Paloma, Burleigh Heads: Since opening in 2021, Paloma has become one of the Gold Coast’s most-loved sip spots. Not surprising given its lineage as the sibling venue of Burleigh Heads’ award-winning refined-dining gem Restaurant Labart, helmed by hospitality power duo Alex and Karla Munoz Labart. Its extensive selection of by-the-glass wines is curated to guide you outside of your comfort zone and discover new tastes with an ever-changing line-up of old-world wines and fun, contemporary drops like bubbly pet nats and skin-contact varietals.
Fig + Frankies, Broadbeach: Down an unassuming laneway in the heart of Broadbeach lies Fig + Frankies, a quaint, peach-hued hang spot. Offering a concise cellar list, curated by award-winning bartender Tom Angel, with a lean toward natural wines, and delicious dining options designed to be enjoyed with a drink in hand like haloumi tacos, sardines with sourdough, spicy Korean cauliflower and killer charcuterie boards.
Little Vine Room, Currumbin: Intentionally cosy and intimate, Little Vine Room is a quaint 30-seater neighbourhood wine bar slinging build-your-own charcuterie boards, toasties and tipples. It offers a succinct selection of predominantly Australian drops with a couple of international cameos including a prosecco from Italy and champagne from France. You needn’t boast extensive wine knowledge, as the friendly staff are only too happy to help recommend something based on your tastes.
Scott’s Luncheonette & Bar, Palm Beach: Laid-back beachside eatery Scott’s Luncheonette & Bar specialises in three things – really excellent sandwiches, coffee and wine. A venture from award-winning mixologist and booze pioneer Perry Scott, who has shaken and stirred sips for some pretty famous faces around the world throughout his 20-year hospo career, ir boasts a fun and ever-changing selection of wine ranging from punchy pet-nats to chilled reds with a contingent of biodynamic, organic and Australian vino.
Carafe Wine, Southport: Part educational facility, part tasting room, Carafe Wine is on a mission to make us rethink the way we drink and embrace a ‘wine without waste’ philosophy by introducing wine on tap and refillable bottles. Before you get too intimidated by its bona fides, know that Archie Cox has channelled decades of experience into a venue that celebrates the fun of wine. He recalls being told that there are only two types of wine – the kind you like and the kind you don’t.
Bar Evelyn, Coolangatta: Bar Evelyn brings a little taste of Melbourne to the southern Gold Coast, a moody and intimate wine-centric pizza bar with a diner-style fit-out dishing out pasta, pizza, snacks and share plates including pickled mussels with cucumber paprika oil and parsley, eggplant dip with a rim of fresh cucumber served with flatbread and seared beef tonatto with tuna sauce, pickled shallots and dill. Wash that down with a delightful line-up of new-wave wines including sparkling, white, rosé, orange and red.
Rosella’s, Burleigh Heads: Nestled along the Gold Coast Highway in the heart of Burleigh Heads, Rosella’s is an Australiana-themed bar that gives a modern take on childhood nostalgia, with a good dose of tongue-in-cheek humour on the side, offering refined representation of iconic Australian cuisine like Vegemite sambos and Bunnings-style snags with the use of native Australian ingredients. As you’d expect, the cellar list is all Australian, with a lean toward natural and minimal-intervention varieties from small-scale producers.
The Wine Barrel, Mudgeeraba: A family-owned and operated hidden gem, The Wine Barrel brings exceptional food and wine with a focus on local and free-range produce. Its rustic interior nods to the suburb’s history as a logging town, with recycled old railway sleepers, 25-year-old wine barrels and an entire wall of logs creating a warm and welcoming space. The wine list is extensive with local and international whites, reds, fortified and dessert drops on offer.
Destino, Sanctuary Cove: A homewares haven by day and sophisticated cocktail and wine bar by night, Destino features a seriously stunning aesthetic of white breeze blocks and raw timber. All of the fixtures and furnishings are available to order so you can decorate while you drink. For its wine list, Destino specialises in drops from far-flung places including Italy, France and Spain as well as some local favourites from Australia and New Zealand.
Social Eating House + Bar, Broadbeach: At its heart, this long-running Broadbeach institution has always been based around the idea of being a space where people could come together and break bread – hence the name Social. No wonder it’s invested in a sophisticated selection of social lubricants, with wine offerings including reds, white, sparkling and champagnes, rosé, amber and orange, and chilled reds like South Australian Koerner grenache vermentino and Laurent & Hugo Thevenet gamay from Beaujolais, France.
La Bella Cellar, Burleigh Heads: It would be easy to walk right by La Bella Cellar’s pretty white-brick entryway framed by mosaic tiles without knowing the raucous revelry going on within its cavernous space, reverberating with music and animated conversations. Dedicated to fine dining and fine wining, its cellar celebrates wines from Spain, Italy, France and Australia, all carefully curated to complement its delectable dishes.
Nineteen at The Star, Broadbeach: Sky-high dining spot Nineteen at The Star delights with its world-class fare, served with a side of exceptional views from the top level of luxury hotel The Darling at The Star Gold Coast. Its glamorous rooftop bar boasts sophisticated tipples, VIP bottle service and some of the most spectacular sunset views you’ll find while its spectacular wine cellar is brimming with around 2000 wines, each hand-selected in consultation with some of the country’s leading sommeliers.
Lockwood Bar, Burleigh Heads: True to its speakeasy style, Lockwood has no signage, is hidden in an alleyway and the door remains locked even during business hours – you have to send a text message when you’re at the front door to be let in. Inside is a cosy space decked out industrial-style with a wooden ceiling, wrought-iron bar stools and a cement-topped, timber-clad bar stocked with 140 different bottles of hand-selected spirits – around half of them whiskies. The wine list, also carefully selected, is made up of softer French and Italian drops with some local small-batch options.
The Roosevelt Lounge, Broadbeach: A glamorous vintage Americana-inspired establishment, The Roosevelt Lounge is all class from its glistening chandeliers, leather chesterfield lounges and red-velvet bar stools to its high-end range of wines, bubbles and other sophisticated sips. Practise your best swoon and sink into its intriguing, dimly lit and very intimate atmosphere.
Honourable mention: Turn your own home into a wine bar with SOMM Wine Store in Mermaid Beach. This sommelier-owned space is devoted to showcasing small-scale wine producers that focus on sustainable farming and low-intervention winemaking in Australia and abroad. SOMM’s inventory packs a punch with plenty of hard-to-find bottles from mum-and-dad makers alongside world-renowned wines. The range is primarily Australian with a heavy focus on Queensland wines with some international bottles to round out the selection.
