Proper French wines, Burlington doing France right
South End · Burlington · French · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 23, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Bistro de Margot’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 list reads like a love letter to France written by someone who actually knows the country — Bourgogne, Saumur, Savoie all showing up before you even get to page two. It's focused and intentional, which is more than you can say for most restaurants in Burlington. The room feels the part too: slick but not cold, the kind of place where ordering a Crémant feels completely natural.
The wine program leans hard into the French regions that actually deserve attention — not just Bordeaux and Burgundy red, but Aligoté from Bourgogne and a Chenin Blanc from Saumur that most local restaurants wouldn't touch. The Savoie Pinot Noir/Gamay blend is the kind of selection that signals someone behind the list has opinions. What we don't know is how deep the rabbit hole goes, since the full list size is unclear — but the handful of wines surfacing from the program suggest a curator with taste, not just a rep with a clipboard.
By-the-glass specifics are thin from what we could confirm, which is a frustration at a restaurant that otherwise signals wine seriousness. If the pours reflect the same regional focus as the bottle list, you're in decent shape — but we'd ask your server before committing, since rotation and availability weren't documented.
Savoie Pinot Noir/Gamay 2022 — Unknown
A mountain-grown Pinot-Gamay blend from Savoie is exactly the kind of low-ego, high-pleasure pour that France does better than anywhere else. If the price is fair, this is your weeknight bottle — light, food-friendly, and genuinely interesting.
Aligoté, Bourgogne 2022
Aligoté is the grape Burgundy forgot to be embarrassed about — tart, mineral, and criminally underordered. Most people skip straight to Chardonnay and miss the whole point. Don't be most people.
Bailly-Lapierre Crémant de Bourgogne Reserve Brut NV
At $56 against a $25 retail price, this Crémant is marked up over 100%. It's a solid bottle — Bailly-Lapierre makes good juice — but you're paying a serious premium for bubbles that aren't Champagne. Toast with it if someone else is buying; otherwise let it sit.
L'Enchanteur Chenin Blanc, Saumur 2020 + Ask your server for the fish or poultry special
Saumur Chenin has that Loire tension — bright acidity, a little wax, a little honey — that cuts through butter sauces and lifts white meat dishes without overwhelming them. Classic French food, classic French wine. The logic writes itself.
The Bottom Line
Bistro de Margot has the wine instincts right — France-focused, regionally honest, with some genuinely smart picks buried in the list. The markup on the Crémant is a speed bump, but if you navigate toward the Savoie and the Aligoté, you'll eat and drink like someone who planned ahead.
Waterfront · Burlington · Craft Brewery with Bar Snacks
Foam is a brewery first, but the wine program punches way above its weight class — it's small, local, and priced like they actually want you to drink it. If you're on Burlington's waterfront and want something interesting in your glass that isn't a hazy IPA, this is your spot.
Small but Thoughtful
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown · Burlington · New American with Vegan Options
The Daily Planet isn't a wine destination, but it has the instincts of one — a thoughtful natural wine pick, Monday half-price bottles, and fair pricing in a casual room that doesn't take itself too seriously. Send a friend here on a Monday and tell them to ask about the orange wine.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
Downtown · Burlington · New American Bistro
The Gryphon is a reliable neighborhood bistro with a wine list that matches its ambitions exactly: familiar, functional, and forgettable. Come for the burgers and brick walls, but don't expect the wine to be the highlight of your night.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown · Burlington · Neapolitan wood-fired pizza and Italian cuisine
Pizzeria Verità isn't trying to be a wine destination and it doesn't need to be — it's a smart, Italy-focused list with honest markups and a few genuinely interesting bottles tucked in among the crowd-pleasers. Go for the pizza, order the Nebbiolo or the Cirò, and leave happy.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Church Street Marketplace · Burlington · Upscale American Steakhouse
EB Strong's has a wine list that does the job well and occasionally surprises you — especially if you look past the Caymus and dig into the European picks. Wednesday's half-price bottle program makes it one of the better wine-value nights in Burlington, full stop.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
Downtown Waterfront · Burlington · Seasonal New American, farm-to-table
Hen of the Wood Burlington is the rare restaurant where the wine list is as considered as the food, and that's saying something when the kitchen is this good. If you're driving through Vermont and care about what's in your glass, this is worth a reservation.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Seasonal Rotation
Proper
Downtown Telluride / San Juan Avenue · Telluride · French
La Marmotte isn't trying to be a wine bar — it's a cozy French bistro that happens to have a genuinely thoughtful, all-French, all-glass list that punches well above the Telluride baseline. If you're eating duck confit in the mountains and someone hands you JL Chave Syrah for $26, you say yes.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Napa · Napa · French
Angele is a genuinely good neighborhood anchor in one of the world's most wine-saturated zip codes — fair pricing, familiar producers, and a waterfront setting that earns its keep. It won't challenge you, but it won't disappoint you either, and that's not nothing.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Yountville · Napa · French
Bistro Jeanty isn't your typical Napa wine list — and that's exactly the point. The fortified and dessert program alone is worth the visit, with markups that are shockingly fair for this zip code. Come for the duck confit, stay for the Madeira.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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