Cosy in and catch up over a glass – or bottle…

We’re going to level with you here: Dubai doesn’t have many wine bars. Not in the traditional sense: dim lighting, cave-like walls, lots of wooden furniture and a food menu where almost every item includes some kind of cheese. But what it does have is some brilliant bars – and restaurants – with a cosy vibe and extensive wine selection.

So if your ideal date night is catching up over a glass of vino, look no further than these great wine bars in Dubai.

Boca

While Boca isn’t technically a bar, it’s a restaurant that takes its beverages seriously, and you’ll go far in DIFC to find a mixology team as talented as the ones behind the Boca bar. But we’re here to talk about wine, and downstairs at Boca is where you’ll find the cellar, complete with 200 of the finest sommelier selection of varieties. There’s both old and new world wines covered, and in keeping with Boca’s sustainability-focused ethos, the list also highlights vineyards that are sustainable and biodynamic and produce organic and vegan wines.

Boca, Gate Village 6, DIFC, daily 12pm to 2am. Tel: (0)4 323 1833, boca.ae

Cave

A blink-and-you’ll-miss-it wine bar housed inside the Conrad Dubai, Cave has been designed to mirror a dimly lit wine bar in some of Europe’s best foodie cities. If you’re taking things seriously, book the tasting room for a flight through wines from around the world, or for a more laid back evening, cosy up at one of the fireside lounges. There’s a wine cellar housed within Cave packed with an eclectic range of grapes and vintages, and it even comes with a ‘straight from the barrel’ option, for a more interactive tasting session.

Cave, Conrad Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Road, daily 5pm to 2am. Tel: (0)4 444 7444, hilton.com

Couqley

Couqley is another brilliant restaurant that’s home to a lovely wine bar. Designed to feel like a cosy French bistro with its cute corners, dim lighting and exposed brickwork, you can sip your way through a wine flight, or tuck into a cheese and wine pairing, and it almost feels like you’re in a quaint backstreet bar in Paris.

Couqley, Mövenpick Hotel, Cluster A, Jumeirah Lakes Towers, daily 12pm to 12am. Tel: (0)4 514 9339. couqley.ae

Grapeskin

One of the closest iterations to a traditional wine bar in Dubai is Grapeskin, an industrial, inviting spot found in La Ville hotel, City Walk. The wine list is packed with pages of wines to transport you across vineyards around the world, with glasses priced from a reasonable Dhs35 in their ‘by the glass’ section. They also have a dedicated ‘wines of the week’ list to encourage you to try something new, plus a section of premium bottles from the cellar which will set you back anywhere between Dhs820 and Dhs5,350.

Grapeskin, Al Multaqa Street, La Ville Hotel & Suites, City Walk, 4pm to 1am weekdays, 4pm to 2am weekends. Tel: (0)4 403 3111, livelaville.com

Oeno

One of Dubai’s most popular wine bars is Oeno, found inside The Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi. If it wasn’t blindingly obvious that Oeno was a wine bar, the rows upon rows of bottles lining the walls are a further reminder. Weekly nights include ‘You had me at Merlot’ ladies’ night with unlimited wine and sparkling for Dhs90, or In Wine We Trust Thursdays, where you’ll get unlimited cheese and charcuterie paired with wines from around the world for Dhs150 per person.

Oeno, The Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi, Al Sufouh, daily 4pm to 1am. Tel: (04) 511 7373, oenodubai.com