For a city built on beer, Richmond’s wine bar scene has been booming these days — including a West End hangout approaching its first anniversary and two more additions this spring. Each has a different atmosphere, from a European escape to jazzy cool or funky new wave, and all are locally owned. Bonus: Every location offers retail in the front, bar space in the back, plenty of wine knowledge and a warm welcome.
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A neon sign at Click (Photo by Melanie Wynne)
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(From left) Click owner Matty McGuigan and winemaker Ntsiki Biyela of South African wine brand Aslina Wines (Photo courtesy Click)
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The bar area inside Click (Photo by Melanie Wynne)
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A selection of bottles at Click (Photo courtesy Click)
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Click’s signature coconut dark chocolate chip cookies (Photo courtesy Matty McGuigan)
Click
409 N. Ridge Road, Henrico
No longer a pop-up concept at Carytown’s Reveler Experiences, about a year ago Click bottle shop and wine bar settled into a former barbershop in the Tuckahoe Shopping Center. The largely Gen X and boomer crowd reflects both the location and the laid-back ’80s vibe inside, with “Miami Vice”-era pastels, vintage album covers and post-punk B-sides on the old-school hi-fi. Fairy lights soften the front-of-house area, and vibrant paintings by local artists lend some salon energy.
Already a West End favorite, the joint is owned and run by Matty McGuigan, a certified sommelier and longtime wine sales rep with culinary training. His focus is on small, mostly American producers of low-intervention single-varietals and blends, and on creative small plates designed for sharing and pairing.
There’s no corkage fee or restaurant markup here, and the average bottle price is about $30. McGuigan favors wines from Santa Barbara in California, the Willamette Valley in Oregon and the Finger Lakes in New York, but you’re just as likely to see a Mexican sparkler or South African chardonnay on the list. Detailed wine descriptions are likely to include the winemaker’s name, a sign of respect for the craft.
On the often-evolving, always creative food menu, summer options include garlicky chicken meatballs and Gabby’s Salad, with feta, pickled onions and quinoa, as well as mixed lettuces from Goochland’s Greenswell Growers. One mainstay is the shop’s signature gluten-free chocolate chip and coconut cookie with a chile lime glaze — a zingy bite of joy.
During the week, happy hour is available Monday through Friday from noon to 5 p.m., and every Saturday there are free wine tastings from 2 to 5 p.m. The Click Clique wine club includes $39 worth of wines each month, as well as discounts on all purchases in the shop and bar. Special events including winemaker visits and blind tastings are announced on Click’s website and Instagram, @clickwinerva.
Click is open Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., with the kitchen operating from noon to 8 p.m.; Friday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., with the kitchen operating from noon to 9 p.m.; Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. (retail only).
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Chez Nous is located in Monroe Ward. (Photo by Melanie Wynne)
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The dining area inside Chez Nous (Photo by Melanie Wynne)
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Chez Nous specializes in European wines. (Photo courtesy Chez Nous)
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The bar at Chez Nous (Photo courtesy Chez Nous)
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A lounge area inside Chez Nous (Photo courtesy Chez Nous)
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Photo courtesy Chez Nous
Chez Nous
4 W. Cary St.
Melissa Stallard had a big year in 2024: She turned 50, sold her insurance business and went all in on her dream of opening a French-focused wine bar and gourmet mercantile. The result is Chez Nous, a white clapboard gem two blocks from The Jefferson Hotel that opened in April, where the name means roughly “at our home” and the vibe is “traveling to France without a plane.” Mais oui.
Crystal chandeliers, gilded mirrors, vintage maps and marble-topped bistro tables set a chic scene for the millennial-through-boomer clientele, with everything sourced by Stallard herself. A few steps up from the shop, the long, sleek bar is topped with fresh flowers, and the open kitchen is stacked with gleaming glass shelves and grass-green tiles. French vintages range from Bordeaux to Alsace, plus some Italian and domestic choices; despite the looming threat of tariffs, the plan is to stick to European wines. Artfully arranged retail includes structured straw shopping totes, olive oils and pantry staples you’d expect to find in a French market hall.
Stallard’s considerable charm offensive is buoyed by her longtime friend and stalwart maître d’, Eric Leyssalle, who hails from Southwestern France and often lends a hand in the wine choices and menu specials. A revolving roundup of six to seven wines by the glass often includes a Provençal rosé, an Alsatian white and a violet-scented Bourgueil (cabernet franc), with prices ranging from about $9 to $14. Champagne by the bottle is always available.
The occasionally changing menu of elevated small plates might include a jambon beurre mixte with sea-salted butter; carbonara deviled eggs; or Pays Basque-style red peppers stuffed with cod, potatoes and olives. Desserts such as rhubarb ice cream are made in-house, and some ingredients are locally sourced, including bread from Jane Dough.
In the near future, Stallard plans to add wine classes and wine clubs, as well as guided trips to France. Reservations aren’t yet a must, but it’s still advisable to call ahead and ensure they’re not closed for a private event — this is a popular place to have a party. Menu changes are often announced on the bar’s Instagram, @cheznousrva.
Chez Nous is open Wednesday and Thursday from 3 to 8 p.m., Friday from 3 to 9 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from noon to 9 p.m.
Nouveau Provisions is located in Carytown. (Photo by Melanie Wynne)
Nouveau Provisions
3423 W. Cary St.
Set in the former Bryant’s Cider & Brewery tasting room, Nouveau Provisions is a wine-and-just-about-everything-else bar, serving coffee, pastries, pizzas, mocktails and dessert as well as bottles from around the world. This Black-owned business that opened earlier this year is just the latest project of Kay and Trevor Ferguson, a local husband-and-wife team of entrepreneurs and urban farmers of the 7-acre Nouveau Farms in Varina. Trevor tends a vineyard there and makes two wines of his own (a red blend and a white blend, which are sold on the farm’s website), so his passion sets the tone here.
The bar’s crowd is a mix of all ages, and decor is a mix of spare and cozy, with gilded mirrors and electric candles for warmth and jazz-themed posters for a pop of color. The backroom lounge is styled with black walls, leather chairs and a soft rug, but its tiny cocktail tables make the bar’s larger table seating more practical for multiple plates and wine glasses.
The robust wine list includes a dry yet fruity Spanish cava, a zingy New Zealand sauvignon blanc and a peppery grenache-cinsault blend from South Africa, as well as some French, Italian and South American options. Flights of two or four wines (reds, whites, or rosé and sparkling) come with a choice of two shiny, jewel-like chocolates.
Thursday through Sunday, Brendan Lee parks his Fireside Pizza truck in the alley out back, turning out hearty, 10-inch wood-fired Neapolitan pizzas like the cheese-tastic Betty White, featuring ricotta, mozzarella, roasted garlic butter and black truffle. Platefuls of charcuterie are more ample than fancy, with heaps of gourmet crackers, olives, nuts and a whole log of creamy goat cheese. Sexy little tarts, cakes and chocolates from local chocolatier and baker JC Desserts are worth a visit on their own, easily paired with coffee, dessert wine or a glass of bubbly.
Nouveau Provisions’ wine club costs $200 a year and includes up to five bottles, discounts on purchases and priority access to tastings and other events. Ticketed tastings are announced on the bar’s website and Instagram, @nouveauprovisions.
Nouveau Provisions is open Wednesday and Thursday from 5 to 9 p.m., Friday from 5 to 10 p.m., Saturday from 4 to 10 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.
