Wine in restaurants is always complicated: Are you making the right choice? Is it a good deal? Right now, though, is actually a terrific time to buy wine from restaurants.
Changes in local laws prompted by COVID-19 have allowed restaurants and bars in Massachusetts to sell wine and beer via takeout and delivery, so long as food is also purchased. With venues making everything from rare cellar picks and to natural wines available for pickup, it’s a special win-win for wine lovers. You can support a restaurant you love while getting a bottle for dinner. (Generally, all also offer food for takeout and delivery. And we have a separate guide for restaurants selling groceries.)
Here’s our guide to some of the top Boston-area restaurants offering wine for sale.
ALCOVE
The Mediterranean-inspired spot near North Station is selling a small selection of wines, including half bottles of rosé, plus regional craft beers, ciders, and cocktail mixes for margaritas, bloody marys and more. Order here.
BUTTERCUP
As part of its takeout and delivery menu, menu, the Natick restaurant is selling a wide selection of imported and domestic wines including California gamay from Edmunds St. John and txakolina from Ulacia. Order here.
CELESTE
Union Square’s Peruvian favorite has made its small but interesting selection of natural wines available for takeout, which includes bottles from Californian and Pacific Northwest makers as well as Maine’s Oyster River Winegrowers. Celeste is also selling homemade chicha morada, a non-alcoholic drink brewed with purple corn, apples, cinnamon, pineapple, clove, molasses and lime. Order here.
CRAIGIE ON MAIN
French-focused wine lovers will have a field day with the takeout wine selection, which includes discounted cellar picks like a 2016 Domaine Bois de Boursan Châteauneuf-du-Pape and a 2015 Jérôme Prévost La Closerie Champagne. Staff are also providing paring recommendations, so feel free to ask what you should be enjoying with a Craigie Burger. Order here and find a daily updated menu and wine list here.
FIELD & VINE
A tightly edited range of wines from small producers is available for takeout, including sparkling orange wine from Oregon’s Joe Swick and the organically grown Cotillion red blend from Frenchtown Farms in California’s Sierra Foothills. Order here.
FOX & THE KNIFE
As part of the daily changing takeout menu, Karen Akunowicz’s Modena-inspired South Boston spot is highlighting two bottles of wine each day as well as rosé spritz kits. Call (617) 766-8630 to order.
LA MORRA
This Brookline institution has made its all-Italian wine list—containing over 160 selections—available for takeout and delivery. Order here.
PAINTED BURRO
In addition to a stellar range of local craft beers, Painted Burro is selling a small selection of wines including Spanish tempranillo and garnacha. Order here for takeout.
SARMA
Each iteration of Sarma’s daily changing takeout menu includes an option for red or white, as well as six-packs of Miller High Life and a homemade lemon verbena syrup that can be used to spruce up gin and tonics, or mixed with soda water to make a zero-proof refresher. call (617) 764-4464 to place an order for pickup.
SHY BIRD
The Kendall Square rotisserie is offering a thoughtfully curated selection of wines for takeout or delivery ($45 minimum), including bottles of 2014 Château Simone Palette red at near-retail prices. Order here.
STILLWATER
The elevated comfort food here can be paired with takeout wines, ranging from Argentinian malbec to Champagne. You can even pick up a DIY mimosa kit containing orange, grapefruit and cranberry juices to complement the latter. Order here.
SUMIAO HUNAN KITCHEN
There are a number of surprising crowd-friendly heavy hitters among Sumiao’s takeout wine selection, including a 2016 Chateauneuf du Pape red from Vieux Telegraphe, and Napa selections like Groth and the 2016 Opus One. Sumiao is also selling a diverse selection of sakes. Order here.
TAVOLO RISTORANTE
To complement its DIY pizza kits and family-style pasta meals, the Dorchester Italian-American is selling a small selection of wines below $20, as well as single cans of Scarpetta Lambrusco for just $5 a pop. Find the daily changing menu here and call (617) 822-1918 to order.
TORO
Toro has opened its vault of largely Spanish wines, plus a trio of excellent sherries, all of which are being sold at near-retail prices. Order online for pick-up.
