Evansville

Turoni's is a great neighborhood pizza spot that happens to have wine on the menu, not a wine destination that also serves pizza. Come for the food and the house-brewed beer; treat the $4.99 Lambrusco as a pleasant bonus, not the reason you're here.

Turoni's is a great pizza spot and a solid craft beer destination — the wine list is neither of those things. Order the Lambrusco if you're committed to the bit, then let the beer menu do the real work.

Turoni's is a great neighborhood pizza spot with a legitimate craft beer program — come for the pies and the pints, not the wine. If you need a glass of something, the $4.99 price tag makes it painless, but don't expect anything beyond the basics.

BJ's Evansville is a brewpub, full stop — the wine list is a courtesy offering for the table members who don't drink beer, not a destination in itself. If you're going, go on a Thursday, order the Meiomi or the Kim Crawford at half price, and let everyone else worry about the craft tap list.

Bar Louie Evansville is a fine place to grab a beer or a cocktail — the wine list is an afterthought dressed up in a laminated menu. Come on a Thursday, order the rosé, and call it a win.

LongHorn's wine list is the dining equivalent of a screensaver — it's technically there, it moves occasionally, but nobody's really watching it. Come for the steak, order the La Crema if you want wine, and keep your expectations where the decor suggests they should be.

Miyako is a perfectly good neighborhood Japanese spot that happens to have a wine list that peaked in 2004. Stick to sake, beer, or whatever cocktail they're mixing — the wine program is here in body only.

Cork 'n Cleaver isn't a wine destination, but it's a solid steakhouse with a wine list that does its job without embarrassing itself. Dig past the Meiomi and the Rombauer and there are a few genuinely interesting bottles waiting for whoever bothers to look.

Biaggi's is a reliable fallback when you want wine with dinner and don't want to think too hard — but steer toward the Italian bottles and ignore the California blockbusters your server will inevitably steer you toward. Not worth a special trip for the wine program, but not an embarrassment either.

Little Italy isn't a wine destination, but it's an honest neighborhood Italian with a list that respects its food. Order the Chianti or Montepulciano, eat the lasagna, and don't overthink it.

BRU Burger Bar isn't a wine destination, but it's one of the fairest-priced wine lists you'll find at a casual American spot — and that counts for something. If you're splitting a burger and want a real glass of wine without a restaurant markup that makes you wince, this works.

COMFORT has the bones of a genuinely fun neighborhood spot, but the wine program is an afterthought dressed up as a list. Save the wine for somewhere that cares — order a cocktail here and eat the chicken and waffles without guilt.

Bonefish Grill Evansville is a perfectly functional place to drink wine with dinner — just don't expect the list to surprise you or the pricing to reward you. If you're here for the seafood and want something decent in the glass, it gets the job done; if wine is the point of the evening, point the car somewhere else.

Copper House isn't going to be anyone's wine destination, but it doesn't need to be — fair prices, a generous by-the-glass selection, and Wine Wednesday make it a genuinely solid neighborhood option. Show up on a Wednesday, order the Bieler rosé, and enjoy the goat cheese bites without overthinking it.

NANDO is a dependable steakhouse wine list that does its job without embarrassing itself or exciting you. If you know your order before you sit down, you'll find something that works — just don't expect the list to take you anywhere new.

Farmer and Frenchman is a genuine wild card — a working Kentucky winery with a 300-bottle list, a French co-owner who actually curates the imports, and prices that mostly make sense. Skip the Blanche, order a bottle of Rouge, and let Hubert's wine selections surprise you.

Entwined has the atmosphere and the intention of a real wine bar, but five labels — four of them from the same producer — don't back that promise up. Come for the cocktails and the small plates; don't come expecting a wine list worth talking about.