There is nothing better than unwinding with friends at the end of a long week. If you’re like me, a glass of wine hits the spot and luckily Grand Cayman has a few locations on island dedicated to this historic beverage.  Let’s take a drive from George Town to West Bay and visit Cayman’s Best Wine Bars, where each has their own unique personality, skilled sommeliers and a wide range of wines. 

Grand Old House Wine Bar & Retail Shop – George Town

This 5,000 square foot property is one of the oldest properties on island and has a beloved restaurant and bar in Grand Cayman.  It may be difficult to pull you away from their outstanding seaside view, but I encourage you to head inside to experience the Grand Old House Wine Bar.  This air-conditioned space offers every type of wine experience you could want!  Their talented sommeliers can guide you through their offering of wines from around the world either by the glass, bottle or even flights, where each of these can range in price from affordable to extravagant depending on your taste.  The chefs at Grand Old House also offer a different menu for the wine bar that includes meat & cheese boards and creative tapas.  They also host public and private wine tasting events paired with tapas in an environment where you can learn more about wine regions, varietals and producers worldwide.  If you’re looking for a unique gift or just want a one-of-a-kind bottle of wine to take home, you can also purchase this directly from their retail shop.

West Indies Wine Company – Camana Bay

Photo supplied by Island Epicurean.

West Indies Wine Company is a more casual location for wine because they have a self-serve format, but their wine selection is vast with over 70 wines by the glass available.  Their staff includes a sommelier on site to help you navigate their wines and automated system.  The system offers three different sized pours, from a tasting portion at just one ounce to a full glass at five ounces.  The tasting portions are great if you’re trying a wine for the first time and to ensure you like a wine before you commit to a whole glass or even a bottle to take home.  If you are looking for a bite to eat, they also have a variety of small plates, sandwiches and charcuterie boards.  Take advantage of their daily happy hour where wines by the glass and food are 20% off from 4-6pm.  Elevate your experience even more on Thursday and Friday evenings and listen to live music by local talent in a laidback atmosphere.

Vine To Ocean (V2O) Wine & Raw Bar – Seven Mile Strip

V2O is the brainchild of two sommeliers in Regency Plaza along the Seven Mile Strip.  They’re directly importing exclusive wines for their bar that they can sell on a regular night or as part of their monthly events.  As their name suggests, they also offer a raw bar selection that includes oysters, shrimp and ceviche, plus an eclectic selection of small plates and meat & cheese boards.  They also host a few Masterclass events per month that highlight different wine varietals and regions with paired canapes.

Le Petit Wine Bar – West Bay

The team behind WineSchool3, the wine and bar certification programme, have opened their own space at the Jacques Scott Plaza in West Bay.  Their space is representative of its name as it’s petite in size but offers so much more.  Their friendly staff are incredibly passionate and co-owner Christian Esser even has his own wine collection that you can try.  They offer reasonably priced food and beverages, especially their build-your-own charcuterie boards that have quality and homemade ingredients by consultant chef Eliot Wilkie.  Their location means that they are reasonably priced for food and wine, but they also offer several events throughout the month including wine tastings, wine trivia with prizes, and their WineSchool3 courses.

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