Wine By The Glass Menus KL
Monica Tindall
You go to a restaurant. The service and setting are fantastic. The menu is delicious. You order a few courses and turn to the wine list thinking maybe some bubbly to begin, followed by a crisp white for your first course and a heavier red with your main. Sounds a fabulous plan, right? Except, you check out the wine by the glass menu and there’s a red and a white house-pour that you could buy yourself in the supermarket for less than RM50 a bottle (and worse, they’re charging nearly that per glass!). If you’re a gourmet who loves wine, that can spoil an otherwise near perfect night out.
We always have our eye out for restaurants that take their wine menu as seriously as their food. This post is dedicated to a few places we’ve recently enjoyed with noteworthy wine by the glass menus in Kuala Lumpur. Click on the title links for more information about each restaurant.
Natalina Italian Kitchen
Focusing on affordable wine that pairs well with their food menu, Natalina Italian Kitchen has eight wines available by the glass including red, white and a bubbly. It features some well-known names such as Chianti and Pinot Grigio along with some indigenous grapes such as Primitivo and Vernaccia that are worth exploring. I am personally rather fond of the big, bold fruity flavours in Primitivo and like this one with red meat or heavier pasta dishes.
Troika Sky Dining
Importing their own wine, the team at Troika Sky Dining certainly have an advantage in being able to offer a substantiative selection by the glass. With wine lists to pair with Italian, Latin American and French food, you’ll find varietals from all over the world. And with close to 20 wines available by the glass, you are guaranteed to find something to pair with every course. We’re particularly impressed by their boutique Champagne from Lombardi and willingness to explore less common grapes in the list also.
Roberto’s 1020
Being the new kid on the block certainly has not limited the delightful range of wine offered by the glass at Roberto’s 1020. With a focus on Italian grapes, and changing regularly with the idea to expose diners to greater variety, there’s generally at least five or more on the daily menu. We’re happy to see some familiar labels but also welcome some special producers and boutique labels to explore.
Osteria Gamberoni
The team at Osteria Gamberoni not only have seven very drinkable wines available by the glass but they are also very accessibly priced. Ranging from RM 18 to RM 22, this Italian restaurant must have the best value-for-money wine list in the city. Our chosen sipping is the Scaia Bianco, Tenuta S. Antonio from Veneto (RM 22 a glass), a blend of Garganega and Chardonnay.
Wine By The Glass Menus KL – Sabayon
The team at Sabayon serve six well-chosen wines by the glass including one Champagne. Use of the Coravin system enables them to keep a couple of premium wines without worry of having to sell the entire bottle in one evening. Our pick here is the No 3 d’Angélus, 2014, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru, 3rd Vin du Château Angélus from Bordeaux, France (RM148 glass). This wine gets better with aeration, so I suggest ordering it earlier in the meal and allowing it to breathe until you reach the main course.
Five O’Clock Brasserie
The team at Five O’clock Brasserie divide their wine by the glass list into accessible and more premium selections with a total of five on the menu. If you just want to wet your lips, you can find something just as easily as those who want to sip and savour. We’re particularly fond of their collection from Abruzzo.
Delia Wines & Bistro
With the owner both importing wines AND being a winemaker himself (Laurent Robert Champagne), you’re guaranteed a well-chosen drop at Delia Wines & Bistro. Although there are only three available by the glass (red, white and rose), they’re all French and boutique and nothing that you’ll find in the supermarket. Just ask the team (or the man himself if you’re lucky) for a recommendation.
Do you have any restaurants in Kuala Lumpur to recommend that have an excellent wine by the glass menu? If you do, kindly drop us a comment below.
Find more on wine culture in Malaysia here and stay up-to-date with the latest gourmet and travel recommendations for the country here and here.