I’ve had so many messages over the past year asking when I would do another one. But the Cardiff Wine Passport has always been a passion project; it’s just me, working with my lovely designer Sam, my content creator pals, and some brilliant independent venues to try and get more people discovering the amazing food and drink scene we have here in Cardiff.
For while, life and work got in the way, but over the past few months I’ve found myself thinking about it more and more. Every time another independent venue announced rising costs, every time I heard someone say they “always mean to try” somewhere new but never quite get around to it, I kept coming back to the same thought…
It was never really about wine.
Well… maybe a bit!
But what I’ve always loved isn’t the six glasses you’ll drink. It’s everything that happens around them. People discover a bar they’ve walked past for years. They order a second round. They stay for a dinner they hadn’t planned on. They end up somewhere they’d never usually choose and wonder why they’ve never been before.
A few years ago someone told me they’d met their now-partner on a Wine Passport date. Another person said it had completely changed where they go out in Cardiff. I bloody love hearing things like that!
Independent hospitality needs it.
It’s no secret that running a bar or restaurant has become harder. Staff costs are up. Energy costs are up. Business rates are up. Customers are watching every penny.
The Cardiff Wine Passport isn’t going to solve those problems. But if it gets hundreds of people choosing independent venues over chains for a few weeks, discovering somewhere new, ordering another drink, staying for dinner or coming back next month, then it has done exactly what it set out to do.
Since launching in 2022, it’s generated more than £80,000 in direct revenue for participating venues, and the real impact from added glasses, extra orders and repeat visits is almost certainly much bigger than that.
There are a few surprises this year…
I’m really excited about the 2026 edition. We’ve welcomed three fantastic new venues, worked with everyone to choose wines that genuinely reflect what they do best.
It will run from Thursday 6th August until Sunday 27th September, with passports redeemable at participating venues from Sunday to Thursday.
Each Passport is stampable in return for six drinks, selected from a choice of thirteen indie venues: Parallel, Bar 44, Asador 44, Bacareto, Lab 22, Nighthawks, Daffodil, The Dead Canary, Curado and Vermut. Brand new for this year are Sicilian café-bar Khione, wine bar Kindred and cocktail bar LowKey.
You can choose which six venues to visit, and the order, making every route through the city different. At each venue you have a choice to redeem a stamp for one of two specially selected glasses of wine. At The Dead Canary only, you can even try an exclusive wine-based cocktail – making it even better value for money.
An afternoon might begin with a glass of chilled red Frappato paired with chickpea fritters at Bacareto. Follow this with a glass of Amoranza Verdejo and a side of fried chicken & pickles at Parallel. Finish with a ‘Manic Street Peaches’ wine cocktail from The Dead Canary made with rose, grapefruit and peach.
And save three stamps for next time.
On sale: 31st July
The Cardiff Wine Passport goes on sale on Friday 31st July, with the experience running from 6th August until 27th September. If previous years are anything to go by, they won’t hang around for long. You can sign up to the newsletter at cardiffwinepassport.co.uk to unlock a subscribers-only launch discount valid for one day only.
Cardiff’s indie hospitality scene is one of the things that makes this city special. If the Cardiff Wine Passport helps a few more people fall in love with it, then every late night, spreadsheet and panic over printing deadlines will have been worth it.
Cheers! x
