Prime Places to Pop a Cork

With the best spots for beer being covered last month, we thought it was about time to dive into the barrel, and see what was available for wine-lovers. Whatever you’ve heard on the grapevine, Tallinn is replete with nightspots where you can prioritise grape over grain. Check out some of the best options for your evening on the town, whether you prefer to be classy, fabulous or both.

Tiks (Kopli 14, Tallinn) is the kind of modern wine-bar you’d expect to see in Helsinki or Stockholm, but it’s got its own personality. The wooden building in which Tiks is situated dates back to the first Estonian Republic, but indoors, everything from the polished wooden floor to the shimmering worktops and comfortable bench seats have been renovated and refitted. The team behind Tiks have been very careful to avoid the vibe of a cliched, soulless bar, instead giving customers a cosy drinking area, adjoining a superbly-stocked wine shop. We think you might just choose to take a bottle or two of your favourites home with you.

You don’t need to walk far to extend your wine tour;  Vinoteek Vabrik (Vabriku 6, Tallinn) is one of the friendliest little bars in Tallinn, and it’s a short lollop down Vabriku Street from Tiks. Set in an old warehouse, Vabrik evokes the feeling of entering a rich uncle’s wine cellar, with the excellent, knowledgeable staff guiding you through what you can expect to taste in each bottle.

There’s no pressure on you to know anything about wine, though. If you came for a weekend break in order to eliminate choice, sit back and let the staff pick one of the perfectly satisfactory – and affordable – house wines. If, however, you want to go on an international wine adventure, there are hundreds of possibilities for you. If you find yourself there on a national holiday, and you’re very fortunate, you might even be able to join in an impromptu sing-song with the staff.

Paar Veini (Sauna 1, Tallinn Old Town) is an old favourite of ours, its three rooms bringing a party room or dance floor, perfect for DJ sets, a sizeable bar area, and little spaces for hiding and chatting with your closest friends. Paar Veini can get a little noisy on a Friday or Saturday night, but if you’re prepared to go with the flow, there’s wine to suit every pocket, from the vaguely synthetic-tasting house varieties that are on tap, up to prosecco and champagne for the high-rollers. You can enjoy wine responsibly, as the ads implore, while still having a good time, at Paar Veini.

Sometimes, you don’t want to dance. Sometimes you want your own private space, and an old-school environment where you can kick back and relax, without any of the modern distractions that make it so difficult to maintain a conversation. Gloria Veinikelder (Müürivahe 2) has been a mainstay of Tallinn tourism pretty much from the earliest times that tourists came to the Estonian capital, and it’s got the kind of heritage and class that you feel inside a Rolls Royce.

The colours are dark and the panels hardwood, as if in a stately home, perhaps appropriate given that to enter the restaurant you have to go downstairs through the city wall. The experts working at Gloria will reveal the secrets of the wine list if you ask them, and you can either take a table in the main room, or hire a private room for medium-sized groups. Should romance, or a delicate business deal, be in the air, Gloria Veinikelder is the perfect place to go in Tallinn.

Last month we focused on the places to be if you want to buy the excellent local craft beer that Estonia has to offer. Since that article, Põhjala Speakeasy has closed its doors, an unfortunate and blameless casualty of ongoing construction work in Kalamaja. Craft beer producers have also been hit by some confusing and, some believe, unnecessary, regulations brought in by the public body responsible for beer registration. One of the many great reasons to get excited about coming to Estonia is the flourishing small businesses producing craft beer. It is to be hoped that the authorities will work with these companies promoting “brand Estonia,” not against them. 

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TEXT STUART GARLICK, PHOTOS ANDREI CHERTKOV

Stuart Garlick is a journalist and English language teacher based in Tallinn. Since 2012, his blog, Charm Offensive, has covered food, music and fashion in Estonia.

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