Raise your glass this Bank Holiday with the Cardiff Wine Passport

Wednesday, 21 August 2024

12 VENUES OFFERING DELICIOUS WINES TO SIP & SAVOUR THIS WEEKEND

Earlier this month, the 2024 Cardiff Wine Passport Summer Edition kicked off – inviting intrepid wine explorers to swap passport stamps for glasses of wine in their choice of six bars and restaurants across the city, with fifteen venues to choose from in total.

And with the long Bank Holiday weekend approaching, there’s no better time to pick up a passport and take a vino voyage around some of the best indie venues the Welsh capital has to offer – with 12 of the 15 passport venues open to stamps over the long weekend.

The Cardiff Wine Passport was first launched in August 2022; the scheme allows intrepid wine explorers to purchase a physical ‘passport’ which can be used to claim six handpicked glasses of wine at six venues of their choice, earning stamps for their passports as they go.

The 2024 ‘Summer Edition’ of the Cardiff Wine Passport costs £27, and now includes five new venues outside of the city centre – meaning there are a total of 15 venues to choose from, and even more variety when it comes to the wines and wine cocktails on offer. As with previous editions, the passport also offers a choice of two ‘pairings’ at each venue; for an extra cost, passport holders can add a suggested small plate which has been chosen to perfectly match their glass of wine or cocktail.

Over the long bank holiday weekend, the following venues will be accepting the Cardiff Wine Passport: Summer Edition (subject to venue capacity):

1. Bar 44: A lively tapas bar in the heart of the city; Bar 44 will be offering a refreshing Rebujito sherry cocktail or a glass of Tempranillo rosé as part of the passport and will be open on Bank Holiday Sunday.
2. Vermut: This cosy hole-in-the-wall bar specialises in the sale of Sherry, Vermouth, and wines from Montilla-Moriles; they have included a medium sherry and a red vermouth as part of the passport and will be open on Bank Holiday Sunday and Monday.
3. Asador 44: This restaurant serves impeccable ingredients cooked over an authentic Spanish grill; here you can opt to pair a glass of cava with a prawn bisque croqueta with charcoal mayonnaise, or a glass of Tempranillo with a snack of sourdough and sobrasada. They will be open on Bank Holiday Sunday and Monday.
4. Curado Bar: A popular deli and pintxos bar in Westgate street; the passport offers a choice of two Spanish wines, with suggested pairings of freshly fried Calamari or crispy Jamon on toast. They will be stamping passports on Bank Holiday Monday.
5. Lab 22: This award-winning and eclectically styled cocktail bar is a favourite with late-night crowds. They’ve created two exclusive wine cocktails for the passport, including Kiss From A Rosé which is made with Zinfandel rosé, fresh raspberry, lemon, and Aquavit from local Welsh distillers, Silver Circle Distillery. They will be open Bank Holiday Sunday and Monday.
6. Parallel: This small-plates restaurant is the sister venue to the ever-popular Pasture. Parallel have chosen to showcase their famous carrot dish as part of the passport, pairing it with a dry, medium-bodied white from Castilla La Mancha. They will be stamping passports on Bank Holiday Monday.
7. The Dead Canary: This hidden speakeasy on Barrack Lane will offer two wine-based cocktails as part of the Cardiff Wine Passport on Bank Holiday Sunday; the short and spicy Summerhouse Bay, or the sweet cherry and almond flavoured Red Berry Bay.
8. Bacareto: A relaxed and informal café bar, inspired by the small bàcari of Venice; Bacareto have chosen to highlight a Welsh mountain cider as part of the passport, as it bears so many similarities to Natural Wine. Die-hard wine lovers can still opt for a glass of Italian Frappato, paired with their ever-popular arancini. They will be open on Bank Holiday Sunday.
9. Daffodil: On Bank Holiday Sunday and Monday you can pair a crisp glass of Spanish verdejo with their dish of King Scallops with Penderyn Whiskey, butter and crispy Carmarthen ham – or pair a glass of rosé with their delicious antipasti plate.
10. Silures: At this contemporary bistro in Roath, you can pair an Argentinian Chardonnay with cured Cornish Sea Bream – or try a juicy Spanish red with a dish of summer tomatoes, tapenade and quails egg on Bank Holiday Sunday.
11. Heaneys: On Bank Holiday Sunday there are two Portuguese wines on offer at Heaney’s restaurant in Pontcanna; one paired with cured gurnard and Ajo Blanco, and the other with a pair of bite-sized aged Comte and onion tarts.
12. Uisce: Enjoy a glass of fizz on Uisce’s sunny terrace as part of the summer wine passport; paired with a delicious slab of crab on toast with brown butter mayo. They will be open on Bank Holiday Sunday.

The Cardiff Wine Passport was created by wine-lover and independent PR consultant Jane Cook, as a way to showcase some of the city’s best independent bars & restaurants – places that can sometimes be overlooked in favour of big-name chains.

Since the first pilot in 2022, the Cardiff Wine Passport has now injected more than £50,000 of revenue into Cardiff’s indie hospitality businesses; the 2024 Summer Edition has once again been supported by For Cardiff, the not-for-profit Business Improvement District (BID).

There are still a handful of Cardiff Wine Passports left for sale – get yours in time for bank holiday weekend at: www.cardiffwinepassport.co.uk.

For more information, follow the Cardiff Wine Passport on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @cdfwinepassport.