clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile
A wooden table with four wine bottles atop.
Natural wine selections on offer at Smyth.
Smyth [Official Photo]

18 Top Places to Drink Natural Wine in Chicago

The standout restaurants and bars to find unadulterated wine

View as Map
Natural wine selections on offer at Smyth.
|Smyth [Official Photo]

Though it’s somewhat of a buzzword, the termnatural winedoesn’t carry a specific definition. Instead, it references a general wine category that typically involves less intervention from the winemaker — so, unadulterated fermented grape juice — during the winemaking process. These wines can span the spectrum of flavors from funky and sour to elegant and nuanced.

Originating in Parisian bistros, natural wine is everywhere today, manifesting in an array of hues from burnt orange to pale purple. While Chicago may not have any specific natural wine bistros, many of the city’s most forward-thinking restaurants and bars embrace this style, with more than half of their list devoted to “naked” wines. Below, some great options to test the natural wine waters.

Read More
If you buy something or book a reservation from an Eater link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See ourethics policy.

Superkhana International

Copy Link

At least half of the wines at Logan Square’s modern IndianSuperkhana Internationallean natural. General manager and beverage director Colleen Malone heads up the list here with a general focus on sparkling wines, and she suggests trying Meinklang Foam Somlo ($48) from Hungary: “Meinklang is one of the most deeply devoted [producers] to biodynamic—the [wine’s] label with the cow in front is an indication of how all of the practices work together including pigs running around in the vineyard.”

The bar and dining room in a modern Indian restaurant
Superkhana’s bar and dining room
Barry Brecheisen/Eater Chicago

Young American

Copy Link

A full 100 percent of the wines at hip Logan Square drinking denYoung Americanare either low-intervention and/or biodynamic. Co-owner and sommelier Jeff Donahue heads up the picks, and he suggests trying Flat Brim Wines Giant Sky ($9/$30), a rose blend of merlot and primitivo grapes.

Lula Cafe

Copy Link

Chef Jason Hammel’s belovedLula Caféin Logan Square has offered natural wine for the last decade. Current general manager and wine director Dennis Webber has organized the list for the last three years, and he says that it changes seasonally along with Hammel’s cuisine. Per Webber, “A majority of our wines are natural, but I’d say the vibe here is ‘natural not natty.’ A lot of our natural wine is coming from old European producers who have been growing grapes without chemicals and vinifying with minimal intervention for generations.” He advises patrons to try Absentee Winery NMWD Cairignan 2017 ($64) from California.

The bar at Lula Cafe in Logan Square.
Lula Cafe’s bar has offered natural wines for the last 10 years.
Lula Cafe [Official Photo]

Good Fortune

Copy Link

About 95 percent of the wines on offer atGood Fortune-洛根廣場的新任美國新餐館”considered low intervention and/or certified biodynamic and organic,” explains wine director Steven Mendivil. He suggests trying Eric Texier, St. Julien en St. Alban ($55) from France, stating that “Eric’s focus is purity, using different farming practices including Fukuoka, named after a celebrated Japanese farmer famous for no-till, no-herbicide practices, and rejects the use of copper and sulfur treatments.”

Daisies

Copy Link

“Our wine program atDaisiesis predominantly composed of natural wines,” asserts bar director and assistant manager Kevin Murphy. “We like to highlight small producers with unique visions as well.” Those who venture to the seasonal Logan Square restaurant can expect more than half the wine list to lean in this direction. Try Red Tail Ridge from Seneca Lake in the Finger Lakes of New York, specifically the skin-contact Miscreant Gewurztraminer-Chardonnay blend ($11/$49).

A restaurant bar with wooden bar stools and a rear brick wall.
The bar at Daisies
Neil Burger

Galit

Copy Link

Lincoln Park’s hot Middle Eastern additionGalitis into natural wine. Executive chef Zach Engel organizes his own wine list, and he sources bottles from the same parts of the world that drive his menu: Greece, Lebanon, Israel, and Palestine. Says Engel, “The natural wine movement is still defining itself, but low-intervention production and farming practices align with our ingredient driven food menu.” Here, about half of the wines are organic or biodynamic, and Engel suggests trying Smockshop Band Red Wine #1 ($86).

The bar in a modern Israeli restaurant
Galit’s bar has plenty of natural wine
Galit/Sandy Noto [Official Photo]

Café Cancale

Copy Link

One Off’s breezy Wicker Park French bistroCafe Cancalepours mainly French vino, and partner and wine steward Eduard Seitan helms the list. At least two-thirds of his selections are organic or biodynamic, and he suggests trying Sébastien Riffault Les Quarterons 2015 ($79), from France. “This is the most controversial wine on the list because it is not what you expect when you order sauvignon blanc. It is full-bodied, lush, juicy and rich, and comes from the most natural wine producer in the Sancerre area of France.”

Mott St

Copy Link

Wicker Park’s neo-Asian numberMott Stwas an early adopter of the movement, offering natural wines starting in 2013. Beverage director Matt Shores is responsible for the wine list, of which 60 percent is natural. He suggests trying Pulpe Fiction Muscadet ($14/$56) from France: “It has a fun and funky nose, with honeydew on the palate and crisp acidity on the finish.”

Clever Rabbit

Copy Link

Owner Chris Haisma commands wine over at his vegetable-focused spot,Clever Rabbit, in Wicker Park. Most of the list here is comprised of organic or biodynamic selections, and he suggests trying California-based My Favorite Neighbor’s cabernet ($15/$125).

Café Marie-Jeanne

Copy Link

Almost all of the wines on the list at bistro stapleCafe Marie-Jeannein Humboldt Park are natural. Director of wine and beverage Jamie McLennan heads up the picks here, typically offering around 20 wines by the glass that are seasonally-focused, which cover a broad range of styles with the commonality that they’re almost all from producers that make natural bottlings. The additional bottle list is also around 20 wines, all of which are natural. McLennan suggests trying Christian Ducroux Prologue Gamay 2018 ($60) from France.

View this post on Instagram

Good Morning !

A post shared byCafé Marie-Jeanne(@cafe_marie_jeanne) on

Marisol

Copy Link

More than half of the wines on offer at chef Jason Hammel’s new American eateryMarisolwithin the Museum of Contemporary Art in Streeterville lean natural. General manager Simon Kim organizes the list, and he suggests trying Mas Oller Blau Nit, Garnacha-Syrah 2018 ($13/$50) from Spain: “At first it is meticulous and poised, with a panoply of ripe dark fruits, espresso, subdued clove, but finishes with a playful and rustic quality — fresh cedar, a slight oceanic salinity, and chalky tannin.”

All Together Now

Copy Link

All the wines at Ukrainian Village’s hip bistro and marketAll Together Noware natural, selected by partner Erin Carlman Weber and wine director Jeremy Patenaude. They suggest trying sulfur-free Julien Brocard Chablis 7eme 2017 ($44).

The interior of a wine shop and bar
All Together Now has a great wine selection.
Patsy McEnroe Photography/All Together Now [Official Photo]

WoodWind

Copy Link

WoodWind— Streeterville’s freshly-minted new American boîte 18 floors up — is embracing low-intervention wines, with at least half the list involving natural producers. Wine director Greg Hartofelis suggests trying Château de Saint Cosme Les Deux Albions ($17/$68), a Grenache-based blend: “Being one of the producers on my list that are fully certified bio-dynamic since 2010, they allow the wines to ferment via spontaneous fermentation, meaning they wait for the ambient yeasts to take control therefore they don’t use commercial yeast strains.”

Pops for Champagne

Copy Link

Just becausePopsis a bubbles bar doesn’t mean that the River North Champagne lounge doesn’t offer natural wines. Wine director Michael Seward helms the grower-focused list, with about one quarter of the wines veering natural. He suggests trying Domaine Tillardon, Pét-Nat Rosé 2018 ($62): “This vineyard is organically farmed since the beginning, with vines up to 80 years old. Farmed by horse and plow in a beautiful vineyard in Chenas, France, this sparkling wine is soft and balanced without the typical funk that can be found in most normal pét-nats.”

More than half of the wines at Middle Eastern-inspiredAbain River North embrace natural practices. Alex Augustine and Nate Redner is behind the list, which he organizes by New World, Old World, and Ancient Civilization wines. He suggests trying Minimus Pet Nat Rosé 2018 ($85), made from Dolcetto grapes planted in organically and biodynamically-managed land in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Says Augustine, “This wine uses the ancestral sparkling method where fermentation occurs in the bottle forcing natural carbonation into the wine. [It’s] bubbly and fresh, with notes of grapefruit zest, ripe red raspberry and a rich, vinous character.”

Smyth

Copy Link

Over at chef John Shield’s fine dining numberSmyth, sommelier Richie Ribando says that, “[m]ost of the producers that we showcase make wine naturally as far as using native yeasts to ferment/spontaneous fermentation.” And he’s especially keen on Movia’s Puro ($105): “Movia is a biodynamically-farming natural wine producer out of north-east Italy/Slovenia. If you haven’t seen it before, you have todisgorge the bottleof wine yourself.”

The exterior of a fine dining restaurant in the West Loop with lots of ivy
Outside Smyth and the Loyalist
Marc Much/Eater Chicago

Bad Hunter

Copy Link

Management at vegetable-lovingBad Hunter在西方崇尚自然循環酒。葡萄酒導演r Rebecca Schliff suggests trying A.D. Beckham Amphora Riesling from Oregon ($65). Winemaker Andrew Beckham makes his own Amphora (clay vessel for fermenting and aging wine), and also supplies them to many other local winemakers,” she says. “His amphora-aged riesling is bone dry, with beautiful floral and citrus aromatics.

Elske

Copy Link

“We love our natural wines!” saidElskeco-owner Anna Posey. All of her minimalist, Nordic-inspired eatery’s bottles lean toward low or no intervention, meaning that farming practices are organic or biodynamic, wines are made with minimal use of sulfur, and respect to the earth. Here, Marie Cheslik runs the wine selections, and she suggests trying Ribolla Gialla blend Maloof Wines’ Scrambled Sticks ($53) from Oregon. “[It’s] a great gateway drug for people who have never had orange wine before.”

The interior of a fine dining restaurant with a small bar.
Elske’s bar and dining room offers many natural wines.
Marc Much/Eater Chicago

Superkhana International

At least half of the wines at Logan Square’s modern IndianSuperkhana Internationallean natural. General manager and beverage director Colleen Malone heads up the list here with a general focus on sparkling wines, and she suggests trying Meinklang Foam Somlo ($48) from Hungary: “Meinklang is one of the most deeply devoted [producers] to biodynamic—the [wine’s] label with the cow in front is an indication of how all of the practices work together including pigs running around in the vineyard.”

The bar and dining room in a modern Indian restaurant
Superkhana’s bar and dining room
Barry Brecheisen/Eater Chicago

Young American

A full 100 percent of the wines at hip Logan Square drinking denYoung Americanare either low-intervention and/or biodynamic. Co-owner and sommelier Jeff Donahue heads up the picks, and he suggests trying Flat Brim Wines Giant Sky ($9/$30), a rose blend of merlot and primitivo grapes.

Lula Cafe

Chef Jason Hammel’s belovedLula Caféin Logan Square has offered natural wine for the last decade. Current general manager and wine director Dennis Webber has organized the list for the last three years, and he says that it changes seasonally along with Hammel’s cuisine. Per Webber, “A majority of our wines are natural, but I’d say the vibe here is ‘natural not natty.’ A lot of our natural wine is coming from old European producers who have been growing grapes without chemicals and vinifying with minimal intervention for generations.” He advises patrons to try Absentee Winery NMWD Cairignan 2017 ($64) from California.

The bar at Lula Cafe in Logan Square.
Lula Cafe’s bar has offered natural wines for the last 10 years.
Lula Cafe [Official Photo]

Good Fortune

About 95 percent of the wines on offer atGood Fortune-洛根廣場的新任美國新餐館”considered low intervention and/or certified biodynamic and organic,” explains wine director Steven Mendivil. He suggests trying Eric Texier, St. Julien en St. Alban ($55) from France, stating that “Eric’s focus is purity, using different farming practices including Fukuoka, named after a celebrated Japanese farmer famous for no-till, no-herbicide practices, and rejects the use of copper and sulfur treatments.”

Daisies

“Our wine program atDaisiesis predominantly composed of natural wines,” asserts bar director and assistant manager Kevin Murphy. “We like to highlight small producers with unique visions as well.” Those who venture to the seasonal Logan Square restaurant can expect more than half the wine list to lean in this direction. Try Red Tail Ridge from Seneca Lake in the Finger Lakes of New York, specifically the skin-contact Miscreant Gewurztraminer-Chardonnay blend ($11/$49).

A restaurant bar with wooden bar stools and a rear brick wall.
The bar at Daisies
Neil Burger

Galit

Lincoln Park’s hot Middle Eastern additionGalitis into natural wine. Executive chef Zach Engel organizes his own wine list, and he sources bottles from the same parts of the world that drive his menu: Greece, Lebanon, Israel, and Palestine. Says Engel, “The natural wine movement is still defining itself, but low-intervention production and farming practices align with our ingredient driven food menu.” Here, about half of the wines are organic or biodynamic, and Engel suggests trying Smockshop Band Red Wine #1 ($86).

The bar in a modern Israeli restaurant
Galit’s bar has plenty of natural wine
Galit/Sandy Noto [Official Photo]

Café Cancale

One Off’s breezy Wicker Park French bistroCafe Cancalepours mainly French vino, and partner and wine steward Eduard Seitan helms the list. At least two-thirds of his selections are organic or biodynamic, and he suggests trying Sébastien Riffault Les Quarterons 2015 ($79), from France. “This is the most controversial wine on the list because it is not what you expect when you order sauvignon blanc. It is full-bodied, lush, juicy and rich, and comes from the most natural wine producer in the Sancerre area of France.”

Mott St

Wicker Park’s neo-Asian numberMott Stwas an early adopter of the movement, offering natural wines starting in 2013. Beverage director Matt Shores is responsible for the wine list, of which 60 percent is natural. He suggests trying Pulpe Fiction Muscadet ($14/$56) from France: “It has a fun and funky nose, with honeydew on the palate and crisp acidity on the finish.”

Clever Rabbit

Owner Chris Haisma commands wine over at his vegetable-focused spot,Clever Rabbit, in Wicker Park. Most of the list here is comprised of organic or biodynamic selections, and he suggests trying California-based My Favorite Neighbor’s cabernet ($15/$125).

Café Marie-Jeanne

Almost all of the wines on the list at bistro stapleCafe Marie-Jeannein Humboldt Park are natural. Director of wine and beverage Jamie McLennan heads up the picks here, typically offering around 20 wines by the glass that are seasonally-focused, which cover a broad range of styles with the commonality that they’re almost all from producers that make natural bottlings. The additional bottle list is also around 20 wines, all of which are natural. McLennan suggests trying Christian Ducroux Prologue Gamay 2018 ($60) from France.

View this post on Instagram

Good Morning !

A post shared byCafé Marie-Jeanne(@cafe_marie_jeanne) on

Marisol

More than half of the wines on offer at chef Jason Hammel’s new American eateryMarisolwithin the Museum of Contemporary Art in Streeterville lean natural. General manager Simon Kim organizes the list, and he suggests trying Mas Oller Blau Nit, Garnacha-Syrah 2018 ($13/$50) from Spain: “At first it is meticulous and poised, with a panoply of ripe dark fruits, espresso, subdued clove, but finishes with a playful and rustic quality — fresh cedar, a slight oceanic salinity, and chalky tannin.”

All Together Now

All the wines at Ukrainian Village’s hip bistro and marketAll Together Noware natural, selected by partner Erin Carlman Weber and wine director Jeremy Patenaude. They suggest trying sulfur-free Julien Brocard Chablis 7eme 2017 ($44).

The interior of a wine shop and bar
All Together Now has a great wine selection.
Patsy McEnroe Photography/All Together Now [Official Photo]

WoodWind

WoodWind— Streeterville’s freshly-minted new American boîte 18 floors up — is embracing low-intervention wines, with at least half the list involving natural producers. Wine director Greg Hartofelis suggests trying Château de Saint Cosme Les Deux Albions ($17/$68), a Grenache-based blend: “Being one of the producers on my list that are fully certified bio-dynamic since 2010, they allow the wines to ferment via spontaneous fermentation, meaning they wait for the ambient yeasts to take control therefore they don’t use commercial yeast strains.”

Pops for Champagne

Just becausePopsis a bubbles bar doesn’t mean that the River North Champagne lounge doesn’t offer natural wines. Wine director Michael Seward helms the grower-focused list, with about one quarter of the wines veering natural. He suggests trying Domaine Tillardon, Pét-Nat Rosé 2018 ($62): “This vineyard is organically farmed since the beginning, with vines up to 80 years old. Farmed by horse and plow in a beautiful vineyard in Chenas, France, this sparkling wine is soft and balanced without the typical funk that can be found in most normal pét-nats.”

Aba

More than half of the wines at Middle Eastern-inspiredAbain River North embrace natural practices. Alex Augustine and Nate Redner is behind the list, which he organizes by New World, Old World, and Ancient Civilization wines. He suggests trying Minimus Pet Nat Rosé 2018 ($85), made from Dolcetto grapes planted in organically and biodynamically-managed land in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Says Augustine, “This wine uses the ancestral sparkling method where fermentation occurs in the bottle forcing natural carbonation into the wine. [It’s] bubbly and fresh, with notes of grapefruit zest, ripe red raspberry and a rich, vinous character.”

Related Maps

Smyth

Over at chef John Shield’s fine dining numberSmyth, sommelier Richie Ribando says that, “[m]ost of the producers that we showcase make wine naturally as far as using native yeasts to ferment/spontaneous fermentation.” And he’s especially keen on Movia’s Puro ($105): “Movia is a biodynamically-farming natural wine producer out of north-east Italy/Slovenia. If you haven’t seen it before, you have todisgorge the bottleof wine yourself.”

The exterior of a fine dining restaurant in the West Loop with lots of ivy
Outside Smyth and the Loyalist
Marc Much/Eater Chicago

Bad Hunter

Management at vegetable-lovingBad Hunter在西方崇尚自然循環酒。葡萄酒導演r Rebecca Schliff suggests trying A.D. Beckham Amphora Riesling from Oregon ($65). Winemaker Andrew Beckham makes his own Amphora (clay vessel for fermenting and aging wine), and also supplies them to many other local winemakers,” she says. “His amphora-aged riesling is bone dry, with beautiful floral and citrus aromatics.

Elske

“We love our natural wines!” saidElskeco-owner Anna Posey. All of her minimalist, Nordic-inspired eatery’s bottles lean toward low or no intervention, meaning that farming practices are organic or biodynamic, wines are made with minimal use of sulfur, and respect to the earth. Here, Marie Cheslik runs the wine selections, and she suggests trying Ribolla Gialla blend Maloof Wines’ Scrambled Sticks ($53) from Oregon. “[It’s] a great gateway drug for people who have never had orange wine before.”

The interior of a fine dining restaurant with a small bar.
Elske’s bar and dining room offers many natural wines.
Marc Much/Eater Chicago

Related Maps

Baidu
map