You can remember a place quite clearly and still forget its name. A canal, a corner, a plate of calamari and a few small dishes. In this case, the name is Shiraz: the wine bar at Lijnbaansgracht 267-HS in Amsterdam.
Shiraz calls itself a Jardin des Vins. Its own description combines French and Middle Eastern influences, with a wine selection intended to make room for both familiar favourites and something you have not tried before. The adjoining wine boutique provides a straightforward answer when you find a bottle worth taking home.
Start with a direction
A long wine list is more useful when the first decision is a small one. Fresh and bright, or fuller and rounder? Something for the food, or simply a glass you want to sit with?
Describe a wine you already enjoy and ask the team for a nearby alternative. That gives the conversation a starting point without turning an evening out into a vocabulary test. The bar explicitly encourages guests to ask for advice when choosing.
Order a little, then decide
The calamari and small plates are what brought this place back to mind. That is a good shape for an evening: a first glass, a couple of dishes for the table, then a decision about what comes next.
For fried calamari, a crisp white or a dry sparkling wine would be my starting point. That is a pairing suggestion, rather than a claim about a particular bottle currently being poured. Ask what is open and what the kitchen is serving that day.
Leave the timetable outside
Shiraz is at Lijnbaansgracht 267-HS. Its contact page currently says ordinary reservations are not available and guests should walk in; larger groups have separate arrangements. Check that page and the current menu before heading over, since dishes and opening hours can change.
This is a place to keep in mind when the plan is pleasingly modest: good company, something in the glass and enough food to justify staying a little longer.
Photograph: Shiraz – Jardin des Vins, from its official website.
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