The Best Wine Bars in Toulouse
You may not have known, but Toulouse is an unsung haven for wine lovers.
Over 200 varieties of wine are produced across France, though visitors often flock to the most famous areas of Champagne, Bordeaux, Provence, and Burgundy. Now, don’t get us wrong, the wines produced at those destinations are extraordinary! But it is unfortunate that other great wine regions and tasting experiences get overlooked as a result.
Instead, stepping off the beaten track and delving into some of France’s lesser well-known wine regions can uncover some sensational wines (at very good prices!) and result in holidays spent in beautiful areas free from large crowds of tourists.
Toulouse is located smack-dab in the middle of the wine-growing region of Southwest France.
Its department of Haute-Garonne is home to many fantastic wineries, and in areas such as Fronton, you’ll find a wine tradition that stretches back to Roman times. Some of the vineyards here were planted before Bordeaux (where wine production started during the Roman occupation of Gaul!).
There is, therefore, plenty of exploring to do while staying in Toulouse (more on that later). But excellent wine and wine tastings can also be found within the city of Toulouse itself.
Toulouse offers a nightlife that is second to none. From high-end, Michelin-starred restaurants to charming hole-in-the-wall bistros, you’ll always have options in Toulouse when it comes to gossiping with friends over a drink or enjoying quality food. And within this milieu of bars and eateries, Toulouse boasts some first-rate wine bars.
So, join us as we give you the inside scoop on some of Toulouse’s best wine bars. But if you decide that you’re going to stay at home for a glass of wine or want to buy a bottle for a picnic by the Garonne river, why not read our guide to Buying Wine Like a Local in Toulouse.
Origin
Origin in Saint Etienne is a great place to start our wine bar tour of Toulouse. Not only does it boast a spectacular view of Saint Etienne cathedral, but the bar takes a creative approach to serving wine: here, the wine is on tap.
With extensive experience working at Toulousain foodie institutions J’Go and Racé, Origin’s two founders set out with the goal to showcase local winemakers and producers. And, to ensure the flavor and character of the wines are preserved, Origin serves the wine on tap, straight from pressurized bags kept in 20-liter kegs. An unusual concept, but this keeps the wine fresh and clean tasting, removing any exposure to the air and continually preserving flavor over time.
The tap selection includes three whites and three reds and allows for easy tastings and it is always at the ideal temperature. Best of all, a glass costs 5€.
The wine cellar is full of a great selection of bottles with a 90 percent focus on the Southwest and Occitanie, but the remainder explore further afield, from the Loire Valley to Spain. Visit Origin for local natural and biodynamic wines, and their regional charcuterie and cheeses to nibble on as you drink. But of course, don’t miss out on the wine on tap – you may be converted!
Opening hours: Tuesday to Saturday, 10:00 – 00:00
Address: 10 Pl. Saint-Étienne, 31000 Toulouse
Grave
According to Taste of Toulouse’s very own sommelier and wine bar tour guide, Julie, Grave is the best wine bar on this list! Situated in another iconic spot in Toulouse, Grave takes its name from the Dôme de la Grave directly opposite, on the other side of the Garonne river. Opened a year and a half ago by the names behind Bistrot 12 (also on this list!), Grave combines both a wine bar with a vibrant bistro, serving local, seasonal cuisine for both lunch and dinner. Grave is already one of our favorite dining spots, but right now, we are here to try the wine!
With an extraordinary 500 to 600 bottles of natural, biodynamic, and organic wines in their cellar, we can’t deny that Grave has an impressive wine list! From across France and beyond, there is a wine for all tastes – however, they purposely avoid famous names, simply because they want to introduce the smaller estates to a new audience.
According to Julie, a word to describe Grave is “curious” – this is how they approach choosing wines and discussing pairings, and look out for any Baccus Social Club events while you’re in the city: collaborating with Grave and Bistrot 12, this collective hosts pop-up events with DJ sets and wine tastings.
Go to Grave for their enormous wine selection and the team’s passion, and for their daily changing menu of fresh market produce – a set menu for lunch and sharing plates for dinner. Wine and dine on the sidewalk terrace overlooking Toulouse’s remarkable dôme.
Opening hours: Monday to Friday, 9:00 – 2:00, Saturday to Sunday, 15:00 – 2:00
Address: 1 All. de Brienne, 31000 Toulouse
Chez Bobonne
Chez Bobonne is a wine-bar-meets-deli-meets-restaurant, the team being experts on all things local, therefore offering regional wines, cheeses, and charcuterie, plus lunch and dinner. This is the perfect spot for apéro, the pre-dinner wine-time snack, thanks to the generous cheese and charcuterie boards, which the staff kindly explain, describing the local products chosen (including a unique fresh goat cheese flavored with violets – a beloved flavor in Toulouse!) which are all sourced from local farms in Occitanie.
Alongside the gastronomic options, there are the wines, all of which are 100 percent regional, sold by the glass or bottle. Ask the passionate owner Adrien for recommendations.
Opening hours: Monday to Saturday, 10:30 – 22:30, Sunday, 10:30 – 16:30
Address: 52 Rue du Taur, 31000 Toulouse
Soulan
A new arrival in Toulouse is Soulan, both a wine shop and wine bar, run by Gautier de Castelbajac who has worked on vineyards in California’s Sonoma Valley, Italy’s Barolo, Bordeaux’s Saint-Émilion… and if that’s not enough, he’s also worked in the Gers, anchoring his knowledge in the region.
The bar is small yet the wines come from all over France, with a particular focus on the Southwest and Languedoc-Roussillon, as well as a selection from the Rhône Valley. To accompany your drinks, Soulan serves local charcuterie and cheese boards as well as small plates in the evenings. Beloved by locals, tables of customers spill out across the sidewalk in summer. Sometimes rugby is on the TV. If you are looking for a taste of local, convivial Toulouse, look no further!
Opening hours: Monday to Friday, 17:30 – 23:00 (open Thursday and Friday from 10:30)
Address: 2 Pl. Robert Schuman, 31000 Toulouse
Nabuchodonosor
Step inside Nabuchodonosor (most commonly known as “Nabu”) and take a moment for your eyes to adjust. It is like you’re stepping back in time, the room dim, lit by huge knobbly candles eternally dripping wax. The bar itself is distinctly vintage, an old-fashioned cash register taking up the counterspace, a spotted mirror reflecting the candlelight. Nabu is a tiny wine bar, cozy and discreet, hidden down a side street in the Esquirol neighborhood. And first impressions can be deceiving – while it may look like a forgotten hideaway, in 2025, it ranked at 96 on the list of 100 best bars in Europe.
At Nabu, they serve natural wines made with minimal intervention to preserve the genuine flavor of the fruit and terroir. Offering over 100 varieties, including red, white, sparkling, and orange, Nabu sources their selection from around France and beyond including Spain, Portugal, Italy… Yet, no matter how far, Nabu’s proprietors work directly with producers to ensure the wine’s spirit is preserved.
Nabu is just as much a wine bar as it is an experience and atmosphere. In such a small space, you are bound to make new friends, which is exactly what the owners want – their idea is to share and discover new wines and exchange ideas with their clients. The space is ever-changing, customers becoming regulars and making their mark on the place. So, for a touch of the bohemian, visit the 96th best bar in Europe!
Opening hours: Monday to Sunday, 18:00 – 2:00, Saturday 18:00 – 3:00
Address: 15 Rue du Coq d’Inde, 31000 Toulouse
Bistrot 12
If you’re looking for simple, classic French dining, but with excellent wine, then Bistrot 12 in Saint-Cyprien has you covered. This brasserie is a popular destination for locals thanks to its easy-to-eat bistro cuisine and its large sunny terrace, which is an ideal spot for sitting with friends until late, sipping cocktails, beers, or one of the brasserie’s imaginative wines.
Bistrot 12 has a jaw-dropping 600 varieties in the wine cellar, meaning this relaxed bistro has a lot more up its sleeve than casual dining and a neighborly atmosphere. Ask your server for recommendations and sit back and enjoy the easy-going atmosphere of Saint-Cyprien, away from the center’s bustle.
Opening hours: Monday to Friday, 8:30 – 2:00, Saturday and Sunday from 9:30
Cave Saint-Etienne
Another recent arrival, Cave Saint-Etienne is definitely not shy and retiring with its stock of 1,000+ wines! Revitalized by Etienne Rocher, owner of the local wine shop L’Envie, Cave Saint-Etienne is a wine bar and wine shop that focuses on pairing people with a possible new favorite. Here they tell customers the wines’ stories, offer food recommendations, and make sure people really enjoy what they are drinking.
The wine shop also sells other beverages including craft beers and spirits, along with nibbles for apéro – a favorite offering is their anchovies in many different varieties (some stored in butter rather than oil). The co-owner, Romain Barutel, can boast years of experience working in the Basque Country, and on certain nights of the week, he takes over with pintxos and wines from the region.
The bar itself is small, so either take a seat in the arched wine cellar, or on a summer’s evening sit on the sidewalk terrace overlooking the spectacular Saint-Etienne cathedral.
Opening hours: Tuesday to Saturday, 10:00 – 20:00
Address: 38 R. d’Astorg, 31000 Toulouse
Café de la Bourse
Opened at the end of 2025, Café de la Bourse is a vibrant wine bar and creative small-plates bistro in Toulouse’s city center. The menu plays on the chef’s Lebanese roots, showcasing seasonal ingredients to make a great variety of dishes based on traditional French recipes. With seating both indoors and on the enormous terrace, this is a bustling spot to enjoy innovative cuisine in the heart of the city.
Not only that, but – of course – their wine list is exciting too! The names behind Café de la Bourse had a novel idea: Here, customers can enter the wine cellar itself and choose their own wine, sourcing that perfectly complementary wine for their meal, the selection including both natural and organic options. Staff are on standby for excellent recommendations and advice.
Opening hours: Tuesday to Saturday, 10:30 – 00:00/01:00
Address: 24 Pl. de la Bourse, 31000 Toulouse
Les Passionnés
Les Passionnés wine shop is also a restaurant lined with bottles; it is rustic and homely, rather like a cozy pub. Here, they serve French dishes that respect tradition but are given a modern twist, all using fresh, local ingredients.
The wine selection on offer is bold. Here you’ll find small batch productions, and wines you won’t find on the menu of your average city center brasserie, many of which are organic, natural, and biodynamic.
Located by Canal de Brienne (close to the city center but in a neighborhood mostly frequented by locals), you have a picturesque view when the dining stretches outdoors in the summer.
Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 12:00 – 14:00, 19:30 – 22:00
Marché Victor Hugo
Open every day except Mondays, from 6am to 1:30-2pm, Marché Victor Hugo is a great option for a relaxed midday drink. Its wine bars are inside the market, along with barrels or a bar to prop yourself against, but on a beautiful day, you can take your wine outside to the bar’s standing tables, and feel free to buy yourself some cheese and charcuterie from the other stalls to munch on as you drink.
Address: Pl. Victor Hugo, 31000 Toulouse
Take our Marché Victor Hugo tour to discover the best cheese and charcuterie spots in the market!
Chai Vincent
Wine shop and bar managed by our very own Julie, Chai Vincent is a Taste of Toulouse haunt! “Chai” means “wine store” in the local Occitan dialect, and in this case, it belongs to Vincent Giraudbit, whose vast experience and expertise working with wine has led him to establish many wine shops around Toulouse. All share the same atmosphere of casual, welcoming, convivial drinking, with old friends and new.
Here, you can expect to receive expert advice should you wish to buy a bottle to-go or drink it at the market. All the wines are seasonal, changing regularly, and the majority are southwestern. Chai Vincent is an institution at the market with regular daily customers; here, you can be sure to find traditional wines made by iconic winemakers.
Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 8:30 – 14:00
Maison Sarment
Comparably, Maison Sarment is considered the “new kid on the block” and their objective is to provide a taste of authenticity. The owners only offer wines from producers with whom they’ve formed meaningful working relationships.
Interestingly, customers tend to go to Sarment for more modern, natural wines than Vincent, which is the go-to for reassuring classics. According to Julie, however, the two bars sell both varieties, so this assumption simply captures the attitudes of Toulousain locals!
Opening times: Tuesday to Sunday, 8:30 – 14:00
Exploring Wines From Around Toulouse
Visiting Toulouse as part of a wine tour? Or maybe you’re based in the city and plan on arranging a trip to the countryside? Here are two of the closest vineyards you must visit:
Gaillac
50 km northeast of Toulouse you’ll find the vineyards of the Gaillac region.
With fields of grapes running along the river Tarn and around the medieval towns of Cordes-sur-Ciel and Albi, these vineyards are set in idyllic surroundings and make for a wonderful day out.
Visit the Vins de Gaillac website to learn about the 2,000-year history of wine production in the area and check for regular events, such as wine festivals, held annually within the wineries. Learn about the gaillacoise, the ancestral way that winemakers in this region make delicious, sparkling wines.
Fronton
A Toulouse vineyard always worth seeking out when traveling in the region is Fronton. Fronton wines use the Négrette variety of grape which is almost completely unique to this region.
The Négrette grapes give Fronton wines a distinctive character; powerful violet and licorice aromas first come through on the nose, but they are given balance by a delicate floral quality.
Fronton wines can be made in a variety of styles, from light and fruity to full-bodied reds with strong tannic flavors – and don’t forget the crisp, dry rosé!
Whatever your tastes, if you want to drink fantastic wine in Toulouse and its surrounds, you’ll never be left wanting – it’s a winning destination for any wine enthusiast.
If you’d like to explore Toulouse’s wine bars in the company of a certified French Wine Scholar and Toulouse local, then join us on our very own Wine Bar Tour of Toulouse.
So, now you know the Best Wine Bars in Toulouse! If you have any questions about this blog or our tours, please get in touch.
Want to continue your exploration of French food culture? Read our 5 Food Experiences in the South of France.
