bread and olive oil tasting. → Rua Rodrigues Sampaio, 18A. +351 919 292 151. Mon-Sat midday-11pm, Sun 3pm-10pm.

SEM Restaurant & Wine Bar CASTELO

The most daring and original project of 2021 appeared in Castelo, one of the neighbourhoods in Lisbon where it’s hardest to have a great meal. The end result of a BrazilianNew Zealand couple’s vision, SEM was the most surprising restaurant of the year, deserving the Time Out Award for Best

New Restaurant. Here, we are in midst of signature cuisine, very technical and aesthetic, without ever losing sight of flavour. The restaurant only serves a tasting menu, but you can order à la carte at the wine bar next door. Try one of the natural wines (with low intervention) to go with it, such as Menina d’Uva. → Rua das Escolas Gerais, 10. +351 939 501 211. Wen-Sun 7pm-midnight.

By the Wine CHIADO

This bar also houses a restaurant, but the counter has our heart. It is one of the best places in Chiado to have a glass of wine early in the evening, and undoubtedly one of the coolest. Sixteen high stools face a shelf of about 40 different José Maria da Fonseca wines that are served by a dozen young waiters, all of whom have trained in the wineries of Azeitão. The selection in the €3 to €5 range is commendable. Don’t shy away from asking for assistance. And notice the decor, particularly the bottle-laden ceiling (3267 bottles, to be precise, according to someone who spent a long time counting them). You can couple the wine with just the olive oil, olives, tomato passata and delicious rustic bread included in the couvert (€4.50). But dare try a prego do lombo (€14) or the Alentejo half cured cheese (€7). You may end up staying for dinner. → Rua das Flores, 41/43. +351 213 420 319. Mon-Fri 7pm-midnight, Sat-Sun 1pm-midnight.

Ressaca Tropical SANTOS

The décor, with straw, plants, fans, iceboxes and bikes takes us to tropical destinations, though we’re actually in the centre of Lisbon. Instead of caipirinhas, we have natural wines. We’re at Ressaca Tropical, a wine bar that opened in Rua das Gaivotas in April last year. It offers Portuguese and imported wines from small and medium producers and the selection is renewed from time to time. There are also craft beers, such as Portuguese OPO 74 (€3.50), and cocktails from the also Portuguese Bis Bis (€8). All this to wash down snacks, such as a cheese or smoked sausage board (€15). → Rua das Gaivotas, 23. Sun-Wed 5pm-midnight, Thu-Sat 7pm-2am.