Despite the state’s monopoly on wine, both the Media and Swarthmore locations of 320 Market have been fighting the fight for natural and low-intervention wines. Scan the shelves and you’ll see a who’s who of natural winemaking pioneers (Arianna Occhipinti and Frank Cornelissen, for starters) alongside splashy newcomers like Brianne Day, Bichi, and La Boutanche. Owner Jack Cunicelli is behind the varied, affordable selection of wines by the glass and bottles to go, but customers will also find grab-and-go food from local producers and craft beer.

Almost all the wines at this Rittenhouse spot are organic or biodynamic, with an approachable, readable menu that lacks pretension. The award-winning by-the-glass and to-go bottle programs encourage experimentation, with affordably priced bottles for any occasion — skin-contact orange wines and earthy reds for the hip and current, classic bubbles for special occasions, even floral, easy-drinking whites for a random Tuesday.

Low-key Bloomsday sources an ever-changing list of wines by the glass, a fanciful bottle list, and an excellent stock of wine, cider, and beer in the bottle shop. Behind the bar, you’ll find a cheery selection of by-the-glass vermouths (including the never-the-same-twice house specialty, dubbed Dumpster Juice, pictured above), but don’t miss the exceedingly fun large-format bottles for special occasions. Knowledgeable staff dispel any whiffs of pretension, as quick to suggest a sparkling domestic wine as they are a natty rosé.

“For a long time, Philly’s beer scene took center stage,” says Sande Friedman, category manager at Di Bruno Bros., “but I think that has been a bridge for greater consumer interest in wine, which, in turn, has led to cooler, more interesting wine programs.” Around 2018, the 80-year-old Di Bruno Bros. expanded into beverages, developing their expert-level curation in the wine and beer space. “We want to offer a little bit of everything, across wine styles and country, but working with producers who share the same ethos we share with our cheese and charcuterie purveyors.” That means on any given day, you’ll find everything from a fizzy, sunset pink Slovenian piquette to a collaboration with Pennsylvania estate-grown wines from Wayvine Winery and Vineyard.

Passyunk’s Fond features a Euro-heavy wine list with prices ranging from $50-$70 for most bottles — an affordable tour-de-force of interesting styles, like crémant (Champagne’s more-affordable counterpart), seafood-friendly muscadet, and intriguing reds from Portugal’s Douro region.

Owner Jill Weber’s (Cafe Ynez, Sor Ynez, and Rex 1516) life as an archaeologist informs much of the wine list at Jet Wine Bar. The list practically beckons you to spin the globe and have an adventure: You’ll find bottles from Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, albariño from Uruguay, and Indigenous wines from Turkey and the Republic of Georgia.

Visit Italy without your passport: Le Virtù sources its wine list exclusively from The Boot. Taking cues from the kitchen, the wine list follows suit with wines from Abruzzo — think playful trebbiano and silky montepulciano — but also selections from Lazio, Basilicata, even the island, Sardegna. Our favorite kind of Italian lesson.

“Philly is a great BYOB town, and selling Spanish wines out of Tinto feels like a natural extension of that culture,” says Nathan Johnson, the vice president of operations for the Garces Group. Stop by for tapas and pintxos or to pick up specially curated wines through the Spanish-focused wine club. Bottles range from affordable whites like Ameztoi Blanco, a semi-spritzy, lemon-candy-tart Txakolina, or the more premium Finca Dofi bottle by renowned winemaker Alvaro Palacios.

There was a time (ahem, the ’90s) when cork art and corny quotes on a wall defined an era of wine establishment. Those days are thankfully gone. “We wanted to totally reimagine what people normally think of as a wine bar,” says Chris Fetfatzes, who co-owns Wine Dive with Heather Annechiarico. “I definitely think having establishments like Wine Dive has really put the spotlight on what was missing from that traditional idea.” Here, you’ll find quirky art (think antique mirrors on ceilings, neon lights, and antique photos) alongside 215-plus international, small-production natural wines from Austria to South Africa and everything in between, specially sourced by Fetfatzes and crew — at any given time, they’ll be pouring 20-30 wines on the glass. “I think people learn more in an atmosphere that is comfortable,” says Annechiarico.