Winestand

· Natural Winestand Waltz is the standing-only Ebisu room that distilled the Tokyo wine bar into its purest format. There are no seats.

There are roughly six standing spots at a counter, a list of around forty references heavy on Loire, Beaujolais and Auvergne, and an owner-bartender who pours the entire programme alone. The food is two or three plates at most.

The room is open four hours an evening. It earns the second slot because it is the most concentrated wine-drinking experience in Tokyo — by-the-glass only, full attention from the bar, no posturing — and because the owner's buying instincts remain unusually correct for a list this small.

For the full ranking, see our editorial round-up of the 10 best wine bars in Tokyo, the broader Tokyo wine bars guide, and our category index of wine bars worldwide.