The shelves of Basic Wine Store are heavy with an extensive selection of natural wines (Photo: Basic Wine Store)
Nothing beats blending into weekend night crowds and an ice cold drink or two to wash away your worries. It is not uncommon to see locals and tourists alike taking in the alcoholic delights that watering holes across Kuala Lumpur have to offer at the end of a long day, be it a refreshing cocktail or refined glass of wine. For those who do not wish to imbibe but still want to join in on the fun, here are two bars in the beating heart of the city that have a robust selection of both alcoholic and non-alcoholic libations.
Basic Wine Store
Helmed by the team behind Table & Apron, Basic Wine Store steps above and beyond with its extensive and rotating list of European comfort fare and robust selection of natural wines, arranged across chillers and shelves in order of type and flavour profile to facilitate a more streamlined picking process.
Natural wines can still be unfamiliar terroir for some; so, if you would rather not take a leap of faith based purely on label design, the incredibly friendly and knowledgeable team here is more than happy to lend a hand.
As far as alcohol-free offerings are concerned, the locale offers a petite but elite array of non-ABV wines by Domaine des Grottes, Muri and Non, priced between RM130 and RM150. While these are, unfortunately, not available by glass — making them a rather steep choice should you be the only non-imbiber in your party — the establishment does offer single-serve options in the form of Nada Natural Sodas: a super fizzy and refreshing probiotic beverage brewed in Penang using water kefir grains. The passionfruit version (RM21) packs a fruity, tropical punch with a lovely sweetness and floral fragrance.
In addition to an all-day snack menu and more proper dinner dishes, they also serve lunch specials on the weekends. The mortadella sandwich (RM32) combines tiers of cured meat with peppery leaves of rocket, a creamy smear of ricotta, crunchy pistachios and briny pops of green olives, pressed between gently grilled soft focaccia (all the bread here is sourced from the beloved Universal Bakehouse) to give a touch of char.
Basic’s by-the-glass queue rotates with relative frequency, always encompassing a good amount of variety. The 2021 Martin and Anna Arndorfer Grüner Veltliner from Austria (RM40) presents a sharper profile when just opened, the staff observes, but on the second day after being tempered by oxygen, this 11-month barrel-aged white wine is bursting with a perfume of apples and honey. A sip of this cloudy golden fluid reveals a bright white pepper and lime, with a medium mineral finish.
Meanwhile, the 2020 Robinot L’opera des vins Concerto di Venezia (RM58) may perplex some with its light-painting illustration and Comic Sans typeface but, rest assured, the ruby-hued ichor housed within is highly approachable. The first draw is lightly carbonated, spicy and mildly leathery on the nose, followed by a velvety palate of fresh wild berries and a medium, earthy body. We also vouch enthusiastically for the Chemor chocolate pie (RM23) as the perfect pairing with this glass: decadent, bitter ganache and scarlet dusting of paprika and crystalline salt flakes.
The price tags on these 125ml servings are undeniably on the heftier side. By the bottle, the options hover a bit more reasonably around the mid-RM200s. So, splitting with friends — unless you are feeling particularly strong of liver — is probably the better call.
Lot 13A Ground Floor, Arcoris Mont Kiara, KL. Wed to Thurs, 3pm to 11pm; Fri to Sat, 1pm to midnight; Sun, 1pm to 11pm. Closed on Mon and Tues.
Fafaba
True to its motto of offering all things gut-friendly, the core of Fafaba’s menu comprises natural wines and homemade kombuchas, crafted and curated by their team of fermentation-focused folks. This is a cosy, highly intimate space, with a whimsical contrast between the classy ambience and marker-doodled glass. Jars of lovingly raised scobies and cute figurines in every corner help define its territory within the bustling wilds of RexKL. The locale also used to have several mocktails on the list, but we learnt on a subsequent visit that it is now pivoting to prioritise its core drinks.
Wine-wise, the bar stocks a reasonably sized cache of white, red, rose, orange and sparkling bottles. As each bottle is priced at an average of more than RM400, though, we found it much easier to justify drinking by the glass, two of which ran us a cool RM45 nett each.
The 2022 Vini Rabasco Cancelli is a fresh, citrusy white (bordering on orange) from the Colline Pescaresi region of Italy, made with Trebbiano grapes and fermented spontaneously using native yeasts in cement tanks. On the nose, it opens with orange peel and crisp green apples, unfolding into a surprisingly delicious palate of apricot, lemon and pear, accented by mineral notes of sea salt, owing to the region’s proximity to the Adriatic.
Venturing into something a little heavier, the 2021 Ciello Bummaru from Sicily combines dark Nerello Mascalese with native varieties, also spontaneously fermented with a 10-day maceration, and then bottled without filtration and minimal added sulfur. This biodynamic red is remarkably ripe and juicy, rich with black cherries and plum, complemented by a sprinkle of pepperiness and soft tannins with a smooth finish. Do not let the fear of that “barnyard funk” often found in natural wines put you off — both choices were on the tamer side, and well worth a try.
As for the non-alcoholic choices, Fafaba’s kombuchas are typically produced in-house once every two weeks, featuring three bases — oolong, green tea and glutinous rice tea — and a shifting array of flavours under each. Since the bar’s name is inspired by the Chinese word for “flower”, a reference to their popular oolong chrysanthemum flavour, we had to give it a try.
Light and very floral, this bubbly elixir is a tamed balance of sweetness and complementary tea fragrances punctuated by a minty pop. For something on the tangier end, the seasonal orange cinnamon variety of the glutinous rice tea kombucha immediately greets the tongue with an invigorating hit of sweet zesty acidity, mellowed by an undercurrent of warm spices and medicinal nose. Also of note is the green tea green mango iteration, which starts with a strong acetic note and shifts into the appetising sour flavour of unripe fruit. Kombuchas are priced at RM20 per glass, with some options dipping down to RM15.
80 Jalan Sultan, Kuala Lumpur. Mon to Fri, 5pm to 11pm; Sat to Sun, 2pm to 11pm.
This article first appeared on May 19, 2025 in The Edge Malaysia.
