Houston's By-the-Glass Game Done Right
· Houston · Restaurant · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · August 26, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Bar Bludorn’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Bar Bludorn opens with a confidence that most Houston restaurants can't match — 20 by-the-glass options spread across sparkling, white, rosé, and red, plus a Reserve section that signals someone here actually gives a damn. It's not sprawling, but it's purposeful. Sixty-seven labels total, with prices that don't immediately make you want to order a beer instead.
The bottle list leans Old World without abandoning domestic voices — you get Chablis and Puligny-Montrachet alongside a Presqu'ile Chardonnay from Santa Barbara and a Pride Mountain Cab from Napa. Burgundy gets some love via Jean-Jacques Girard and André Moingeon, while the Rhône shows up with both Famille Perrin at the approachable end and a Clos Saint-Jean Châteauneuf-du-Pape for when you mean business. Spain earns a spot with a Condado de Haza Tempranillo from 2015 — that's a legitimately aged bottle at a price point that doesn't insult you. The gaps are real: no Italian reds, thin on Southern Hemisphere bottles, and the list doesn't wander far from the expected. But what's here is well-chosen.
Twenty pours is a serious number, and Bar Bludorn earns it by actually varying the selection — you're not choosing between three Cabs and calling it a night. The Reserve by-the-glass tier is where things get interesting: a Puligny-Montrachet at $50 and a Châteauneuf-du-Pape at $40 by the glass are commitments, but they're also invitations to drink well without committing to a bottle. The entry-level pours start at $15, which keeps the list accessible from the first sip to the last.
Condado de Haza Tempranillo 2015 — $18/glass
A 2015 Ribera del Duero Tempranillo at $18 a glass is the kind of deal that makes you slow down and order a second. That vintage has had a decade to settle in, and at this price you're drinking something that should cost considerably more.
Jean-Jacques Girard Bourgogne 2024
Most people scroll past 'Bourgogne' because it doesn't say Gevrey or Chambolle on the label. That's a mistake. Girard is a legit Burgundy producer from Savigny-lès-Beaune, and a village-level Bourgogne from them at $22 a glass is a genuine entry point into what good Pinot Noir actually tastes like.
Pride Mountain Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 2022
Pride Mountain is a fine producer, no question — but $37 a glass for a 2022 Napa Cab that's barely had time to blink puts you in territory where you should just buy the bottle. The value math doesn't work here when you can drink the Condado de Haza for half the price and arguably have more fun.
Clos Saint-Jean Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2022 + Steak or rich meat dish
A Châteauneuf-du-Pape from Clos Saint-Jean — one of the appellation's most respected estates — is built for something with weight and char. The southern Rhône blend of Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre handles fat and smoke the way few other wines can.
The Bottom Line
Bar Bludorn is exactly the kind of wine program Houston needs more of — thoughtful, fairly priced, and deep enough by the glass that you can actually explore without buying a bottle. It's not a destination wine list, but it's a genuinely good one, and we'd send a friend here without hesitation.
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