3 Popular Austin Restaurants Are Opening Natural Wine Shops

Three Austin restaurants are cashing in on the natural wine craze (not to mention the pandemic-induced increase in booze purchases) by opening natural wine stores. Salt & Time has opened a shop two doors down from its restaurant, in the former Spun space at in East Austin at 1912 East Seventh Street. Tamale House East is opening a wine bar off its East Fifth Street entrance in East Austin. And Domain Northside’s Bakery Lorraine has opened a wine shop, Bar à Vins, within the restaurant on 11600 Rock Rose Avenue.

With two of these new openings, the East Sixth area is turning into a natural wine hub. Salt & Time and Tamale House’s ventures will join fellow natural wine bar Lolo and Apt 115 (which focuses on wine with minimal interventions).

Salt & Time Wine Shop

The popular east side butcher shop expanded into a natural wine-focused wine shop in November, curated by a soon-to-be-announced new beverage director. The wine shop will eventually host small events like cheese tastings in the space once COVID-19 restrictions are lifted. The wine shop also has a monthly wine club with three or six bottles of wine as well as tasting notes. The wine shop is open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 7 p.m., with online ordering available.

Carmen’s Hideaway

Tamale House East has had a wine bar in the works for a while, and it looks like it will finally open in the spring of 2021. Carmen’s Hideaway will serve biodynamic and organic wines curated by sommelier Sam Hovland along with a new small menu of international food, including a few specialty tamales. The decor will have ’60s-era feel (complete with a vinyl record soundtrack), inspired by owner Carmen Valera’s travels through Latin America, Morocco, and her grandfather’s house in Peru. Valera puts the finishing touches on the shop herself, after attending YouTube University.

Bar à Vins

Up at Domain Northside, Bakery Lorraine launched a French-focused natural wine shop earlier this month to go along with its new weekend dinner menu. The wines, most of which are organic, sustainable, and/or biodynamic, are sold out of the cafe, and are available for purchase in-store or via curbside, with some wines are available by the glass for dine-in.

Bakery Lorraine [Official]

• Salt and Time Wine Shop [Official]
• Salt and Time Wine Shop [Instagram]
• Bar à Vins [Official]
• All Coverage of Tamale House East [EATX]