A bourbon temple with a wine list that quietly holds its own
Roswell · Atlanta · New American / Gastropub · Visit Website ↗
Updated April 2026
Reviewed February 22, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed 1920 Tavern’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Walk into 1920 Tavern expecting a speakeasy cocktail bar with Pappy Van Winkle dreams and you are not wrong — 39 bourbons and a Smoked Old Fashioned with rosemary lead the charge. But scan past the bourbon wall and you will find a wine list that is more thoughtful than it has any right to be. Interesting Reds and Interesting Whites categories signal a buyer with curiosity, and the inclusion of South African Pinotage is the tell — the Aronowitz family brought their heritage from Cape Town to Canton Street.
The wine list is organized by varietal with enough breadth to cover a globally influenced menu. Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir anchor the reds with multiple tiers running from $42 to $125 a bottle. The Interesting Reds section is where the personality lives — this is the buyer stepping outside the safe zone. Whites follow the same pattern with Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc as the anchors and an Interesting Whites category for the adventurous. The Pinotage is the headline — South Africa's signature grape rarely appears on Atlanta-area wine lists and its presence here is a direct nod to the owners' roots.
By-the-glass pours run from $12 to $18 with solid varietal coverage across reds and whites. Nothing flashy, but the range means you can match wine to a menu that swings from Peri Peri Chicken to Lobster Spaghetti to Fried Green Tomatoes without feeling boxed in. The sweet spot is the $14 to $16 range where most of the interesting pours live.
Any $12 glass from the core lineup — $12/glass
At twelve dollars a glass in a restaurant that positions itself as fine dining, you are getting a fair deal. The entry-level Malbec and Sauvignon Blanc both overdeliver at this price point.
Pinotage
South Africa's signature grape on a Roswell wine list is the kind of detail that makes you look twice. The Aronowitz family is from Cape Town and this is their heritage in a glass — bold, earthy, and unlike anything else you will find on Canton Street.
The default Cabernet if you are not looking at the Interesting Reds
The standard varietal lineup is solid but forgettable. The whole reason to drink wine at 1920 Tavern is the stuff in the Interesting Reds and Interesting Whites sections — that is where the buyer's personality comes through.
Pinotage + Peri Peri Chicken
South African wine meets South African-inspired chicken. The Pinotage has enough rusticity and dark fruit to handle the peri peri heat while the earthy undertones echo the roasted corn and red bean pilaf. This is a pairing the kitchen was born to serve.
Monday — Wine Night — weekly wine specials and featured pours
The Bottom Line
1920 Tavern is a bourbon bar that happens to have a wine list worth exploring. Monday Wine Nights, a globally influenced menu that creates real pairing opportunities, and a South African Pinotage hiding on a Canton Street wine list make this a wildcard worth playing. Come for the Smoked Old Fashioned, stay because the wine surprised you.
Brookhaven · Atlanta · New American/Southern
Roc South is a genuinely fun restaurant — the food sounds great and the vibe is undeniable — but the wine program doesn't give us enough to work with or get excited about. Until there's a verifiable list with real producers and fair pricing, let the bartender guide your evening instead.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Atlanta · New American/Southern
Park 82 has a wine list in the same way a gas station has a wine selection — technically present, practically limiting. If you're a Pinot Noir devotee who doesn't mind paying restaurant markup for bottles you've seen at Kroger, you'll survive. Everyone else should probably lead with cocktails and ask what's on tap.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Atlanta · Asian
Tabla's wine list punches above its weight for an Asian restaurant in Atlanta. The white-heavy, aromatic-focused selection makes genuine sense with the food, pricing at the entry level is fair, and the BTG depth is real. We'd send a friend here for wine without hesitation — just order the Grüner first.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Atlanta · Other
MCK isn't trying to be a wine destination — it's a bar and restaurant with a list built for toasting and crowd comfort. The sparkling program punches above the list's weight, the by-the-glass selection is generous, and the markups on still wines are steep but not outrageous. Send a friend here if they want Champagne and something easy to sip; send them somewhere else if they're chasing a wine experience.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Atlanta · Gastropub/Tavern
Blue Moon Brewery & Grill is a beer bar first, second, and third — the wine list exists so your friend who doesn't drink beer doesn't feel stranded. If that's the situation, the Cava at $9 or the Elouan Rosé at $10 are perfectly fine. But if wine is the reason you're going out, go somewhere else.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Atlanta · Thai
Pink Lotus has built a wine list that takes its cues from the food — acid-forward, bubbles-heavy, and genuinely curious — which is more than most Thai spots in town bother to do. Markups are fair, the by-the-glass selection is wide, and there are real finds here if you look past the Dom Pérignon showpiece bottles at the top. If you're eating Thai in Atlanta and you want something interesting in your glass, this list deserves your attention.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Johns Creek · New American / Gastropub
Citizen Soul's wine program is a solid suburban effort — it won't embarrass you on a date night, and the all-glass-pour format makes grazing through the list genuinely easy. The markups lean steep and the list plays it safe, but the Muga and Chenin Blanc alone prove someone put at least a little thought into this. If you're eating in Johns Creek and want a decent glass without a lecture, you could do a lot worse.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Livermore · New American / Gastropub
Rebel Kitchen's wine list doesn't rebel against anything — it's eleven safe bottles with steep markups in a region that's literally surrounded by wineries. Order a cocktail, which is clearly what they actually care about.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Abilene · New American / Gastropub
Cork & Pig Tavern is doing more with wine than Abilene probably demands, and we respect the effort — the by-the-glass program alone is worth the stop. If you're passing through West Texas and need a legit glass of something interesting, this is your place.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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