Cardiff Wine Passport makes a return, with even more venues taking part

The Cardiff Wine Passport is back for summer 2024, featuring venues in and outside the city centre and exclusive drinks available for participants of the much-loved scheme.

The Cardiff Wine Passport was first launched in August 2022, allowing intrepid wine explorers to purchase a physical ‘passport’ which can be used to claim six handpicked glasses of wine at six venues of their choice, earning stamps for their passports as they go.

The 2024 ‘Summer Edition’ of the Cardiff Wine Passport costs £27, and now includes five new venues outside of the city centre – meaning there are a total of 15 venues to choose from, and even more variety when it comes to the wines and wine cocktails on offer.

As with previous editions, the passport also offers a choice of two ‘pairings’ at each venue; for an extra cost, passport holders can add a suggested small plate which has been chosen to perfectly match their glass of wine or cocktail.

Fixture

The Cardiff Wine Passport has become a hotly anticipated fixture in Cardiff’s events calendar, and with a limited run of only 1,000 passports, the 2024 Summer Edition is expected to sell out quickly when it goes on sale on Friday 2^nd August.

The passport will be valid from the 4^th August for eight weeks (from Sunday to Thursday), with the following independent venues taking part:

·      Bar 44: A lively tapas bar in the heart of the city; Bar 44 will be offering a refreshing Rebujito sherry cocktail or a glass of Tempranillo as part of the passport, with the option to pair them with a couple of their classic and seasonal small plates.

·     Daffodil:  At this modern gastro pub, they focus on quality seasonal food with a focus on local Welsh produce. Here you can pair a crisp glass of Spanish verdejo with their dish of King Scallops with Penderyn Whiskey, butter and crispy Carmarthen ham – or pair a glass of rose with their delicious antipasti plate.

·      Vermut: This cosy hole-in-the-wall bar specialises in the sale of Sherry, Vermouth, and wines from Montilla-Moriles; they have included a medium sherry and a red vermouth as part of the passport.

·      Asador 44: This restaurant serves impeccable ingredients cooked over an authentic Spanish grill; here you can opt to pair a glass of cava with a prawn bisque croqueta with charcoal mayonnaise, or a glass of Tempranillo with a snack of sourdough and sobrasada.

·      Curado Bar: A popular deli and pintxos bar in Westgate street; the passport offers a choice of two Spanish wines, with suggested pairings of freshly fried Calamari or crispy Jamon on toast.

·      Nighthawks: This quirky wine bar opposite Cardiff castle has gained a cult following for its incredible grilled cheese sandwiches – on offer as the pairing to a delicious glass of crisp Chablis or a fruity Italian red.

·      Parallel: This small-plates restaurant is the sister venue to the ever-popular Pasture, situated next-door. Parallel have chosen to showcase their famous carrot dish as part of the passport, pairing it with a dry, medium-bodied white from Castilla La Mancha.

·      Lab 22:  This award-winning and eclectically styled cocktail bar is a favourite with late-night crowds. They’ve created two exclusive wine cocktails for the passport, including Kiss From A Rosé which is made with Zinfandel rosé, fresh raspberry, lemon, and Aquavit from local Welsh distillers, Silver Circle Distillery.

·      The Dead Canary: This hidden speakeasy on Barrack Lane will offer two wine-based cocktails as part of the Cardiff Wine Passport; the short and spicy Summerhouse Bay, or the sweet cherry and almond flavoured Red Berry Bay.

·     Bacareto: A relaxed and informal café bar, inspired by the small bàcari of Venice; Bacareto have chosen to highlight a Welsh mountain cider as part of the passport, as it bears so many similarities to Natural Wine. Die-hard wine lovers can still opt for a glass of Italian Frappato, paired with their ever-popular arancini.

And for the first time this year, the following venues outside the city centre will be joining in with the scheme:

·      Silures: At this contemporary bistro in Roath, you can pair an Argentinian Chardonnay with cured Cornish Sea Bream – or try a juicy Spanish red with a dish of summer tomatoes, tapenade and quails egg.

·      Outpost: A Romanian Pinot Noir and an organic Verdejo are on offer at this popular Pontcanna hangout; with the option to pair them with Chorizo poached in honey and red wine, or a plate of Spanish anchovies with olive oil and micro herbs.

·      Heaneys: There are two Portuguese wines on offer at Heaney’s restaurant in Pontcanna; one paired with cured gurnard and Ajo Blanco, and the other with a pair of bite-sized aged Comte and onion tarts.

·      Uisce: Enjoy a glass of fizz on Uisce’s sunny terrace as part of the summer wine passport; paired with a delicious slab of crab on toast with brown butter mayo.

·      Bodega: Over in Lakeside, this small-plates restaurant in the new Amber Vista development will let you choose from two Spanish wines, and suggests pairing the red with their short rib with burnt leeks, or the white with their mussels in smoked white wine cream.

Showcase

The Cardiff Wine Passport was created by wine-lover and independent PR consultant Jane Cook, as a way to showcase some of the city’s best independent bars & restaurants – places that can sometimes be overlooked in favour of big-name chains.

She explained “I’m thrilled with the line-up for this summer edition of the passport – it’s the strongest to date; full of delicious drinks, incredible venues, and inspired pairing suggestions.

“After listening to feedback from our community of wine lovers, we’ve added some venues in the suburbs – meaning that people can enjoy a glass of something special closer to home, then head on into the city centre to collect their rest of their stamps.”

Boost

Since the first pilot in 2022, the Cardiff Wine Passport has injected more than £40,000 of revenue into Cardiff’s city centre hospitality businesses, and the 2024 Summer Edition has once again been supported by For Cardiff, the not-for-profit Business Improvement District (BID).

Carolyn Brownell, Executive Director at FOR Cardiff explained, “We initially funded the creation of the first Cardiff Wine Passport using our City Ambition Fund, and it’s been brilliant to see the scheme go from strength to strength. The impact it has made has been really significant, and we are delighted to see the summer edition giving our independent city centre hospitality businesses an economic boost once again.”

You can sign up for priority on-sale access and an exclusive 24h discount code by joining the Cardiff Wine Passport mailing list at: www.cardiffwinepassport.co.uk.

For more information, follow the Cardiff Wine Passport on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @cdfwinepassport