Pet parents, you’ll love this new wine bar in Goa

There are over 7,000 bars in Goa. So, for every kilometre of coastline, India’s smallest state has 45 bars. This means that a new bar needs to be different to stand out. They need to make an extra effort—themes, events, gimmicks, noise—to get noticed. The math dictates it.

The Wineyard is an exception in that it stands out quietly and effortlessly. From the gorgeous setting to the easy-drinking wine list and a very experimental service model, Arijit Bose’s latest venture fits more naturally into Goa’s halcyon past than its increasingly hectic present.

The best part? If you’re lucky, you’ll get to meet lots of very happy dogs. (We met five in less than two hours.)

The Wineyard is the latest addition to the Bose-verse, which includes Bar Spirit Forward, Una Hacienda, Wine In Progress and the Middle Room in Bengaluru, and Bar Outrigger in Goa. 

But this one’s quite different from his other ventures. The focal point of the experience here isn’t the bar itself but a very large yard overlooking fluorescent-green paddy fields. To get to the bar counter, you walk up the back-porch steps of an Indo-Portuguese mansion that’s over 100 years old (this is home to one of Goa’s oldest cultural spaces, Sadhana Dell ’Arte). Indoors, it’s everything you’d expect from a house that’s been around for this long —arches, high ceilings, patterned tiles, and wood-framed windows. Inside, a space that can seat up to 30 people has walls decorated with wine-related memes, establishing early that while this might be a wine bar in a 100-year-old house, it’s still a fun bar.

Also lining the wall is a row of wine coolers with 30 to 40 bottles of wine, which is rare, considering that a majority of Goa bars either don’t serve wine at all or stock limited, run-of-the-mill options. So, how come a wine bar in Goa, which feels more like beer-and-cocktail territory? “People said it wouldn’t work in Bengaluru, which is craft beer territory, but with Wine In Progress we proved that there’s room for different types of bars for a certain kind of audience,” Bose says. “In Goa, most bars cater to tourists, but there’s a large population here which is open to high-quality experiences—whether that’s locals or people who have made Goa their home. We’ve seen this with the number of cocktail bars that have opened in the last five years, and if this experiment works, I’m sure we’ll see a lot of wine bars opening in the future.”  

And then there’s the ‘low-intervention’ model, designed to make you feel like you’re at a friend’s house: you grab your own bottle from the fridge, pick up your own drinks from the bar, grab your cutlery, ice buckets, and whatever else you need from the self-service station, and pick a table in the large lawn. Food you order is delivered to the table—we tried the Kerala beef fry and the chips and pepperoni, neither of which felt very central to the experience. “I don’t want to fight with the dinner crowd,” Bose explains about the menu, which is a collection of easy-to-eat small plates. They do plan to introduce cheese platters and grab-and-go picnic baskets to match the experience.

His partners in this venture are hospitality veteran Maverick Fernandes and Avinash Kumar of UnBox Labs, the art, design and tech collective that The Wineyard shares space with. The plan is to feature music sets from local talent, which UnBox Labs will curate. 

And while many Goa bars are pet-friendly, The Wineyard feels purpose-built for pets, whether it’s the big lawn and water bowls or the generously spaced tables. We suspect part of the reason for the low-intervention model is so the staff has time to play with every dog that walks in. “We want this to be a space where people can really slow down. Even I feel calmer when I’m sitting here,” says Bose, whose previous ventures have a reputation of being particularly high-energy. 

The Wineyard is currently serving 24 wines by the glass, and 30 to 40 by the bottle. The plan is to introduce new wines periodically based on availability and customer recommendations. We had a couple of glasses of the Trapiche Vineyards Malbec from Argentina (₹600 a glass), and the Man Family Pinotage from South Africa (₹800 a glass), both of which we’ll happily go back for. We also tried the Palo Cante (one of the four cocktails currently on the menu), which blends tequila, sauvignon blanc, vanilla, and a hibiscus plum cordial into a light, summery drink.

“I want this to become the place where you come and discover what kind of wine you like,” Bose says. “People should be recommending bottles they found and loved to their friends on the table.” The pricing is extremely competitive—they want people to be able to try different wines without having to break the bank. There’s a wide variety of bottles priced in the ₹3,000-5,000 range, going up to ₹10,000 (as well as a couple of bottles in the ₹50,000-60,000 range, if you’re really looking to splurge). 

Overall, The Wineyard confidently walks the line between a fancy wine place with a very chill vibe and a very chill place that happens to sell a wide variety of very good wine.

Meal for two: ₹2,600

Timing: 5pm to 12am (outdoor closes at 10 pm)

Address: 125, Casa Joao Francisco, Merces, Goa 403005

Reservations: +91 9890157162