Wednesday Saves What the List Can't
Box Factory · Bend · New American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 21, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Boxwood Kitchen’s wine list and gave it The Lazy List — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Boxwood Kitchen reads like a grocery store endcap — recognizable labels, safe bets, nothing that's going to make you lean forward in your seat. It's the kind of list that exists to check a box, not to make a statement. If you're here for the food, you might be fine. If you came for the wine, temper expectations.
The Pacific Northwest address hints at something exciting — maybe a few small-production Oregon Pinots or a Washington Syrah worth talking about — but the list doesn't deliver on that promise. Instead, you get Meiomi, Josh Cellars, and Kim Crawford: wines you've seen at every chain restaurant from here to Tampa. The regional focus is nominally Oregon, California, and Washington, but the selections skew hard toward mass-market producers rather than anything that reflects the genuine quality of the Pacific Northwest wine scene. For a restaurant sitting in one of the best wine regions in the country, that's a real missed opportunity.
Somewhere in the range of six to ten pours by the glass, but don't expect surprises — what's on the bottle list is almost certainly what's on the glass list, just poured in smaller increments at proportionally steep prices. There's no evidence of a rotating program or any effort to keep the glass list dynamic. It does the job, but just barely.
Meiomi Pinot Noir 2022 — $48
It's the least offensive markup on the list at 92% over retail — which is a low bar, but here we are. If you're going to spend money at Boxwood, this is where you lose the least. Come on a Wednesday and it's $24, which is actually a fair price for what's in the bottle.
Chateau Ste. Michelle Chardonnay 2023
Nobody orders this because it looks like a banquet wine, and honestly, at full price it probably isn't worth it. But on Wednesday at half-off, Chateau Ste. Michelle is a genuinely solid Washington producer with decades of consistency — you could do a lot worse for $18 a bottle at dinner.
Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc 2023
At $38 for a bottle you can grab at any supermarket for $16, this is the list's worst offender on a per-dollar basis. Kim Crawford is a perfectly fine weeknight wine at retail. At a 138% markup, it's just an expensive way to feel like you're at a house party.
Meiomi Pinot Noir 2022 + Roasted Chicken
Without confirmed menu dishes we're working with reasonable assumptions for a New American kitchen, but Meiomi's soft, fruit-forward Pinot is built for exactly this kind of food — it won't fight anything on the plate and it's the most drinkable bottle on the list.
Wednesday — Half-price bottles of wine all day Wednesday
The Bottom Line
Boxwood Kitchen's wine list is a collection of familiar names at unfamiliar prices, and the only reason to engage with it fully is on Wednesday when half-price bottles make the math tolerable. Skip this list on any other night and order a cocktail instead.
Westside · Bend · American, Brew Pub
Start with Rock Point if Pinot Noir is your preference, or Greenwing if you want Pinot Grigio. The posted menu keeps six of its seven wines in one price band, but leaves the serving labels unstated. Ask before ordering; this guide is based on the menu, not an onsite tasting.
Westside · Bend · New American
Set the pairing budget first: $50 standard or $100 reserve, added to the $120 tasting menu. Bringing your own? Posted corkage is $40 per 750 ml bottle; confirm any other conditions. These posted terms were checked in September 2026, not assessed through an onsite tasting.
· Bend · Italian, French, Mediterranean
Start with the $14 Durello, then give a less familiar grape a turn. This guide uses the posted glass menu checked in September 2026; confirm availability. It doesn't rate service or cellar conditions.
Old Mill District · Bend · Wine Bar
For a Va Piano visit in Bend, head to the Wine & Champagne Bar at 425 SW Powerhouse Drive, Suite 301. Confirm the current wines and pour prices directly, and reserve ahead for groups of six or more. The winery’s subscription page is not a tasting-room menu.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Eastside · Bend · Casual American café with wood-fired pizza and seasonal, locally sourced dishes
Do not use this Eastside review to plan a current Jackson’s Corner visit. Sunriver Brewing lists its Eastside Pub at the Cushing Drive address; Jackson’s Corner lists 845 NW Delaware Avenue. Confirm the location and current wine menu directly before making plans.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Eastside · Bend · Italian
Salute isn't trying to be a wine destination, but it's built a list that actually respects the cuisine it's serving — and in a casual Italian spot in Bend, that puts it well ahead of the competition. Send a friend here, point them at the Vermentino or the Le Volte, and they'll thank you.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· McMinnville · New American
Thistle is the kind of neighborhood restaurant that McMinnville deserves — rooted in place, edited in approach, and situated in one of the best wine regions in North America. We can't name specific bottles right now, but the regional focus on Willamette Valley and France tells us the list has a point of view. If you're heading to wine country and want a real dinner, this is worth a reservation.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Irvine · New American
Reunion Kitchen isn't trying to be a wine destination, and the list proves it. Three by-the-glass pours from mass-market California producers, priced at a premium — this is a wine program on autopilot. Order a cocktail or a beer and save the wine for somewhere that actually thought about it.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Decatur · New American
Miller Union is doing something unusual: a wine program with no fat on it, just four deliberate producers matched to a meal's arc. We don't have pricing data to grade the value, and the fixed structure won't satisfy anyone looking to explore freely — but the bones of this list are genuinely good. If you trust the kitchen, trust the wine program too.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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