| Best overall | Canopy Wine Lounge, downtown on N Palm Canyon Drive |
|---|---|
| Best for wine nerds | Counter Reformation at the Parker (reserve ahead) |
| Best for a casual group | V Wine Lounge, outdoor patio |
| Best wine with dinner | Ash & Vine in the La Plaza courtyard |
| Best outside Palm Springs | La Fe Wine Bar, El Paseo, Palm Desert |
| Heads up | Several close Tuesday and Wednesday, so check hours first |
The best wine bar in Palm Springs for most people is Canopy Wine Lounge on N Palm Canyon Drive, with Counter Reformation at the Parker for a wine-first night. Both want a reservation on weekends.
Palm Springs has plenty of cocktail bars, but dedicated wine bars are fewer, smaller and tend to keep short hours. That makes them a good palm springs date night, as long as you plan around the days they close. Cocktails live in the best bars in Palm Springs guide, and this one sticks to wine.
Every address, hour and booking detail below comes from the venue's own site. Hours shift with the season here, so confirm before you go.
Best Wine Bars in Downtown Palm Springs
South Palm Canyon Drive near La Plaza, where several of these stops cluster. Photo: cultivar413 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Canopy Wine Lounge
Canopy Wine Lounge is at 175 N Palm Canyon Drive, which makes it the simplest anchor for a downtown evening. The list is built around producers who care about sustainability, craftsmanship and a distinct sense of place, and the menu pairs it with light bites, filling plates and sweet treats.
Hours are Sunday and Monday 3 to 8:30pm, Thursday 3 to 8:30pm and Friday and Saturday 3 to 9:30pm, closed Tuesday and Wednesday. Happy hour runs daily from 3 to 5pm, which suits an early start before dinner somewhere else. Reservations go through OpenTable, and the room also runs a wine membership called The Cru.
Ash & Vine
Ash & Vine is a restaurant first, so treat it as the wine-with-dinner stop. It sits at 19 La Plaza and serves brunch 9am to 1pm, bar bites from 3 to 5pm on the bar side only, and dinner 5 to 9pm, with reservations advised through OpenTable.
Outdoor dining is dog-friendly, which matters in a town where half the couples travel with one. The restaurant's site also lists an Ash & Vine Bar across the way at 20 La Plaza, so check the site for its current status before you plan around it.
Jalama Wines
Jalama Wines keeps a tasting room in the same La Plaza courtyard. The winery makes Pinot Noir and Syrah from Lompoc, so a pour here is a producer tasting rather than a bar list. Check jalamawines.com for current tasting hours and bookings, because tasting rooms rarely keep bar hours.
V Wine Lounge & Martini Bar
V Wine Lounge & Martini Bar is at 600 E Tahquitz Canyon Way, on the east side of downtown. The site describes a midcentury-style lounge with a scenic outdoor patio, and it keeps separate main and martini menus, so a group where half the table wants wine and half wants a martini can split the difference.
Reservations are by phone at (760) 668-9665. Check the contact page on the venue's site for current hours, since closing times vary by weekday.
A Serious Wine Bar at the Parker
A wine bar dining room in Lyon, France, shown as the mood a serious list calls for. Photo: Benoît Prieur / Wikimedia Commons, CC0
Counter Reformation
Counter Reformation sits inside the Parker at 4200 E Palm Canyon Drive, and the Parker describes it as a Parisian tabac, a Cave à Manger with a rotating by-the-glass list built around variety and discovery. Food comes as small savory plates, listed on a menu called Fishes & Loaves, with wines on a separate Libations menu.
It opens Wednesday through Sunday from 5 to 11pm and is closed Monday and Tuesday. Bookings open 30 days ahead through the Parker's reservation page, where you pick a date, time and seat. Standing at the bar and leaning on ledges is the format, so it suits two people far better than a group of eight.
It is a car or rideshare trip from downtown, and the Parker's grounds are worth arriving a little early for.
Wine Bars Near Uptown and The Sundune
If you are staying at The Sundune, plan on a short drive or rideshare to downtown, about ten minutes. For something closer to the Uptown Design District, Sottovoce is an Italian coffee and wine bar at 1345 N Palm Canyon Drive inside The Shops at Thirteen Forty-Five. Check its site for hours before heading over.
Planning a wine weekend? The Sundune in Palm Springs is a short drive from downtown, with a balcony for a pre-dinner bottle. Heading to the festival side of the valley? Terra Luz and The Cozy Cactus are walking distance to the Empire Polo Club in Indio, so the bottle comes home with you.
Wine Bars in Palm Desert and the Rest of the Valley
Valley evenings are at their best outdoors, which is why patio seating matters when you pick a wine bar.
The valley's other dedicated wine bar is La Fe Wine Bar at 73900 El Paseo in Palm Desert. It has been locally owned since 2017 and expanded in 2021, with a tapas-style menu of charcuterie boards, salads, flatbreads, empanadas and desserts, plus wine by the glass or bottle, cocktails and craft beer.
A charcuterie board, the shared plate most wine bars here build their menus around. Photo: Daderot / Wikimedia Commons, CC0
Happy hour runs daily 5 to 6pm, and the site advertises a charcuterie board with a select bottle of wine for $50, with the wine changing regularly. Tasting and pairing events need a reservation because space is limited, and there is a Wine Room for buying bottles plus a wine club. Call (760) 565-1430 to confirm hours, since the site does not list them. Dinner nearby is covered in the Palm Desert restaurant guide.
Indio is the gap. The dedicated wine bars are in Palm Springs and Palm Desert, so if you are staying near the polo grounds, treat El Paseo as a drive and check a map for the current time. The Terra Luz Indio local guide covers what is closer to the house.
Palm Springs Date Night and Girls Weekend Plans
A flight of California Cabernet, the format a tasting room or wine lounge flight follows. Photo: Brian Solis / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
For date night, start early at Canopy during its 3 to 5pm happy hour, walk downtown, then book Counter Reformation for a later seat if you both care about the list. Small rooms fill fast, so reserve before you land. If you want an easy order of operations for the whole day, the morning vs evening guide lays one out.
The best second stop of the night is sometimes your own patio.
For a girls weekend, V Wine Lounge handles a mixed group better than the standing-room spots, and a Jalama tasting makes an easy afternoon opener. Planning a bachelorette? The bachelorette planning guide covers the rest of the weekend, the poolside bars and resort dining guide fills the daytime, and the best restaurants in Palm Springs list handles dinner.
Wine Bars in Palm Springs: Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best wine bar in Palm Springs?
Canopy Wine Lounge at 175 N Palm Canyon Drive is the easiest all-around pick, with a producer-focused list, a food menu and a downtown address. Counter Reformation at the Parker suits a wine-first evening if you can book ahead.
Do Palm Springs wine bars take reservations?
Canopy and Ash & Vine book through OpenTable, Counter Reformation opens bookings 30 days out through the Parker, and V Wine Lounge takes reservations by phone. Weekends fill first.
Which Palm Springs wine bars are closed midweek?
Canopy is closed Tuesday and Wednesday, and Counter Reformation is closed Monday and Tuesday. Check each venue's own site before planning a midweek night.
Is there a good wine bar near Indio?
The dedicated wine bars sit in Palm Springs and Palm Desert. La Fe Wine Bar on El Paseo is the one worth planning a drive around from Indio.
What is a good Palm Springs date night plan with wine?
Early pour at Canopy or Ash & Vine, a downtown walk, then a later seat at Counter Reformation if you both like a serious list. Confirm hours first, since several wine bars close early or midweek.