Five great places to drink wine in Scotland

This smart, spacious wine bar at 1 Haddington Place, near the top of Leith Walk, has big windows and a coffee shop below (daytime only). The oft-changing wine list includes ten by the glass choices while the excellent small plate menu (until 8.30pm) features their own sourdough bread and dishes such as cured sea trout or nettle ravioli. Matt Jackson and Marzena Brodziak, the owners, have got this exactly right. Details sprywines.co.uk
Liam Hanlon and Séverine Sloboda set up shop here at 166 Nithsdale Road importing wine then decided to serve food, open a terrace on the street and call it a wine bar. So they should — the French/Mediterranean food is great, the European wine selection excellent. Details madefromgrapes.com
Off Main Street on a narrow road between the church and town hall, Hunters Stables is a real surprise for passers-through: a wine bar and Italian restaurant in the old Legion Clubroom, all spruced up, roomy and light-filled thanks to a glass roof. Salvatore de Martino and family work away turning out pasta and stone-baked pizzas — they’re pretty good at it too. Details huntersstables.co.uk
The “long-outstanding but still got it” award surely goes to Norman Macdonald, still working the floor and on to every detail of one of the most in-tune-with-its-clientele restaurants in Scotland. On Castle Street, with a wine bar out front and two happily crowded rooms, it’s quite apparent that this is Inverness’s number one choice for an affordable dinner out. Macdonald seems to speak to every table and there’s a lot of them. There’s a seasonally — if not daily — changing menu and a superb, well-informed wine list. Details cafe1.net
At the harbour end of the high street is this refreshingly contemporary wine bar/bistro. There’s an excellent wine selection with the option of wine flights and more than 200 wines to buy then drink with tasty southeast Asian and Middle Eastern small plates. You’ll also find bottles for sale at their Grapemonger bottle shop just two doors down. Closed Sundays and Mondays. Details oneonetwo.co.uk
Taken from Scotland the Best by Peter Irvine (HarperCollins £17.99). Or buy from timesbookshop.co.uk. Discount for Times+ members