Salut

Salut is one of my favorite places to visit, both with people that haven’t been before and with veterans. For the former, the novelty of the enomatic wine machines is a talking point. For the latter, the selection of wines and the well selected and good quality food ensures that a return visit is always on the cards.
The staff are ubiquitously friendly, and I’d challenge anyone not to immediately fall in love with Nick. The prices are very reasonable, but it does cater to people willing to spend more on wine (no Jacobs Creek or Echo Falls!), but this is not a criticism! Very appealing, is the ability to sample the wines by very small glasses before committing to a larger purchase. But! You don’t lose out on buying multiple smaller glasses, as it’s all the same price per mL (And yes, as a scientist, I have checked this, rounding excluded).
Events/​tastings are also run, which just serves to tempt you back even more. The recent Rothschild event was excellent and the rarity and pleasure in being able to taste something like a 1990 Lafite by the glass cannot be overstated.
TL;DR ¹⁰⁄₁₀ will be visiting again. And again. And again. And again…

Manchester has no shortage of good bars, but Salut plugs a gap — a proper wine bar, pitched deliberately and effectively at the mid to top end of the market. The wine is top notch, the staff exceptionally knowledgeable, and the design of the place really nice too. The only cost is, well, the cost. There is a good range of prices, and some really great wines for £4−5 per small glass, but given the place is round the corner from a Weatherspoons it isn’t the place you go for cheap and cheerful drinks. Salut may not be the cheapest, but it is great value given what you get.
And what you get is the key to Salut’s appeal. The wine is fantastic, and the staff really know their stuff. If you want a recommendation they will be happy to help, and even just flying blind (like my wine-​ignorant but wine-​loving self) you can’t go far wrong. The place is also very generous with the sides, from good sized portions of olives and nuts (for really good prices) to free still and sparkling water. Put simply, this is how a wine bar should be run.
As others have said, wine is not served but dispensed at Salut. Automatic dispensing machines have a couple of dozen bottles in at any given time, and you load money up on a debit-​like card and fetch it yourself. If you aren’t familiar with the machines the staff are more than happy to explain it, and the machines actually have several advantages over the traditional ‘bottles behind the bar’ system. For starters, it’s really easy to see everything available since there isn’t a bar or staff blocking your view. Then there is the control you can have over the visit, with not hassle of queuing at the bar or alternately being hurried by waiting staff. The turnover in bottles means there is something new every time you visit. As a general rule there are several whites and reds with a couple of ‘others’, be it sparkling wine or fortified.
The machines also allow Salut to update the prices whenever they want to, just by typing in new settings. This creates an odd dis-​connect between the paper menus and the machine displays, which frequently don’t match. Quite why Salut doesn’t simply remove prices from the hard copies, leaving a list of available wines, is beyond me. Though it does let you see what they’ve cut the price of since it went into the machine, flagging up either bargains or wines to avoid — depending on your attitude.
Salut is, unfortunately, a bit small — especially if the outside tables aren’t usable (which given our weather, is a fair bit). But grab a table with some friends some time and have taster session — you won’t regret it.

I have only been hear once and it was just to pop in for a post-​meal quick drink. A lot of my friends have been here and they have all given them high scores. Its hard to judge after being here just a short time but its a really nice place.
It has one of those «wine vending machines» with a selection of around 20 or so wines. The benefit of this is that you can try a little bit of different wines if, like me, you don’t really know your wines.
I basically picked a random white wine — not a fan of red wine — and it tasted good.
The service was friendly and the place has a nice atmosphere, although maybe it a bit quiet but it was a weekday (Tuesday??) night.
Recommended in particular if you are a wine fan.

This is a great place to try to sample some different wines! The idea is that you get to pour your own wine and taste test the white and red for your fav!
On arrival you pre-​load a card with some cash — I think the minimum is £10 and then you are let loose on the cabinets full of wine! The staff are great in explaining the way it all works and when pouring your glass (electronically) you get the price choices between each size which is useful. Try the chocolate box (red) its yummy.
The layout is pretty chilled with some quiet music (enough so you can still chat — hoorah!) There is also the addition of the little shop which allows you to buy a bottle to take out (or drink in) should you wish. I didn’t go up however there was a private party starting on the 1^st floor which overlooks the main bar — with cosy purple seats it looked like an ideal place for a gathering!
We also shared some nibbles at £1 a pop we had some crisps and popcorn which were ideal. The only downside to this place is the expense — its never good to buy by the glass however the concept is great for maybe a couple before heading elsewhere!

This is the bar of my dreams! It’s actually also part wine shop which makes it all the better — you can buy any bottle you try in the bar to take home.
We walked in for pre-​dinner drinks and were warmly greeted. The guy working showed up how the wine dispensing machines work — you buy a card at the bar and then sample wines to your hearts content. I love a 50ml glass of wine so I get to try a few new ones and this place didn’t disappoint. The prices are incredibly reasonable and between two of us, we had 2×175ml glasses and 1×50ml glass for about £14.
Staff were really friendly, they have an interesting wine list as well as plenty of nibbles. Veggie & vegan options are marked (for food AND wine) and the place has an awesome vibe. So far, this is my favourite discovery in Manchester.

It really is no wonder that Salut has managed the big 5 among Unilocalers. I visited recently on a Saturday afternoon and could have stayed for the rest of the weekend. Nay, the rest of the week!
It was fairly empty on arrival so we could have a good nose around and have the process explained by the friendly staff. Once we had our cards topped up, we were on our way. The system is very simple but, if you don’t get it straight away, don’t worry! Staff are always on hand — just remember to take your card out when your wine has poured!
There is a good selection available and it’s the perfect opportunity to try something a little bit different! As a non-​red drinker by habit, it gave me the opportunity to have a small glass of something and push my wine drinking boundaries.
Other tables were ordering nibbles, which looked delicious, so we ended up ordering some salted popcorn and crisps. Pretty standard but at £1 a portion I was happy with it!
I’m already planning my next trip and have ensured my card has a safe space in my purse.

Perfect place for wine lovers. Staff always helpful on the vino info as they change the ‘machines’ ones on a weekly basis. Great way to try various wines. Love this place!

I love wine. Big fan. You know how it goes, you open a book one day and you bite the apple and woooosh, there’s no way back.
Although I now work for an independent wine merchant in Didsbury and am considered a bit of a fussy geek by my friends, I have longed for a good wine bar in Manchester pretty much since I arrived in town over 6 years ago, well before wine was a big thing for me. A few places have attempted it, half-​heartedly for some, but none had so far succeeded.
Then came Salut wines, first baby business of a lovely couple who like me love good wine and thought it deserved proper representation in the City Centre. An ambitious project that was, not without hurdles. But tenacity paid off and behold, a superb, clean, warm and welcoming wine bar where odd ins once was.
Enomatic machines a-​go-​go, 32 wines are available by the glass at any point in (opening) time. That’s 16 whites and rosés and 16 reds. Thanks to these machines you can enjoy a vast variety of wines, all of which are way above your house plonk from most pubs/​bars/​restaurant. And that’s not all. 3 measures are available: 50ml, 125ml and 175 ml. The first one is my favourite. I can play to my heart’s content and try a lot of wine before it’s time to call it a day.
Most wines are between £1.20 and £5 for a glass but you can also try some of the fancier stuff that would NEVER be available by the glass otherwise. Risk-​free.
Whilst they do not cater, a range of nibbles and tapas plates are available and it’s perfectly suitable for a light lunch or diner. Cheese, cured meats and Mediterranean veggie plates, all made with very good ingredients.
Music is top notch, not your average lounge «elevator» type nor your bass-​boosted frenzy. Blues, jazz, pop, electro…
To sum-​up, great atmosphere, best wine selection in town, excellent service.
The bottle prices to take away are on the steep side of I’m honest but I’ll put that down as the location.

I could leave a review of just one word — amazing! But I will elaborate.
My coworker suggested this as a venue for post-​work drinks and it was absolutely perfect. It’s a really attractive venue which is instantly inviting. We found some seats upstairs and were soon greeted by a cheery staff member who explained various things to us including, most importantly, the enomatic machine.
As I am getting more and more into wine but still like to play it safe, these machines are ideal for me. Also they’re just an excellent idea all round. We all opted for wine from the machine, each paying between £4−7 for a large glass and all declaring the wine we had to be absolutely delicious.
They don’t have a full food menu but do have snacky bits which I didn’t try but I imagine go very well with the wine — bread, dips, olives, cheese and so on. I love this place and will head back very soon!

The perfect place to meet up with friends over wine in Manchester and a definite favourite of mine. Wine is positioned in ergomatics and you put credit on a card at the desk. You then pop your card into the machine, select your wine (either a taste, a small or a medium glass) and decant into your glass. Really easy and the best way of trying wines without having to buy a full glass or bottle.
They also have a wine list including sparkling and a small food menu mainly cheese and meat plates. The food is of the nibbles kind but really hits the spot with some great meats and cheeses.
As if this wasn’t enough they also have a shop where you can buy wine to take away. For a small corkage fee you can drink it in the bar if you want too!
A hidden gem that you really need to try if you like good wine…

Probably my favourite place for a glass of wine in Manchester
Bold new venture from a group of oenophiles, Sara the owner is probably the nicest lady you will meet. The staff are just as welcoming as the venue which has a great ora about it.
Situated in the old Oddbins corner site on Cooper Street and across the road from Beef and Pudding. Many people are calling this the ‘Cooper Street Quarter’
They have a shelf wall with over 300 wines and a changing roster of 42 available by the glass from an Enomatic machine. You buy a top up card on your arrival which can be refunded with money you don’t use when you leave. To be honest there is no point as you will most defiantly be back. Prices are really good and you can try some very expensive wine by the glass if you wish. They do a ‘ok’ cheese board but i think more could be made of this and they are probably missing a trick here.
They do a wine course as well if you are really interested in getting more involved
A must visit for me!

I love, love, love this place! Anywhere you can try lots of different wines is a sure fire winner in my book.
You get your card, charge it up with cash and off you go a wine tasting-​simples! There was quite a large group of us and Nick advised us that about £7 each on the card should be enough to get us started.
Love the concept that you can try an expensive wine without having to commit to a whole bottle. It also means that you can try something you have never had before again without worrying about it not being to your taste.
The wines change on a regular basis so if you find one you like note it down or better still take a bottle home with you as all wines are available to purchase. They also stock some wines and champagne that aren’t in the sampling system.
For the non wine drinkers amongst you they do beer and if you are feeling peckish they do some little platters to go along with your wine.
They have more comfy seating upstairs but watch out for the low hanging lights I nearly got tangled in one (and no before you ask I hadn’t emptied the card of money at this stage of the evening!). The advantage of sitting upstairs is that you can feel slightly virtuous that you are burning (some) of the wine calories off by tripping up and down the stairs :)

Oh salut!
First time I walked past this a few weeks ago and saw the enomatic through the window I let out a an actual GASP of excitement.
Was pretty excited on the night too, so excited I left my card in the wine machine which made me look like a total amateur. It’s much more spacious inside than I had realised, and there are also seats and heaters outside with a great view of the nearby row of traditional pubs with the town hall in the background.
I enjoyed trying the various wines (the smallest amount is often £2−3 so you can try a good four wines on a £10 card pre-​payment) and could even tell that some of them tasted different, so am basically going to be earning my MW in no time.
They also do a few little snacks — my fave baba ghanoush and some rather tasty crisps, although the brown olives tasted too sour for me. Tap water came chilled in a delightful glass bottle. Btw I am not sure there are actually other drinks options here, maybe check that before you go.
The staff were efficient and welcoming and I am sure I will be back here. A great companion to hanging ditch and Bakerie in terms of our city’s wine bar scene.

Its a chic, chilled place with loads of wine. Yes I’m going to love it.
There are some wine you can get by the glass but if you get a card (£10 min spend and you don’t have to spend it all at once) you can play on the wine juke box. They are always changing the wines over and there is some sherry or port in there from time to time.
The food is good to and £1 for a big bowl of olives or nuts is really good. You can also ask for water as would hope from a nice wine bar. Classy loos too.

Salut is an elegant wine bar, recently opened just off Albert Square. The concept here is fantastic in that rather than just ordering wines by the glass you can buy a card (minimum spend of £10) and select the wines you want to try from a wine jukebox. You can choose to pour yourself a taster which costs around £2 on average or a medium or larger glass if you wish. The jukebox has a lot of wines and changes weekly so you can try something different with every visit. I also found the staff to be very knowledgeable about the wines on offer and were able to make suggestions based on your preferences. The bar itself is slick and is a good place for after work drinks. Will definitely be a regular.

Salut is the most elegant and stylish place I’ve had the good fortune to go for a drink in a long, long time.
A small group of us came here for a bottle of something fizzy for a friend’s birthday. When we arrived, the co-​owner Sara told us they’d only been open an hour and were still printing off the menus! So it was somewhat of a treat realising we were some of their first paying customers.
Their business marries a wine shop with a wine bar, so you can stroll inside to buy a bottle of something on your way home from work, or head here for a glass or two and relax at a table on the ground floor or mezzanine level.
One of my friends said the décor and atmosphere reminded him of The Great Gatsby novel/​film set in the Roaring Twenties — with the Art Deco-​inspired interior with black and gold throughout and low level background music. Had it not been for the state-​of-​the-​art Enomatic ‘wine preservation machines’ lining one wall you could imagine this place was from 90 years ago.
These swanky bits of kit allow better quality wines to be served by the glass (and there are 32 different wines to choose from). You can order just one glass, buy a pre-​paid card (minimum of £10) and choose several in 50ml, 125ml or 175ml measures or purchase a bottle off the shelf and pay a flat corkage fee of £7 over their retail price. They have 300 wines in total!
For a 175 ml glass of wine the price ranges from just over £4 to £13 for the extra special varieties.
Manchester’s sophistication level has just increased by several orders of magnitude. It’s a welcoming, relaxing, beautiful place to go for an evening. The owners have spent years planning and designing what you see now. Get down there to try it for yourselves and you won’t be disappointed.