Burgundy-anchored and built to impress
Gold Coast · Chicago · American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 11, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed Brass Tack’s wine list and gave it The Rager — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The list lands like a serious statement — 300 to 500 bottles anchored in Burgundy, Bordeaux, and California, with enough firepower to make a wine director blush. This is not a list that happened by accident. Someone at Brass Tack actually cares, and it shows from the first page.
The French backbone is the real story here: Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage from the Rhône, Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet from Burgundy, and Château Lynch-Bages from Pauillac give the list legitimate old-world credibility. California holds its own with Kistler Vineyards, Ridge Monte Bello, and Opus One — the kind of names that justify a special occasion splurge. DRC appearing on a list in a modern American dining room on Walton Street is a flex, full stop. The gaps are real — no obvious Southern Hemisphere or natural wine presence — but within its lane, this list is deep and deliberately curated.
Twenty to thirty-five by-the-glass options is an ambitious pour program, with glasses running $14 to $22 — reasonable for the Gold Coast and for the caliber of wine on offer. We'd want to know how often the BTG list rotates, since a static pour program at this level is a missed opportunity. What's here is quality; we just hope someone's keeping it fresh.
Krug Grande Cuvée — $250
Yes, it's a splurge — but Krug Grande Cuvée retails around $200-plus and getting it in a proper dining room with the right glassware at this price is closer to fair than the markups you'd see elsewhere in Chicago's fine dining corridor. If you're celebrating, this is the bottle.
Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage
Most tables at a place like this gravitate toward the Burgundy or the Napa Cab. The Chave Hermitage is the move the regulars are quietly making — one of the Rhône's greatest addresses, full stop, and it tends to fly under the radar when DRC is listed a few rows above it.
Opus One
Opus One is fine wine, but it's also the most aggressively marketed Napa Cabernet on the planet. Restaurants mark it up hard because they can, and guests order it because the name lands. With Ridge Monte Bello on the same list, there's a better, more interesting California red that actually rewards curiosity. Save the Opus One spend for one of the French bottles.
Ridge Monte Bello + Dry-aged beef
Ridge Monte Bello is a Cabernet-dominant Santa Cruz Mountain blend with the structure and earth tones to handle serious red meat. It's the California answer to a Left Bank Bordeaux — tannic, focused, and built for exactly this kind of pairing.
The Bottom Line
Brass Tack has the bones of a genuinely great wine program — a Best of Award of Excellence since 2019 backed by producers like Chave, Leflaive, and Kistler doesn't lie. The pricing runs steep in spots, but if you're eating on Walton Street, you already knew the neighborhood.
· Chicago · Brazilian Steakhouse
Fogo de Chão Chicago's wine list is built for throughput, not discovery — it's reliable, reasonably ranged by the glass, and anchored by South American selections that at least make thematic sense with the food. The markups are steeper than we'd like and the list won't excite anyone who drinks wine as seriously as they eat meat, but the Catena Malbec and the Bodega Garzón Albariño are legitimate picks that rise above the crowd-pleaser baseline. Come for the churrasco, drink the Catena, and don't overthink it.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
River North · Chicago · Seafood
A seafood house with a long, mixed list: a Seafood Whites section, Burgundy and Napa depth, and 22 pours by the glass. Order the Marc Brédif "Royal Oyster" Muscadet with a half dozen oysters, or start with the $11/glass Charles de Fère, and confirm current prices. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
River North · Chicago · Mediterranean, Steakhouse
A Napa-heavy bottle list with a real Greek section and a short, priced glass board. Start with the $10 happy-hour Vermentino or, if you are staying for dinner, the AA Sigalas Assyrtiko at $75, and confirm prices and availability when you sit down. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Magnificent Mile · Chicago · Mediterranean
A 38-pour glass list with unpriced Champagne and Burgundy-heavy bottle pages behind it. Start with the $14 Tiberio Trebbiano or the $15 Thymiopoulos Assyrtiko, and ask for bottle prices because the posted bottle pages carry none. This unrated guide covers the posted drinks menu, not service, storage or markups.
Fulton Market · Chicago · Mediterranean, Middle Eastern
A Mediterranean list built around Greece and Lebanon, with 18 wines on the by-the-glass pages. Start with the Kalokaíri rosé (16 / 64) or the Chateau Musar "Jeune Rouge" (19 / 76), and confirm current vintages and prices. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
River North · Chicago · American
A short 14-wine list, with most price pairs between $13 and $15 and four single-price wines at $72 to $80. Order the Chateau Ste Michelle Riesling at $13 | 50, or the Provence rosé if you want the one French wine, and ask which number is the glass price. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Downtown Roswell · Roswell · American
Canton St. Social is a solid neighborhood restaurant in historic downtown Roswell, and the wine program appears to be built for exactly that — supporting a good night out without overcomplicating things. We don't have enough sourced wine data to tell you what to order, which means your best move is to ask your server what's pouring well that night and go from there. Worth a visit for the food and atmosphere; the wine list is a work in progress as far as our research goes.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Worcester · American
The Boynton is a great neighborhood spot for a cold beer, a burger, and a game — and that's exactly what it should be. The wine program is along for the ride, not driving the car. If wine matters to you tonight, this isn't your destination; if you're here for the food and the vibe, order a beer and enjoy it.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Atlanta · Atlanta · American
Hard Rock Cafe Atlanta's wine list is a Lazy List by every measure — grocery store brands, steep markups, no specials, and a rotating staff with little incentive to know what's in the glass. If you're here for the memorabilia and the atmosphere, lean into a cocktail or a beer. If wine is non-negotiable, the Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling or Columbia Crest Cab will get you through the night without regret.
Grocery Store
Steep
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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