One of the owners of this Roman-style restaurant owns a vineyard while another is a partner of boutique wine importers It’s Riesling. As such, the wine list is excellent, focusing mainly on organic village-made bottles that represent good value-for-money.

Best choice by the glass: Arranged by body (light, medium and full), the large selection of red starts with Montepulciano (B240) from Italy up to Cotes du Rhone (B300) from France, while the shorter white list includes Vermentino (B230) and Basa Blanco (B280).

 

 

Surprisingly, the super-high-end French fine-dining restaurant has some sub-B500 but world-class wines, picked by sommelier Benoit Bigot with a focus on biodynamic bottles from all parts of the world.

Best choice by the glass: Valdicava Rosso di Montalcino DOC 2012 (B450/glass). This Tuscan red has a smooth and supple texture with a taste that hints at dried herbs and cherries. The other touted selections by the glass are the 2012 VDP des Cotes Catalanes, Passion Blanche (B400/glass) for white and

 

 

Nestled in the old town, this colonial-style shop-house is both a brunch spot and free screening lounge. It also features a carefully selected wine list focused on small producers mostly from Italy which rotates regularly.

Best choice by the glass: The house wines start from B90/glass while Cotes du Rhone and Coteaux d’Aix en Provence come in at B140/glass.

 

 

Both the gentleman’s club-like Tables and the more casual Bar @494 are well known among wine lovers for their appealing prices. Bar @494 offers a selection of wine by the glass which starts at just B199, suited to drinkers who want to explore new bottles without paying a premium. Tables, meanwhile, boasts a more fine-dining atmosphere but still has some top-rated labels for around B300, including some great Old World bottles (still quite a rarity at this price point).

Best choice by the glass: Our picks from Bar @494 are Lindeman’s Henry’s Sons Shiraz-Cabernet (B199/glass) from the Hunter Valley in Australia for red, and St. Urbans-Hof’s Urban Riesling (B299) from Mosel in Germany for white. At Tables, the Isole E Olena Chianti Classico DOCG 2012 (B460/glass) is a medium-bodied red wine with refreshing citrusy and spicy notes, while Schlossgut Diel’s Riesling Kabinett (B480/glass) from Nahe in Germany is recommended for white.

 

 

Sommelier Marc Bittner oversees the cellar at this Japanese five-star hotel, and keeps it well stocked with interesting old and new world wines that are a rung above many other hotel offerings. The same list is available at all three of the hotel’s outlets—Yamazato, Elements and Up and Above. The latter has particularly enticing happy hours from 5-7pm, when you can claim a 20-percent discount.

Best choice by the glass: For red, Chateau Gonet-Medeville, Cru Monplaisir (B450/glass) from Bordeaux, France.

 

 

After the success of Appia, chef Paolo Vitaletti moved around the corner to serve up the most authentic Neapolitan pizza in Bangkok. The wine list is short and sweet, starting from B1,300 a bottle with much of it under B2,000. Most are organic village-made bottles from France and Italy. Though the wine comes from the same distributor as Appia, 90 percent of the list is different. Best choice by the glass: White starts with Villa Caterina Grigio (B250) from Italy and Luneau Papin Pierres Blanche (B250) from France. The recommended reds include Badiola by Mazzei (B240) and Le Volte by Ornellaia (B280), both Italian. There’s only one sparkling option by the glass, Zardetto Prosecco Brut (B240), also Italian.

 

 

Wine Pub at Pullman Bangkok King Power Hotel was one of the first specialty wine bars in the city. Thanks to its Vinoteca machine, a grand wine dispenser which preserves the flavor of open bottles, it also serves a whopping 48 different wines by the glass. This means it’s one of the few places that offers really premium wine without needing to buy the bottle.

Best choice by the glass: Highlights include Chateau de Lestange’s Cabernet Sauvignon (B275/glass), for medium-to-full bodied red, and Wairau River’s Sauvignon Blanc for white (B295/glass). Sparkling options include Prosecco Private Cuvee (B175/glass) all the way up to Louis Roederer Brut (B700/glass). 2/F, Pullman Bangkok King Power Hotel,

 

 

This casual European restaurant is backed by some serious wine guys, which is reflected in a well-curated wine list. One of the partners is Kim Wachtveitl, who owns boutique wine importer Wine Garage and also hosts the monthly wine tasting events at the Hive (Piman 49, 40/9 Sukhumvit Soi 49, 02-662-6062). Most of the list comes from the old world—France, Italy and Spain.

Best choice by the glass: Red by the glass start from B230 with choices like Merlot de la Chapelle, France, and Mourvedre Blend Epistem No. 3. The white, too, starts from B230 with three varietals—Albarino from Spain, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay from Australia.