Wine List Reviews

Hush is a sushi lounge that went all-in on California and doesn't apologize for it — if you show up on a Wednesday for half-price wine, you're eating well and drinking better than you budgeted for. The list won't surprise you, but it will satisfy you, and that's not nothing.

Alexxa's is a Strip restaurant doing Strip things — great location, recognizable bottles, pricing that reflects the real estate. If you're here for fountain views and a glass of Cakebread, you'll be genuinely happy; if you're hunting for value or adventure, look elsewhere.

Wildwood Kitchen & Bar is a solid neighborhood pick with a Wine Spectator pedigree, fair California pours, and one of the better half-price wine nights in Sacramento. It won't blow a wine nerd's mind, but it'll keep everyone at the table happy — and on Tuesdays, it's genuinely hard to beat.

Queensview earns its Wine Spectator badge by doing the California steakhouse formula well — the setting is legitimately stunning, the list is reliable, and the Daou is a genuine steal in this context. Just don't come expecting anything that'll surprise you.

Rubaiyat has held a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence since 2009, and the list earns it — not by being adventurous, but by being well-chosen, fairly priced, and genuinely cared for in a town where that's not a given. If you're in Decorah and want a proper bottle with dinner, this is your place.

The Huntsman is a genuinely solid wine destination for Tallahassee, backed by real sommelier talent and a Wednesday half-price night that makes the steep markups much easier to stomach. It's not the most adventurous list in Florida, but it's executed with care and served with confidence — and that matters more than most places give it credit for.

Ember & Oak is a legitimately good wine destination by Florida steakhouse standards — sommelier on staff, a real WS credential, and Wednesday half-price wine night that makes the steep markups suddenly very interesting. The list won't surprise anyone, but it'll satisfy you, especially if California Cab is your happy place.

Wine Dive + Kitchen is the kind of place that genuinely earns its Wine Spectator credential in a city where you might not expect it — a knowledgeable sommelier, fair pricing, and a Tuesday half-price program that's worth rearranging your week for. Send your friends here, especially on Tuesdays.

San Francisco Wine Society is a FiDi wine bar doing more than its footprint suggests — a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence, a smart by-the-glass roster, and a vibe that actually rewards slowing down. If you're in the neighborhood and want something better than the obvious hotel bar options, this is the move.

Flour & Thyme earned its Wine Spectator credential, and the Tuesday half-price night makes this one of the better wine value plays in downtown Phoenix. Steer clear of the Caymus, order the Jordan, and let the wood-fired kitchen do the rest.

Wild Sage is a genuinely surprising wine destination for Jackson — a lodge-dining room that earns its Wine Spectator badge with France and California depth that few mountain-town restaurants bother to build. Prices trend high, but if you're already eating here, lean into the Burgundy section and let the fireplace do the rest.

Lago Su Bella is a genuine wine surprise for Wisconsin — an Italian-focused list with real depth, a credentialed sommelier on staff, and pricing that doesn't make you feel robbed. If you're anywhere near Oconomowoc and like Italian wine with your Italian food, this one belongs on your radar.

The Bottle Room is the best wine bar Green Bay probably didn't know it needed — a legit sommelier, fair California pricing, and half-price bottles on Tuesdays make this a genuine destination. If you're not from Green Bay and you find yourself there on a Tuesday, fix your schedule and make it here.

Lillian is the rare spot where the wine list is more ambitious than the address suggests — a focused, France-and-Italy-forward program with legit producers, a knowledgeable floor lead, and bottle prices that don't feel punitive. Send a friend here, tell them to sit at the counter, order oysters, and ask PJ what's open.

Restaurant O is the kind of place that makes you recalibrate your expectations for small-city dining — a Wine Spectator-recognized list, a real sommelier, and Wednesday half-price wine night in Coos Bay of all places. Yes, send your friends here.

Noble Cellar is the kind of place that makes you rethink your assumptions about where serious wine lives — two credentialed sommeliers, a Burgundy-focused list, and a Wine Spectator award in a downtown Syracuse dining room is a combination nobody saw coming. If you're anywhere near Central New York, this is worth a detour.

Eden is a genuine wildcard — a wood-fired American restaurant in Syracuse that's quietly championing Finger Lakes wine with more seriousness than most. It's not a deep cellar experience, but the regional focus is real, the producers are legit, and it's worth seeking out if you want to drink well and eat better in central New York.

Sunset Bistro is the rare upstate surprise — a genuine wine program in a lakeside setting most people visit for the scenery, not the Burgundy selection. With Christopher Bates behind the list and a Wine Spectator award already on the books in year one, this is absolutely worth a detour if you're anywhere near the Adirondacks.

The Corner Store is a reliable, well-credentialed wine list doing exactly what a good SoHo steakhouse should — France and California, done with intention, in a room that makes you want to order another bottle. Just watch the markup on the big Bordeaux names and let the Rhône or Burgundy side show you a better time.

Metropolitan Grill is doing something real in Springfield — a Wine Spectator-recognized program with a sommelier on the floor and Wednesday half-price wine nights is not a small thing in this market. The list won't surprise you, but Dan Cobb will make sure you drink well.

Vernales is a dependable wine destination for northern Michigan — the setting is genuinely great, the California lineup is well-chosen even if it plays it safe, and the Award of Excellence is earned. Just don't come looking for surprises, and watch the markup.

The Stewart is a genuine surprise on the Eastern Shore — a cocktail lounge with a brass-and-marble soul that quietly runs a Wine Spectator-recognized program with a real sommelier steering it. Hit it on a Wednesday and you've found one of the best wine deals in Maryland.

A French creperie in the Chicago suburbs with a sommelier, a focused French wine list, and Wine Spectator's blessing — this is the Wild Card the western suburbs didn't know they needed. Send your most skeptical friend, order the fondue, and let Sheila pick the bottle.

Terrace 16 earns its Wine Spectator badge and delivers a respectable, California-and-France-focused list in one of Chicago's most dramatic dining rooms. Just don't expect to be surprised — the wine is as reliable as the skyline view, and nearly as expensive.

Hau Tree earns its Wine Spectator nod — this is a genuinely considered list in a setting where mediocrity would have been completely forgiven. If you're in Waikīkī and want a glass of something real with your toes near the sand, this is the place.

Kalani's wine program is exactly what it should be: polished, California-centric, and dependable for a mountain resort fine dining crowd. No fireworks, but you'll eat and drink well — just go in with eyes open on pricing.

Houndstooth is the kind of place you'd never stumble across, which is exactly why we're telling you about it. Drive out, let someone else drive back, and let the list do the work.

The White Buffalo Club is the real deal for wine — a thousand-plus bottle cellar with a sommelier, proper storage, and the kind of list that rewards the curious. Pricing is steep even by Jackson Hole standards, so come with a plan and a budget, but yes — absolutely send your wine-serious friends here.

Dornan's Spur Bar isn't a wine destination — it's a view destination with a wine list that does its job without embarrassing itself. Send your friends here for the pizza and the scenery, and tell them the Chianti is the move.

Dornan's isn't a wine destination, but it's a solid, honest pour in one of the most spectacular settings in the American West — and for a counter-service pizza spot inside Grand Teton National Park, that earns real respect. Send a friend here if they want something cold and drinkable with a view; just don't send them expecting to be surprised.