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 →
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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.
Downtown Bend · Bend · Wine Bar & Retail Wine Shop
Viaggio is the kind of wine bar that has no business being this good in a ski town, and that's exactly why it earned a Wild Card badge. If you care about what's in your glass, make a stop here before or after dinner — you'll leave with a better bottle than you planned on.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Active Program
Proper
Westside (Galveston Avenue area) · Bend · Italian (Tuscan-focused, handmade pasta)
Trattoria Sbandati is a small Italian restaurant with a small Italian wine list that punches well above its size because someone made real choices instead of filling slots. If you're in Bend and you want to drink actual Tuscan wine with actual Tuscan food, this is your spot.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Old Mill District · Bend · Italian-American
Pastini is a Lazy List on a normal night, but Wine Wednesday flips the math enough to make it worth a visit if you know what you're doing — show up on Wednesday, order the Elk Cove or Cooper Mountain, skip the Ste. Michelle, and enjoy your pasta. Any other night, manage your expectations accordingly.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
Tetherow · Bend · Upscale Pacific Northwest and New American
Solomon's is a safe, well-intentioned resort wine program that does Oregon proud without doing anything adventurous — come for the elk and the Drouhin, not for discovery. If you're staying at Tetherow or celebrating something, it delivers. If you're driving across Bend specifically for the wine list, adjust your expectations.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Tetherow · Bend · Elevated pub fare with American and Scottish-inspired dishes
The Row is a reliable pour in a beautiful setting — the wine list won't blow your mind, but the Sokol Blosser rosé and a smart sparkling pick make it easy enough to drink well here. Order the fish, grab the rosé, enjoy the view.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Eastside · Bend · Casual American café with wood-fired pizza and seasonal, locally sourced dishes
Jackson's Corner Eastside is a counter-service café that quietly put together a wine list worth paying attention to — Oregon-focused, fairly priced, and genuinely thoughtful for the format. Send a friend here if they want good pizza and don't want to feel gouged for drinking something decent with it.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· McKinney · New American
Gather isn't trying to be a wine destination, and that's okay — but the $63 Syrah by the glass and the static, California-heavy list suggest the program hasn't been pushed in a while. Stick to the mid-tier pours, order the Chianti, and enjoy it for what it is: a casual neighborhood spot where the wine won't derail the evening.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Fort Wayne · New American
Copper Spoon proves you don't need a 200-bottle binder to run a thoughtful wine program — you just need to care about what you put on the list. For Fort Wayne, this is genuinely one of the better places to order a bottle without second-guessing yourself.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Jersey City · New American
Mathews isn't a destination wine list, but it's honest, fairly priced, and more thoughtful than it looks at first glance. Send a friend here if they want a good glass without a lecture.
Crowd Pleasers
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.
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