About Us

Wine without the ego.

A neighbourhood wine bar, a tasting room, a wine club and a shop. Mostly, a place to get curious.

Most online wine stores sell you a bottle. We'd rather you leave knowing why you'll love it.

Open Bottle lives inside UrbanPadstal in Parkmore, Johannesburg. It's a bar you can walk into on a Tuesday, a room where winemakers pour their own bottles, and a shop that delivers the wines you discovered here to your door. We take the wine seriously. We never take ourselves seriously.

We're more than just a shop...

The Bar. Come as you are. Order a glass, ask a question you think is silly (it isn't), and try something you can't pronounce. No dress code, no quiz, no judgement. Just good wine and people who like talking about it.

Wine with Asian cuisine? That's our thing.

Most wine pairings stop at steak and cheese. Ours start with a bowl of ramen. Our evenings with Obento’s kitchen put wine up against chilli, miso and soy, the toughest test a bottle can face. We pour, you taste, the room decides.

We don't pretend to know which before the night. We pour, you taste, the room decides. It's the kind of evening you won't find at an online wine store, or at most wine bars in Joburg. 

See the next pairing evening!

The Sip Society. From a free newsletter to monthly tastings and wine clubs, there's a way to stay close to what we're pouring. Explore the clubs

The Shop. Everything we pour, ready to take home. Order online for collection or delivery, with next-day delivery in our local area when stock allows. Every bottle on the shelf is one someone on our team has tasted and would happily open for you.

 

Meet Ling and Dan

Open Bottle started with a question Ling and Dan kept asking across their own tables: why does nobody pour wine with ramen?

The couple have run Obento Ramen Bar in Parkmore since 2021. Somewhere between perfecting broths and feeding a neighbourhood of regulars, they noticed their guests wanted more than a beer or a soft drink with dinner. They wanted something that could stand up to chilli, miso and soy, and nobody was showing them what that might be.

So they built it next door. Open Bottle is Ling and Dan's answer to an old assumption: that good wine belongs with steak and cheese, and Asian food sits somewhere else. They think Asian food deserves a proper seat at the wine table, and that the best way to prove it is to pour, taste and let the room decide.

They're food people first, wine lovers a close second, and they'd rather you came in curious than knowledgeable. Pull up a chair.

 

Meet Raz

Raz is our resident sommelier and the host of most of our tastings. 

Raz is an award-nominated South African wine writer and wine specialist with a passion for exploring the intersection of wine, culture and people. Through his platform, Virgin Vines (@virgin_vines) , he produces engaging long-form features, opinion pieces and wine commentary that challenge conventional narratives and make wine more accessible to a broader audience.

Recognised for his distinctive voice and perspective, Razeen was nominated by 67 Pall Mall for the Laurent-Perrier Global Wine Communicator Award for Long-form Writing. His work combines industry knowledge, storytelling and a fresh perspective on the evolving South African wine landscape.

 

Why we do it this way

Wine has a reputation for gatekeeping: the jargon, the price tags, the feeling that everyone else knows something you don't. We think that's backwards. Curiosity is the only thing you need to bring. Ask anything. Tell us what you liked last time, even if all you remember is that the label had a bird on it. We'll take it from there.

And when we tell you a bottle is brilliant, a steal or properly weird (in the best way), we mean it. If something's not right for you, we'll say so and find you something that is.

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Come and say hello

Open Bottle at UrbanPadstal, 13 11th Street, Parkmore, Sandton, 2196

Tuesdays - Saturdays 10am - 10pm - occasional Sundays

@openbottlewine · +27 73 787 5335 · hello@openbottle.co.za

Not for sale to persons under the age of 18. Enjoy responsibly.