wine bars and/or good wine shops

[mknisl1]

heading to new orleans this weekend and hope to be down there more often in the coming year. i know the cocktail is a cherished art form in your city and there is no shortage of places to indulge in them. but i'm wondering if there are any wine bars that you would recommend?

furthermore, any good wine shops - with well-selected stock and owners/staff who seek out new/interesting wines for their customers? i don't want some corporate shop with nothing but veuve clicquot and santa margherita.

thanks in advance.

[Littleman]

I think Martin's has the finest selection of wine in NOLA. I have been going there since it was Uptown on Baronne. I first went there in the early 1970's. They lost that store to Katrina and opened a small store on Magazine. There's a nice store in Mandeville and one in Baton Rouge. The best IMO is in Metairie. That location has an outstanding deli serving from 9/6 I think. Be sure and try it if possible. Ask for Cedric Martin. He's a great guy.

Martin's Wine Cellar @ 714 Elmeer Ave., Metairie, LA 504 - 896 - 7300.
http://www.martinwine.com/

[sanglier]

To amplify the comments on Martin Wine Cellar: seek out PJ at the Metairie location. He does a good bit, if not all, of the buying for that store, and he has upgraded the more "funky" offerings, such as Chinon, Bourgeil, and other reds from the Loire Valley, "orange" wines from Italy (white wines that are purposely oxidized, hence the color, but highly original and complex), and a host of other fun things. And the wonderful deli department makes a trip out there worth your time...

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Martin Wine Cellar
3827 Baronne St, New Orleans, LA

[J3107]

Edible complex hit all the major players for good local wine shops.

A few more wine bars to include would be Salu which recently opened on Magazine with about 35 by the glass and OAK on Oak Street which has some interesting by the glass options.

I second the Delachaise and WINO as two of the best wine bars in the city and WINO does double duty as a full wine shop as well.

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Delachaise
3442 Saint Charles Ave, New Orleans, LA 70115

[mrsfury]

W.I.N.O. is nice and it's in the Warehouse District. Don't limit yourself to the front of the shop. Check out the rear of the store too, where they have wine racks with a nice selection of bottles for sale. Walk around the neighborhood. The old buildings are beautiful.

[midcity]

My favorite wine bar is the Delachaise [make sure you get the fries]. I like the W.I.N.O. experience--you get a little charge card and then go to taps on the wall to try 1, 2 or 4 ounces of the wine of your choice--but the help is sometimes less than helpful. The clerks at Martin's Wine Cellar always have good advice.

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Delachaise
3442 Saint Charles Ave, New Orleans, LA 70115

[edible complex]

Cork n Bottle/Clever Wine Bar
Elio's Wine and Spirits
Vieux Carre Wine and Spirits
Wine Seller
W.I.N.O. (Wine Institute of New Orleans)
Martin Wine Cellar
Bacchanal

cheers!