No limits to Austin’s wine scene: WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play, March 22-26, 2023
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As you might expect Austin is a mash-up of tradition and weird when it comes to wine. There’s plenty to like without having to go anywhere near Big Steak.
The Austin Wine Merchant: hands-down the best retail store in the market, boasting breadth, depth, and knowledgeable staff
Jeffrey’s of Austin: Fine dining with great food, terrific wine list chockfull of classics. Note-priced for a special occasion, expense account or leading money winner! A wine dinner with E. Guigal’s best was featured when we looked at the site: Ooh La La!
J. Carver’s: Go your own way in this oyster bar and steak house. Terrific well curated wine selection. If you feel like splurging, be sure to check out the Cellar List.
Red Ash: Italian-focused stablemate of J. Carver, smartly chosen Italian-leaning list also with cellar selections but some good down-to-earth options too.
Aviary is a good spot if you’re in the mood for irreverent exploration. The wine list is organized by celebrity personality. I’ll let you guess what might fall under the Jayne Mansfield category. It’s a relatively compact list but they make a real effort to seek out interesting, worthwhile off-the-beaten path options.
Birdie’s pushes the concept even further in terms of unusual grape varieties and small, low-intervention farming/wine-making. It’s a veritable “who’s who” of wines that show a well-informed yet down-to-earth sommelier’s passion. There’s also a “rare and allocated” list you can ask to see.
In addition, John assures us there’s a vibrant wine scene in Austin with many smaller restaurants that theme their lists to the food. We found this link from Infatuation Austin that seems to capture the spirit well, especially since the first entry is June’s All Day, another spot John specifically mentioned.
