Wanderlust Wine Co.

Interested in easily sampling a variety of wines from the USA, including Texas and from around the world in a fun and upbeat environment that definitely has all the “Keep Austin Weird” vibes? Then venture over to one of the three downtown Austin locations of Wanderlust Wine Co. and check out their selection of wines by the glass. They made sampling and enjoying a wide range of wines pretty easy for those who are both familiar and unfamiliar with wines.

One can check in at the counter, put a card on file, and get a Wanderlust card to use for your purchases. The card is placed on a holder like a payment card at the various wine dispensing stations on the wall. Patrons can choose from a variety of white wines including sweet, world, USA, Spain, Italy, or France. There is one set of rosé choices to pick from four different options. There are also red wines including the following options from wild card, world, California, USA, Spain, France, and finally sweet.

Each station across the wall has four wines in that category on tap to choose from with descriptors and details regarding the variety of wine and the brand. Once a wine is selected to sample, one has the option of deciding how much they wish to purchase. Amounts are dispensed in one, three, five, and eight-ounce pours for all wines, and all are equally priced making things very convenient. Prices range from $2.00 for the one-ounce pour to $16.00 for the 10-ounce pour.

There were two Texas wines among the wines available from the USA options. One white wine Papa Frenchy from C.L. Butaud and a red Tempranillo from Becker Vineyards. We were excited to see that Texas wines were represented among the wide variety to sample. Maybe in the future there will be a Texas section on the wall with the continued growth of award-winning wines and varietals in this state.

The exterior of the location we visited on Shady Lane was vibrant with interesting graphics across the walls. The interior was similarly painted with bold artistic flare that piqued our interest to explore the space and check out all the various spaces to see the artwork as we enjoyed our wine samples.

The inside was designed with lots of small and more intimate groups in one of the rooms with lower lighting and a variety of seating options. The larger back room was spacious with longer tables facilitating larger groups to enjoy open seating with others. There is also outdoor seating on the side of the wine bar with an assortment of tables on the outdoor patio with a food truck.

There are three locations across Austin that are owned by Sammy Lam. The downtown site is at 610 N Interstate Highway 35. The west side has a location at the corner of Barton Springs Road and Kinney Avenue. The east side of town has the location at 702 Shady Lane. All three locations offer the same concept, and they also feature some additional drink options from their menu.

Wanderlust has a variety of events from wine and charcuterie pairings to Drag Brunch, bingo, and trivia nights. The locations are open in the evenings on most days with all closed on Mondays. We really enjoyed sampling wines and listening to the dance music while visiting the Shady Lane spot, and I think you will enjoy any of their locations too next time you are looking to check out a new wine bar with family and friends.