Where to drink natural wine in Vancouver

La Fabrique St-George is a natural urban winery in Mount Pleasant. Photo courtesy of La Fabrique St-George

If Vancouver’s bar scene is any indication, natural wine is here to stay.

What began as a fringe offering has become a bona fide trend, with bars and pop-ups bringing interesting bottles to thirsty Vancouverites around the city.

And while natural wine may still seem like a relatively new idea, it’s actually not.

“What we now call ‘conventional’ wine is a relatively recent phenomenon, stemming from the shift towards industrial and mass-produced agriculture in the post-World War II era,” says Rich Massey, owner of importer Massey Wines & Spirits. “Wine has been made and grown without the use of preservatives, industrial fertilizers, and systemic fungicides for thousands of years. It’s exciting to watch and be a part of a cultural reassessment of those values, and a return to an appreciation of the sometimes unpredictable and untamed flavours of natural wine—as well as respect for soil health and holistic ecosystems.”

Massey credits long-time natural wineries like the Okanagan’s Lock & Worth and Synchromesh, along with Vancouver Island’s now-closed Glenterra, with opening the door for newer projects like A Sunday in August to take hold.

“Clean, low-intervention wines with low alcohol, bright acid, and a clear visual identity: it landed,” he says. “Younger drinkers connected, and for many, it was their entry point to natural wine. These early pioneers paved the way for a new wave of BC producers—farming organically and working with intention in the cellar.”

The Bar Gobo wine list consists of all natural wines. Hakan Burcuoglu photo courtesy of Bar Gobo

What is natural wine?

Natural wine is an unregulated term that essentially means little to nothing has been added to the wine during the production process.

“Let’s think of natural wine as being on a spectrum, from the zero-zero purists to low-intervention practitioners,” says Massey. “What is accepted by one is opposed by another. However, most agree that natural wines must start with organically-grown, hand-harvested grapes. Fermentations begin from only ambient, native yeasts, and the resulting wines should be unfiltered. Nothing is added or taken away, save for a small amount of sulphur at bottling for stability.”

How does natural wine differ from organic wine?

Organic wines are made with organic grapes, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they are natural.

“All natural wine should be organically grown—but not all organic wine is natural,” Massey says. “Many organic wines start fermentation with the inoculation of commercial yeasts. These yeasts can manipulate the natural flavour of the resulting wine. Organic wines can also be filtered, and some come with judicious amounts of preservatives and additives.”

Try a natural wine flight at La Fabrique St-George. Jayme Lang photo courtesy of La Fabrique St-George

Where to get natural wine in Vancouver

“It’s hard to imagine the natural wine scene in Vancouver without recognizing the early groundwork laid by Juice Bar,” Massey says. “They shifted the conversation early—and gave people a reason to care.”

Juice Bar closed in 2023, though it has been replaced by Bar Tartare (more on that below). Thanks in no small part to Juice Bar’s efforts, there are now plenty of options for natty wine in Vancouver, from sun-drenched patios to cheeky semi-secret spots. Here are a few to check out.

La Fabrique St-George: A natural urban winery in Mount Pleasant, with a beautiful tasting room pouring glasses of its latest vintages.
Bar Tartare: A wine and snack bar with rotating chefs and a tantalizingly large fridge of natural wines from around the world, located within Birds & the Beets: the Gastown cafe space formerly occupied by Juice Bar.
Grapes & Soda: An intimate cocktail and wine bar just off of South Granville, with a small but mighty selection of natural wines from BC favourites including Bella and Thorn & Burrow.
Breeze Bar: A sneaky, cheeky ghost bar that takes over the Twisted Fork space in Gastown come nightfall—expect a large wine list (with some great natural options) and fancy hot dogs.
Bar Gobo: A cozy Chinatown vinyl listening bar featuring all-natural wine and truly excellent bites.
Dachi: A wine-forward East Van restaurant serving inventive share plates and rotating bottles; ask for the collaboration with Okanagan natural winery Scout Vineyard.
Just Another: A cafe by day and a wine bar by night, Just Another has a rotating selection of low-intervention and sustainable wines on offer, including naturals like the Okanagan’s Pamplemousse Jus.
Thank You Pizza: A wood-fired pizza truck slinging natural wines and pies for the people at Chinatown’s Hunnybee cafe.
Bleach: A sultry Chinatown space featuring vinyl, snack plates, and low-intervention wines, Bleach is run by a local design studio of the same name—so you know the vibes are immaculate.
Grape Pop: A patio-only wine bar at Kits Beach serving local naturals like Scout and Lock & Worth.
Grape Vibes: A meandering pop-up wine bar, currently inhabiting The Boxcar on certain nights and serving an ever-changing list of international bottles—many of them biodynamic and low-intervention.
Vin Van: A pop-up wine bar occupying unconventional spaces—such as a grocery store in Kits—and serving low-intervention favourites like the Okanagan’s Lightning Rock. We’ll raise a glass to that.