This website uses cookies to remember your preferences, measure audience engagement and site statistics.
Privacy policyLatvia may be better known for its beer, but Riga has a growing restaurant and wine scene where Champagne fits in very naturally. You can find it in restaurants, wine bars and hotels, whether you’re after a glass in the afternoon, a bottle with dinner or something to celebrate.
Latvia’s climate doesn’t make it a conventional wine-growing destination, so you won’t be travelling here to explore vineyards in the way you would in Italy or France. Instead, the local drinks culture has developed around beer, spirits and increasingly interesting fruit and berry wines.
Latvian winemakers work with ingredients that suit the climate, including apples, rhubarb, blackcurrants and other berries. You may come across wines made from these rather than the grape varieties you’d expect elsewhere in Europe.
There is also a growing interest in Baltic sparkling wine, including sparkling drinks made from local fruits and berries. They’re obviously very different from Champagne, but that’s exactly why they can be fun to try while you’re here.
Riga is the easiest starting point if you want Champagne, wine bars and restaurants in one place. The city centre and Old Town are compact enough to explore on foot, making it easy to combine sightseeing with a few stops for drinks.
Outside Riga, the experience changes. Latvia’s countryside offers small producers, local food and a slower pace, so if you have time for more than the capital, look beyond the city and see what local producers are doing.
And if you discover a place serving Champagne that isn’t on our map, add it to Champagne Hunters or comment on an existing listing. Especially in smaller markets, those personal updates can make the guide much more useful.
If you’re travelling through Latvia as a Champagne lover, I’d use the trip as an opportunity to compare Champagne with something genuinely local. Try a bottle of Champagne with dinner, then order a Latvian fruit or berry wine or a local beer somewhere else.
And if you’re in Riga, don’t forget that Latvia’s capital has its own drinking traditions too. Riga Black Balsam has been produced in the city since the 18th century and is one of the country’s most recognisable drinks.
Featured partners are marked. Everything here is on our map.
Join the Champagne Hunters community and we’ll send you a free PDF with 5 easy Champagne cocktail recipes and perfectly matched bites for every occasion.
By signing up, you agree to receive emails from Champagne Hunters. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Our map grows because Champagne hunters like you add the places they love. No sign-up needed.
Add a spotThe widest selection is in Riga, particularly in restaurants, wine bars and hotels. Outside the capital, availability is more dependent on the individual venue.
The Champagne Hunters map can help you see what’s nearby, and if you find a good place that isn’t listed, add it to the map so someone else can find it too.
Some venues offer Champagne by the glass, while others focus on bottles. Check individual listings for current availability before heading out.
Latvia isn’t a traditional grape-growing country, so look for fruit and berry wines made from local ingredients such as apples, rhubarb and berries. They’re a very different experience from Champagne, but they give you a taste of what local producers can do with the ingredients available here.
Yes, although the local sparkling scene is very different from Champagne. You may find sparkling fruit and berry wines alongside more conventional sparkling wines made from grapes grown in Latvia or elsewhere.
Riga Black Balsam is the obvious local classic, while Latvian beer is another part of the country’s drinking culture worth exploring. If you want something closer to wine, look for local fruit and berry wines.
Riga Black Balsam is a traditional Latvian herbal liqueur made in Riga. It is dark, bitter and aromatic, with a recipe based on a blend of herbs, roots, spices and other natural ingredients.
Riga gives you the widest choice and is the easiest place to explore Champagne, wine and cocktails on foot. If you have more time, venture outside the capital for local producers and a different side of Latvia’s food and drink culture.
It depends what you’re looking for. Latvia isn’t a classic wine destination, but that’s part of what makes it interesting. Local fruit and berry wines, Baltic sparkling drinks and the country’s wider beer and spirits culture offer something quite different from the usual European wine trip.
And if you come across a Champagne place worth recommending, add it to the map or leave a comment on an existing listing. Your discovery might save the next Champagne Hunter a bit of searching.
