Bellingham's Quirky Little Wine Overachiever
Downtown · Bellingham · Wine and cocktail bar with small plates · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 10, 2026
RagingWine reviewed The Temple Bar’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Walking into The Temple Bar, you'd be forgiven for expecting a standard cocktail-forward bar list with a few Cabs bolted on as an afterthought. Instead, the wine list punches well above its weight for a dimly lit neighborhood spot on Holly Street. Fourteen options, none of them phoning it in.
The list is short — 14 wines — but whoever put it together was clearly paying attention. You've got Georgian Saperavi from Mildani sitting next to Austrian Zweigelt from Weingut Helenental, a Picpoul de Pinet from Charactere Unique, and an orange Verdejo-Sauvignon Blanc blend from Gulp Hablo. That's not a random grab from a distributor catalog; that's a point of view. The Italian corner is solid with the Comeluna Organic Red Blend and a Castello de Trebbio Chianti Superiore rounding things out. If there's a gap, it's domestic — Pacific Northwest producers are conspicuously absent for a bar in Bellingham, which feels like a missed opportunity.
Everything on the list is available by the glass, which is exactly how a bar this size should operate. Prices run $10–$14, with the Mildani Saperavi sitting at the wallet-friendly end and the Gulp Hablo orange wine topping out at $14. No rotation data available, but with only 14 bottles in play the menu likely stays fairly static — fine for regulars who know what they want, less exciting for repeat visitors hoping for something new.
Mildani Saperavi 2021 — $10/glass, $30/bottle
Georgian Saperavi at $30 a bottle is a genuine find. This is a dark, brooding, tannic grape that most people have never tried, and at this price point Temple Bar is practically daring you to take a chance on it. Take the dare.
Weingut Helenental Zweigelt 2022
Austrian Zweigelt on a Bellingham bar list is not something you see every day. It's lighter than a Pinot Noir but with more grip and a peppery edge — criminally underordered because most people scroll right past anything they can't pronounce.
Charles Ellner Champagne NV
At $80 a bottle, this is the list's biggest ask, and without retail pricing data to benchmark it against, it's hard to know if you're getting a deal or getting clipped. Charles Ellner is a solid grower house but not a showstopper. If you want bubbles, the 90.10 Crémant de Bourgogne at $50 gets you closer to the same party for less money.
Charactere Unique Picpoul de Pinet 2022 + Charcuterie and cheese board
Picpoul's bright acidity and citrus snap cuts right through fatty cured meats and rich aged cheeses. It's the board's best friend and at $14 a glass you can pour a second without doing math in your head.
The Bottom Line
The Temple Bar is the kind of wine list that makes you wish more bars trusted their guests to handle something interesting. It's small, it's weird in the best way, and it's priced fairly — which in 2024 is its own kind of miracle.
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