The Coravin Guide connects people with restaurants, wine bars, and sommeliers offering top-quality wines by the glass. Photo / Supplied
First, there was the Michelin Guide, which spotlighted some of Aotearoa’s finest restaurants and top sommeliers. Now, there’s The Coravin Guide to the best places to drink wine by the glass.
The inaugural Coravin Guide was launched in New Zealand this week at Soul Bar & Bistro in Auckland. And
while it may not have the historic prestige of the Michelin Guide, it’s good news for wine lovers.
The overarching theme of the guide is simple: when it comes to wine, enjoy variety rather than volume.
It’s one that makes me pine for the days of Abitrageur Wine Room & Restaurant in Wellington, which put its finest foot forward from 2003 until 2013, when earthquake damage forced owner-operators (and talented chefs) Chris Green and Clay Toomer to close. Damned quakes. That place had an incredibly inspiring range of wines by the glass and got more than its fair share of flak for aspiring to slake the thirst of wine-loving diplomats, Wellingtonians and visitors with its exceptional range of wines by the glass from around the world. The Arbitrageur would be a dead cert for ‘Outstanding’ in the Coravin Guide to New Zealand.
The Auckland launch event for The Coravin Guide New Zealand on October 20, 2026 at Soul Bar. Photo / SuppliedAdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.
Venues are assigned one of three categories, depending on how many wines they offer by the glass. “Excellent” for 20-40, “Outstanding” for 41-60 and “Exceptional” for more than 60. There is also a category called Greg’s Hidden Gems, named after Coravin founder Greg Lambrecht, which highlights smaller venues that The Coravin Guide creators regard as having creative or inspiring wine lists.
Lambrecht says The Coravin Guide was born from the same philosophy that led him to invent Coravin more than a decade ago.
“Wine by-the-glass should be about discovery, not limitation, and is literally why I invented Coravin. Too often people feel they need an occasion to open a special bottle, or they miss out because a full bottle feels like a commitment. The Coravin Guide gives wine lovers the freedom to find venues that share that same philosophy, where you can taste, explore and savour wine one glass at a time.”
As a wine enthusiast, it’s easy to get on board with the concept. We all need more variety than what is on offer much of the time. How many wines by the glass have we seen that cost an uncannily similar amount by the bottle, had we chosen to venture to the supermarket rather than the same-same bar or restaurant?
Coravin’s chief commercial officer, Richard Yeomans, says the key reason for launching The Coravin Guide is to give people the chance to try top-quality wines without committing to a full bottle.
“Economics and moderation is part of it too, whether that’s driving home or simply choosing one great glass over several average ones,” says Yeomans.
It’s why I can get on board with this guide instantly: even if I want two or three glasses of wine when eating, it’s extremely unlikely I want to drink the same wine in each glass. I adore wine so I want to explore it. That means embarking on a journey of discovery in the glass.
Yeomans says the response from the hospitality industry has been excellent.
“We went live with more than 25 venues at the launch and have plenty in the pipeline to expand. That tells us New Zealand venues are proud of their by-the-glass programmes and want people to find them.”
The timing seems uncanny, given the arrival of the inaugural Michelin Guide mid-year, which is continuing to boost restaurant business around the country.
The question is: will The Coravin Guide see the same uptake in by-the-glass wine drinking? And will it boost sales of wine by the glass in restaurants nationwide?
According to Coravin’s research, more than half of those who dine out and order wine are ordering by the glass more often than two years ago. Rather than committing to a full bottle, consumers increasingly want the flexibility to try different wines throughout a meal and higher-end wines that might otherwise sit outside their budget.
“The biggest change is that people are drinking less, but drinking better, and they want to explore,” says Yeomans.
So, how does The Coravin Guide help you find places where wines by the glass are plentiful, diverse and affordable?
For a start, The Coravin Guide is available online. Its overarching theme is categorising venues and wine experiences into volumes of wines. There are 25 venues across the country in the inaugural New Zealand Coravin Guide. These include Cassia in Auckland; Odeon in Christchurch and Rātā in Queenstown, all of which were also recognised in the 2026 Michelin Guide New Zealand.
Odeon Restaurant. Photo / Supplied
Restaurants and bars with extensive by-the-glass wine lists have traditionally faced challenges. Once a bottle is open, it typically needs to be consumed within two to three days so the wine is enjoyed at its best rather than turning volatile (a strong risk with reds) or oxidising (reds and whites). One of the biggest game changers has been the invention of the Coravin. For those unfamiliar with it, the Coravin is a device that allows bottles of wine to be opened without removing the cork (or screwcap, as the case may be). Coravin technology (a needle with a hole in it) allows wines to be poured without opening the bottle in the traditional fashion, giving restaurants greater confidence to offer high-quality wines by the glass without worrying about wastage.
The Coravin Guide is a natural extension of that technology, says Yeomans; however, a hospitality venue does not need to use a Coravin device to be included in the guide.
Yeomans says New Zealand’s inclusion reflects the country’s growing reputation as a wine-producing and wine-consuming destination.
What about the global decline in wine consumption? Even if many people are consuming less wine, those drinking it are showing a greater appetite for experimentation, with tasting flights and curated experiences selling well in wineries around the country.
If The Coravin Guide can offer one thing, it’s options. The option to experiment regularly, not only on special occasions but during the week when one interesting glass might be tastier and more pleasurable because it transports you for a moment to Greece or Armenia or Portugal or France’s southern Rhône Valley.
Why be stuck on a single favourite when there’s a whole world of wine to explore – and better quality than ever before from Auckland to Central Otago?
