Farm-Fresh Vibes, Surprisingly Adventurous Pours
West Bethlehem · Bethlehem · New American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 14, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Bolete’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Walking into a candlelit historic stone farmhouse, you half expect the wine list to play it safe with a predictable Cab and Chardonnay lineup — and then you spot a pet-nat from Hean Aubron and a Spanish Cava sitting right next to a Pennsylvania Sauvignon Blanc. At 35 labels, this list punches well above its weight for a small-town fine dining spot. Someone here actually cares about wine.
The list is tight but intentional, mixing local Pennsylvania producers like Cellar Beast alongside Spanish sparklers (Juvé & Camps Brut Nature), Italian bottles (Malandrina), and California stalwarts like Routestock Pinot Noir and Liberty School Cab Sauv. It's not trying to be a wine bar — it's trying to complement Chef Lee Chizmar's seasonal, farm-driven cooking, and it mostly succeeds. The natural wine contingent (that Hean Aubron Pet Nat, the GG Cab Franc) gives the list an edge you don't expect in the Lehigh Valley. Gaps exist — depth in Burgundy or Rhône is essentially zero — but for 35 labels, the curation shows real intention.
Eight pours running $14–$18 is a reasonable program for a restaurant of this scale, and the glass list appears to pull from the more interesting corners of the bottle list. If the Hean Aubron Pet Nat makes it to the glass menu on a given night, order it without overthinking. The range seems to rotate with the seasonal menu, which is the right move — stale glass pours are a pet peeve and Bolete seems to avoid that trap.
Juvé & Camps Brut Nature — $60
A proper Spanish Cava from one of the Penedès region's most respected houses at $60 is genuinely fair. Juvé & Camps Brut Nature retails around $20–$25, so the markup is reasonable without being embarrassing, and it's a significantly more interesting opener than whatever generic Prosecco the table next to you just ordered.
Cellar Beast Sauvignon Blanc
A Pennsylvania Sauvignon Blanc sounds like a novelty act, but Cellar Beast is doing real work in the Keystone State and this bottle at $65 is worth the curiosity tax. Most diners will reach for something familiar and walk right past it — don't.
Liberty School Cab Sauv
Liberty School is a perfectly fine, widely distributed California Cab that you can find at any decent grocery store for around $18–$20. At $60 on the list, that's a 3x markup on an everyday bottle — and on a list with genuinely more interesting options, it's the lazy choice for the restaurant and the guest alike.
Hean Aubron Pet Nat + Chef's seasonal vegetable starter
Chizmar's farm-driven vegetable courses lean earthy and bright, and a lightly funky, effervescent pet-nat from Hean Aubron plays right into that energy. The natural carbonation cuts through any richness in the preparation while the wine's low-intervention character mirrors the kitchen's whole philosophy.
🎲 The Bottom Line
Bolete is the kind of place that sneaks up on you — a 35-bottle list inside a stone farmhouse in Bethlehem, PA shouldn't have this much personality, but here we are. Send your wine-curious friends here; they'll find something to talk about.
Bethlehem Township · Bethlehem · Japanese
Kome isn't building a destination wine program, but they're doing enough right to drink well here — especially if you dig past the familiar labels. The markups ask you to pay for the ambiance, but the Taurasi and the local Grüner are genuine finds worth the trip.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Historic Downtown · Bethlehem · Brewpub / American
Fegley's Bethlehem Brew Works is a genuinely great brewpub doing a lot of things right — wine just isn't one of them. Come for the craft beer, skip the wine list, and nobody gets hurt.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
South Bethlehem · Bethlehem · Gastropub
The Goosemen is a perfectly decent place to eat a burger and drink a beer — but the wine list is a cash grab dressed up as a menu. The Wednesday half-price bottle promotion is the only reason to think about wine here at all; on any other night, order something from the tap.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
Bethlehem Township · Bethlehem · Sports Bar / American
Copperhead Grille is a perfectly fine sports bar where you should order a beer. If it has to be wine, show up on a Monday when the by-the-glass options are half price — that's the only math here that makes sense.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
Downtown Bethlehem · Bethlehem · Italian
Tre Scalini isn't trying to be a wine destination, but the Italian-focused list is coherent, fairly priced, and punches above its Bethlehem zip code. If you're eating pasta this good, you owe it to the meal to drink something Italian alongside it.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Historic Downtown · Bethlehem · American, Contemporary, Mediterranean-influenced
Apollo Grill won't earn a wine destination reputation, but for downtown Bethlehem, it's doing the job honestly — fair prices, more glass options than you'd expect, and a few genuinely good bottles hiding in plain sight. Send a friend here without hesitation; just steer them past the Meiomi.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown · Scranton · New American
POSH isn't a destination wine list — it's a safe, slightly overpriced selection that leans on brand recognition over discovery. Come on a Wednesday, grab the Colombo rosé at half price, and you'll leave happy; show up any other night and you're paying full markup for wines you could find at the corner store.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
Black Hills · Rapid City · New American
Sage Creek Grille isn't trying to be a wine destination, and it doesn't need to be — it's doing its job for its market, with fair prices and a by-the-glass program that actually gives you options. If you're exploring the Black Hills and want a solid glass with your dinner, you won't leave disappointed.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown · Rapid City · New American
Tally's Silver Spoon shouldn't have a wine list this considered, and that's the whole point. If you're in Rapid City and you want a real dinner with a glass of wine that doesn't insult you, this is the move.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.