Independent Wine Bars in Cheltenham: A Local's Guide

Cheltenham drinks wine well. For a town its size it has a surprisingly serious wine culture, driven by a handful of properly independent wine bars that have been running for decades, a couple of newer arrivals with strong by-the-glass lists, and a wider food scene that has quietly built up around good drinking. If you like proper wine in a proper glass, with someone behind the bar who genuinely cares what they're pouring, Cheltenham is a quietly excellent place to be.

This is a local's guide to the best independent wine bars in Cheltenham. The long-standing favourites, the spirit-merchant-turned-wine-bar, the by-the-glass specialists, and the spots where locals actually sit for hours on a Friday night. We'll cover where to go, what to order, and how to build a proper wine evening in this town without defaulting to a chain.

One thing worth knowing up front. Cheltenham's wine bars concentrate heavily in Montpellier, which makes an evening of wine-hopping unusually easy here. You can walk between four or five genuinely good independent wine bars in under ten minutes, which is more than most towns of this size can manage.

The Montpellier Wine Bar: Cheltenham's Original

If there is one wine bar in Cheltenham every local has been to at least once, it's The Montpellier Wine Bar. It's the original and longest-standing wine bar in the town, having opened in 1977 on the corner of Montpellier Street, and nearly 50 years later it's still one of the busiest and most atmospheric independent bars in Cheltenham. In wine bar years, that's basically a century.

The format has evolved but the spirit hasn't. Upstairs, the main wine bar remains a relaxed, social space for drinks and conversation, with a list that covers a wide range of old-world classics and newer discoveries, and a by-the-glass selection that rotates often enough to keep regulars interested. Downstairs, the newly opened Montpellier Cellar Restaurant offers a more intimate sit-down dining experience for people who want food to go with the wine.

It's the natural first stop of any wine night in Cheltenham, and often the last one too. Ask the staff what they're drinking that week, order a bottle rather than a glass if you're staying a while, and don't be surprised if you end up staying longer than you planned.

Best for: The proper Cheltenham wine bar experience, relaxed drinks with friends, a solid starting point for a Montpellier night.

John Gordon's: The Spirit Merchant with a Serious Wine Programme

Just across Montpellier Gardens, John Gordon's is technically an independent wine and spirit merchant, but the upstairs bar has become one of the most serious wine-drinking rooms in town. The full operation covers two bars either side of a courtyard: one specialising in whisky and wine, the other in gin. The wine selection rotates regularly, and at any given time you'll find over 80 wines available to try, including a strong range of organic and more interesting labels you won't see at the chain bars.

The format is relaxed but the cellar is serious. Because the bar is attached to an actual wine shop, the team genuinely know what they're pouring, and they'll happily walk you through the options. Turn up with an idea of what you normally drink and they'll steer you somewhere more interesting.

John Gordon's also offers a proper wine-with-view experience: the outdoor tables face Montpellier Gardens, which on a warm spring or summer evening is one of the best drinking spots in the town.

Best for: Serious wine exploration, organic and natural wines, a quieter alternative to Montpellier Wine Bar, late-afternoon and early-evening drinks.

The Grape Escape: The Rotating By-the-Glass Specialist

The Grape Escape has quietly become a local favourite for anyone who wants to drink a proper range of wines without committing to a full bottle. The whole format is built around a rotating by-the-glass list that changes every week: five whites, five reds, plus sparkling, rosé and occasionally orange wines, all properly poured and served in the right glassware.

It's the right choice for exploratory wine drinking, when you're not sure what you want or when you want to try four different wines across an evening instead of one. The weekly rotation keeps things fresh and means regulars have a reason to come back every few weeks. Small, friendly, and the kind of place where staff remember what you drank last time.

Best for: Wine tasting by the glass, exploratory drinking, solo drinkers, wine newcomers who want to learn.

Hotel Du Vin: Wine Bar in a Hotel Cellar

The Hotel Du Vin bar and cellar in Montpellier is often overlooked on wine-bar lists because it's technically part of a hotel, but it shouldn't be. The whole hotel concept is built around wine (it's literally in the name), and the bar genuinely lives up to that. A serious by-the-glass programme, a wine cellar you can visit, a knowledgeable sommelier, and a much quieter atmosphere than the main Montpellier wine bars on a weekend.

It's the right pick for a calmer drinking evening, a tasting session for a group, or a pre-dinner glass before heading to one of Montpellier's independent restaurants. The room itself is beautiful: leather sofas, low lighting, proper bar stools.

Best for: A quieter wine evening, serious tastings, pre-dinner drinks, date nights.

Wine at Cheltenham's Best Restaurants

A few of Cheltenham's better restaurants run wine programmes strong enough to justify a visit just for the drinks. Three worth knowing.

Purslane

Purslane on Rodney Road is one of Cheltenham's most respected independent restaurants, and its wine list has long been a part of the draw. The programme leans towards small producers, interesting grape varieties and properly considered pairings. You can drop in for a bottle at the bar (particularly earlier in the evening) rather than committing to a full dinner, and the staff are genuinely knowledgeable.

Ox

Ox is one of Cheltenham's best-loved independent restaurants, and the wine list sits proudly alongside the food. It's a more relaxed, bistro-style room with a bar area that works for a glass or two before or after dinner, and the list rewards trying something outside your usual grape. Worth a detour for wine specifically, even without booking dinner.

Le Champignon Sauvage

The classic Cheltenham fine dining destination. While it's primarily a sit-down restaurant, the wine programme at Le Champignon Sauvage is one of the most serious in the town, and if you're doing a proper tasting-menu dinner with paired wines, this is the one to book. Not a drop-in option, but worth knowing about as the destination at the top of the tree.

For the full list, browse Cheltenham's best restaurants for more options with strong wine programmes.

A Proper Wine Night Out in Cheltenham: The Itinerary

Here's the local version of a perfect wine night in Cheltenham, built around Montpellier so everything is within a ten-minute walk.

Start at John Gordon's for a glass of something interesting. Sit outside if the weather is behaving, inside if it isn't. One glass, one conversation, one decision about where to go next.
Move to The Montpellier Wine Bar for a full bottle. Order some food if you're eating, or stick to snacks if you're pacing yourself. This is the main event of the evening.
Stop in at The Grape Escape for a wine you haven't tried before. One glass each, something unexpected.
End at Hotel Du Vin for a last quiet glass in the leather-sofa corner. The right way to close the evening without the chaos of the later-night bars.

Or, alternatively, build your evening around dinner at Purslane or Ox, working through the wine list with dinner rather than hopping between bars. Both approaches work, and both are properly enjoyable.

Are There Any Natural Wine Bars in Cheltenham?

The natural wine scene in Cheltenham is smaller than in Bristol or London, but it's growing. John Gordon's has the strongest organic and low-intervention selection of any Cheltenham wine bar, with a properly curated list of more interesting labels alongside the classics. The Grape Escape occasionally features orange and natural wines in its rotating weekly list, which is a good way to try them without committing. Purslane and Ox both have wine programmes that lean into smaller producers and more interesting winemaking, and you'll usually find something lower-intervention if you ask.

For the full natural wine experience, Bristol is still the closest destination with a dedicated natural wine bar scene. But for curious drinkers in Cheltenham, John Gordon's is the right starting point.

Where Should You Go for a Wine Flight in Cheltenham?

The Grape Escape is the simplest answer: the rotating by-the-glass list essentially functions as an informal wine flight, and you can build your own across five or six wines in one sitting. John Gordon's will happily pour a mini tasting if you ask, and their staff are knowledgeable enough to build you a proper flight by style (old world vs new world, Burgundy vs Bordeaux, heavier reds vs lighter reds).

For a more structured tasting, Hotel Du Vin occasionally runs proper wine evenings with a sommelier, and local wine merchants like John Gordon's run wine-tasting events throughout the year. Keep an eye on their social media.

How Late Do Wine Bars in Cheltenham Stay Open?

Most of Cheltenham's independent wine bars close between 11pm and midnight, which is reasonable for a town of this size but earlier than bigger cities. The Montpellier Wine Bar and Hotel Du Vin are usually the last to wind down on weekends. For later-night drinking, you'll typically need to move to one of Cheltenham's cocktail bars or the Brewery Quarter venues.

A tip from locals: start your wine night early. A 6pm or 7pm start gives you three to four hours of proper drinking time before the bars begin to close. Leaving it until 9pm is cutting it fine.

The Short Version

Best all-round wine bar: The Montpellier Wine Bar
Best for serious and organic wines: John Gordon's
Best by-the-glass: The Grape Escape
Best quieter evening: Hotel Du Vin
Best restaurant wine list: Purslane or Le Champignon Sauvage
Best view: John Gordon's outdoor tables over Montpellier Gardens

Cheltenham's independent wine bars reward people who take them seriously. Turn up early, talk to the staff, order the thing you've never heard of, and stay for the whole bottle. On a good Friday night in Montpellier, there are few better drinking streets in the South West.

For more on the area, our guide to Montpellier covers the wider restaurant, bar and boutique scene, and our best cocktail bars in Cheltenham roundup is the natural next step once the wine bars start to close. Cheers.