Shreveport

Frank's isn't a destination wine list, but it's not trying to be — it's a solid neighborhood pour that gets the job done and occasionally surprises you with something like that Santenay. Send a friend here for dinner; just steer them toward the French side of the list.

Jimmy's is a perfectly functional steakhouse wine list for a perfectly functional casino steakhouse — it'll get the job done on a business dinner or a special occasion, but don't come expecting to discover anything. Order the Jordan, skip the Caymus, and save the wine exploration for somewhere else.

Frank's is a Wild Card in the best way — a casual Shreveport pizza spot that built an Italian-focused list with actual intention behind it. We'd send a friend here for wine without hesitation, with the standing instruction to order the Falanghina and stop second-guessing themselves.

Superior Grill is the Wild Card precisely because nobody expects a Tex-Mex place on Line Avenue to stock Cakebread and Merry Edwards alongside a $6 house pour — but here we are. Tuesday half-price wine at the bar is one of the better deals in Shreveport, full stop.

Bella Fresca is doing more with five bottles than most Shreveport spots do with fifty, but a wine program this thin can't fully carry a chef's table concept. Come for the food, order the Languedoc, and hope they expand the list soon.

2Johns is the real deal for this corner of Louisiana — a wine list with actual ambition, fair glass prices, and staff who know what's on it. If you're eating steak in the Shreveport-Bossier area, this is where you want to be drinking.

Fat Calf Brasserie is punching well above Shreveport's wine expectations — a legitimately thoughtful list in a city where most restaurants mail it in. Yes, send a friend here for wine, especially if they're ordering steak or mussels.

Bella Fresca is doing something that shouldn't work in Shreveport but quietly does — a focused, globally curious wine list that leans Oregon and Southern France instead of taking the easy path. It's not perfect, but it's the kind of place you send a friend when they insist they can't find good wine in Louisiana.

Superior's is doing real work with its wine program by Shreveport standards — a serious list, legitimate producers, and a half-price Monday that should be on your weekly calendar. The markup on a regular night stings, but this is the kind of place that earns the splurge when the piano's playing and the steak is right.

Ki' Mexico is a Wild Card in the best possible way — a lively taco spot that quietly stocks a wine list built with actual taste. If you're in Shreveport and want something other than a frozen margarita, this is your move.

Superior Grill is a fantastic spot for margaritas and fajitas — the wine list is just not why you come here, and the markups on most bottles will make you wish you'd ordered another round of cocktails instead. Stick to the cheap sparkling pours by the glass and let the kitchen do the rest.

The Pearl is a genuinely fun seafood spot with a wine list that's content to coast on familiar names — it won't let you down, but it won't surprise you either. Come for the oysters and the Wednesday bubbles deal; don't come expecting the wine program to match the kitchen's ambition.

Athena is a counter-service gyro spot that accidentally assembled one of the more interesting Mediterranean wine lists in Shreveport — if you know what you're looking at, there's real reward here. Come for the shawarma, stay for the Sigalas.

Jack Binion's is a reliable casino steakhouse wine list — familiar, safe, and overpriced in spots, but it covers the bases competently and won't embarrass you in front of your table. If you're already there for the dry-aged beef, lean on Jordan or Stags' Leap and don't overthink it.

2Johns is the rare steakhouse where the wine program actually earns attention — and on Sunday, Monday, or Wednesday, it earns a reservation. If you're in the Shreveport-Bossier area and you time your visit right, this is legitimately one of the better wine value plays in the region.

Bella Fresca is a better restaurant than it is a wine destination, but Wednesday's half-price bottle night flips a steep list into a genuine deal worth planning around. Show up midweek, order the Amity Pinot or the Languedoc, and let the pasta do the heavy lifting.

Fat Calf Brasserie isn't trying to be a wine destination, but it's quietly one of the better wine lists in Shreveport — fair markups, a genuine Old World focus, and bottles that actually match the food on the plate. Send your friends here; just steer them toward the Loire and away from the Muga.

Superior's is the rare steakhouse wine list that actually deserves its Wine Spectator hardware — three sommeliers, 400-plus bottles, and half-price Wednesdays make it the best wine destination in the market by a wide margin. The markups on the famous names sting, but the depth and program quality are legitimate.