Santa Fe

Blue Heron isn't coming for any wine awards, but it's fairer than most resort lists and has a few genuinely good pours hidden in the lineup. Order the Wiemer, skip the 19 Crimes, and enjoy the view.

Copita is what happens when a pizza spot decides wine actually matters — small, intentional, and quietly one of the more interesting wine programs in Santa Fe. If you're in the Railyard and want to drink something that doesn't taste like it was chosen by a committee, pull up a seat.

Vintage 423 isn't a wine destination, but with by-the-glass pours priced like it's still 2018, it earns its place as a genuinely solid neighborhood option in a city where wine markups can get brutal fast. Send a friend here if they want a decent glass without a side of sticker shock.

Café Pasqual's isn't a wine destination, but it earns the Wild Card badge by doing something most Santa Fe restaurants don't: championing local New Mexico wine with conviction and keeping prices honest. Send a friend here — just tell them to start with the Gruet.

Restaurant Martín earns its reputation with a wine list that has genuine personality and a sommelier who clearly built it with intention — but steep markups mean you'll pay for that personality. Go for the Burgundy and the blanc de noir, keep an eye on the bill, and you'll leave happy.

Radish & Rye is a Wild Card in the best sense — a southern comfort kitchen in the high desert with a tighter, smarter wine list than you'd expect and pricing that mostly respects your wallet. Send a friend here and tell them to start with bubbles.

Pranzo isn't trying to be a wine destination, but the markups are so honest and the Sunday half-price program so generous that it earns a Wild Card badge on value alone. Show up on a Sunday, order the Vajra, and let someone else pay full price somewhere else.

The Pink Adobe isn't a wine destination, but it's a reliable, thoughtful pour in one of Santa Fe's most storied dining rooms. Send a friend here for the Rioja and the Steak Dunigan without hesitation.

Sazón is the rare restaurant where the wine list is as thoughtful as the kitchen, with enough Mexican wine representation to make the experience feel genuinely coherent rather than just expensive. Markups keep it from a Rager badge, but the Wild Card is fully earned — this is not a list you expect to find in Santa Fe, and that's exactly the point.

315 is doing something quietly impressive in a city not typically known for serious wine programs — deep list, real producers, a sommelier who built something worth exploring. The markups keep it from true Rager status, but if you're eating French food in Santa Fe, this is where you want to be drinking.

Restaurant Martin is the kind of wine list that won't disappoint you and probably won't surprise you either — but in Santa Fe's fine dining landscape, reliable and well-executed is worth something. Come for the elk tenderloin, stay for the Drouhin.

Dinner for Two is a genuinely pleasant place to drink wine if you're not looking to be challenged — California classics, a cozy room, and a list that won't embarrass anyone. Just watch the markup on those reserve bottles and let the Mourvèdre Rosé surprise you.