Daytime temperatures have plunged to below freezing in the Ukrainian capital, and Kyivans have started to look for places to escape the winter chill with a warming drink.
A glass of wine — distilled sunshine collected during a hot summer in a vineyard — is the perfect antidote to the cold, which brings some cheer to the gloomy winter season. Here are some of the best places in the capital to enjoy a glass of good wine.
101 Wine bar
“Save water, drink wine,” reads the motto of the 101 Wine bar, situated within the Good Wine store on Mechnykova Street, not far from the Klovska Metro station. The bar has a relaxed, friendly atmosphere, and of course, lots of types of wine.
The current wine menu has over 130 types of dry, sweet and sparkling wines, including a red Italian Rosso di Montepulciano, a white French Chateau du Juge Grand Vin, and a red Spanish Mauro.
The bar is not big, seating only 22 people, but has proved very popular among Ukrainians and foreigners as well.
Although the venue opens at 12 p. m. the sommelier starts working only at 5 p. m. Visitors overwhelmed by the extensive wine list should consult them to pick out a wine that matches their taste and budget.
The bar also offers a wide range of appetizers to go with its wine, including grilled avocado with salsa, and various sorbets.
Prices: Pinot Noir — Hr 225, Chateau Grand-Mayne — Hr 2,090 per bottle, cheese set — Hr 155, beef tartare — Hr 285.
101 Wine bar (9 Mechnykova Street) 12–11 p. m. +38050 400 2257
Nevinniy bar
For those who can’t decide between a cup of strong coffee and a glass of wine, Nevinniy bar offers both. Sharing a location with the Chashka coffee house, the bar welcomes visitors with its relaxing atmosphere and good service.
Nevinniy bar currently has a selection of 23 kinds of wine, with its wine menu divided into several categories, such as light, balanced, fragrant and refreshing, full-bodied wines, and sparkling, semi-sweet and fortified wines.
According to the bar’s staff, Rose Cabernet is the most popular among visitors. The venue also serves a wide range of coffee drinks, including cold brew, flat white, and latte with halva or lavender syrup. On the appetizer menu, there are a cheese set, pies, and cookies. The bar opens at 8 a. m. for morning coffee (or wine) drinkers.
Prices: Sauvignon Blanc, Don Pascual — Hr 85 per 100 milliliters, cold brew — Hr 55, jamon with olives — 95.
Nevinniy bar (15 Shota Rustavely Street) 8 a. m. — 11 p. m. + 38093 184 8101
Vinsanto
Located close to the Teatralna Metro station, this pricier bar offers a wide selection of wines from all over the world. The venue is known for its wine-tasting events, held every Wednesday or Thursday at 7 p. m. when visitors can spend two hours trying wines from different regions. Admission to a wine-tasting starts from Hr 450.
The bar’s minimalistic design is complimented by a big community table and a chandelier made of 256 wine glasses.
With 170 kinds of wine on the menu, Vinsanto also has a wide range of food and snacks.
The menu features wines from Spain, Portugal, Germany, Austria, Greece, Hungary, and Georgia, and offers a good selection of wines from Italy, such as a white Sauvignon Blanc, a Pinot Grigio, and a Friulano.
Vinsanto also has some Ukrainian wines, such as a Chardonnay from Kolonist winery, and an Albarino from the Beykush winery.
The bar’s special lunchtime offer is perfect for those who like to accompany a meal with a glass of wine — the venue offers a glass of white or red wine for just Hr 50, Mon-Fri, 12–3 p. m.
Prices: Riesling Selection — Hr 790 per bottle, Pinot Grigio — Hr 680 per bottle, risotto with truffles — Hr 280, tuna tartare — Hr 225.
Vinsanto (20 Pushkinska Street) 3 p. m. — 2 a. m. +38067 977 9776
A bartender of the Kyiv Like a Local’s bar shows wine to visitors of the bar on Lva Tolstogo Street on Aug. 1, 2018 (Oleg Petrasiuk)
Like a Local’s wine bar
The bar is known for promoting Ukrainian wines and serving only local products. After establishing the first venue on Sichovykh Striltsiv Street in 2016, the bar owner decided to expand and opened a second Like a Local’s wine bar on Lva Tolstoho Street a year later.
The bar’s minimalistic design is complimented by its warm, dim lightning, making Like a Local’s a place to come back.
As Like a Local’s serves only local wines, the menu includes nearly 40 kinds of wines, such as Ukrainian red Malbec, Horobchiki Rose Cotnar, and Kolonist Muscat.
Apart from traditional dry and fortified wines, Like a Local’s also serves sparkling wines, including rosé with strawberry flavor, and the classic Ukrainian Artemivske “shampanskoye” sparkling wine.
Besides the 40 local wines, Like a Local’s wine bar also serves sangria, grappa and a number of snacks. Meals include hummus, pate, snails and pies to suit every kind of wine.
The most popular wines offered by Like a Local’s include Odesa Black, a dry red wine, and Ukrainian rosé wine
Prices: Pinot Noir Rose Chizay — Hr 250 per bottle, Merlot Cotnar — Hr 300 per bottle, sangria — Hr 60, homemade lemonade — Hr 50, cheese set — Hr 129.
Like a Local’s wine bar (5 Lva Tolstoho Street, 26 Sichovykh Striltsiv Street) 4–11 p. m. +38093 682 2626
Malevich
The small and friendly Malevich bar opened at the end of 2016, and soon became known for its friendly atmosphere.
The bar now has a selection of 18 wines, only local, including Riesling and Chardonnay from Ukrainian winery Kolonist, Perlyna Stepu by the Trubetskiy winery, a rosé by Cotnar Horobchiki, and a Pinot Noir by Grandee Valee.
Malevich’s selection of red wines includes Malbec and Cabernet by Trubetskiy, Merlot by Cotnar Horobchiki, Odesa Black, and others.
The menu includes a wide range of snacks, sweets, cheese sets, olives and dry tomatoes, as well as non-alcoholic beverages such as citrus lemonade and various kinds of teas.
Malevich bar arranges wine-tasting events called “The foreign guest,” where visitors can try some types of wine from abroad.
Prices: Rosé (Cotnar Horobchiki) — Hr 200 per bottle, Malbec Trubetskiy — Hr 340 per bottle, ginger tea — Hr 45, set of sandwiches — Hr 90.
Malevich (9 Yaroslaviv Val Street) 11 a. m. — 11 p. m. +38073 400 7139
Win Bar
Located at the heart of Podil, Kyiv’s historic center, this wine bar has something for everyone’s taste and pocket.
The decent wine menu includes wines from all over the world, such as a French red Chateau Fompeyre, a white Slovenian Kabaj Luisa, a Moldavian Purcari Rosé, and many others.
Win Bar also serves sparkling wines, with Italian Ferrari Maximum Brut being the most expensive, going for Hr 295 per glass.
Besides traditional sweet and dry wines, the bar also serves house wine on tap, straight from the barrel — mainly wines from Italy, Japan and France — all for Hr 75–125 per glass.
The bar also has a variety of snacks to go with the wine, including tuna or salmon tartare, antipasti, olives, cheese plate, pumpkin hummus and a number of soups and salads.
For those new to wine drinking, Win Bar’s friendly and welcoming staff is always ready to recommend something from the menu.
Prices: Kabaj Luisa Slovenia — Hr 280 per glass, Hr 1,300 per bottle, Merlot from wine machine — Hr 85, tuna tartar — Hr 240, cheese plate — Hr 595.
Win Bar (16\7 Khoryva Street) 12 p. m. — 1 a. m. +38050 424 7167
Vinostudia
This Kyiv wine bar has no local wines, only imported ones, but there are nearly 70 of them to choose from.
Vinostudia serves traditional sparkling, rosé, red and white wines from Italy, France, Spain and South America mainly, including sparkling Spanish Cava Brut, traditional Chilean rosé, and Argentinean Malbec for Hr 130 per glass.
Apart from traditional wines, Vinostudia also serves orange wine (not made of oranges, but so named for its color) such as Slovenian Luisa, and Georgian Orgo Tsolikouri and Khikhvi, all for Hr 160–200 per glass.
On its appetizer menu Vinostudia has croissants with salmon, prosciutto or dried tomatoes, as well as olives, grilled camembert cheese, snails, and hummus. The venue also offers coffee and strong alcoholic drinks.
Prices: Rosé (Chile) — Hr 80 per glass, Soave (Italy) — Hr 80, Pinot Noir (Italy) — Hr 120, Malbec (Argentina) — Hr 130, humus — Hr 95, grilled camembert cheese — Hr 135.
Vinostudia (13 Antonovycha Street) 9 a. m. — 11 p. m. + 38063 154 4845
