French Classics, Old World Bones, Uneven Markups
Lumina Station · Wilmington · French · Visit Website ↗
Updated October 2026
Reviewed April 11, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed Brasserie du Soleil’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Walk into Brasserie du Soleil and the wine list feels like it belongs here — heavy on France, anchored in the classics, with enough regional depth to signal that someone thought this through. It's a proper French brasserie list: Burgundy, Bordeaux, Rhône, Loire, Champagne. No surprises, but no embarrassments either.
The list runs 60-90 bottles with a clear French spine — Burgundy Chardonnays, Loire Sauvignon Blancs, and Rhône reds doing most of the heavy lifting. There's even a Château d'Yquem presence, which is genuinely exciting to see in a Wilmington strip mall. Gaps show up outside France; if you're looking for a Spanish Tempranillo or a New Zealand Pinot, you're mostly on your own. But for what it is — a French-leaning room that wants you drinking French wine — the list delivers.
With 10-16 by-the-glass options, there's enough to navigate a full meal without committing to a bottle. The range covers the expected French bases, which aligns well with the menu. Rotation appears minimal — this reads more like a static program than one that chases seasonal pours.
Château d'Yquem 2010 — $480
Yes, $480 is real money for a dessert wine — but d'Yquem 2010 at 37% over retail is about as close to honest pricing as you'll find on a trophy bottle anywhere. If you're going to splurge on Sauternes, this is one of the great vintages and the markup is actually restrained by fine dining standards. Split it at the table and feel good about it.
Château d'Yquem 2006
The 2006 sits at $560 — pricier than the 2010 in absolute terms, but it's a slower-evolving vintage that still has decades ahead of it. Most tables walk past it for the flashier years. If you want d'Yquem with more tension and less immediate opulence, this is the sleeper on the list.
Chanzy White
At $70 on a bottle you can grab at retail for $25, that's a 180% markup — more than double what we'd consider fair. The wine itself is perfectly pleasant Burgundy-adjacent white, but there's no reason to pay nearly three times retail for it when better-value options sit nearby on the same list.
Loire Valley Sauvignon Blanc + Escargot
The herbal, mineral edge of a good Loire Sauvignon Blanc — think Sancerre or Pouilly-Fumé — cuts right through the garlic butter that makes escargot so dangerous to wear. It's a classically French combination and exactly the kind of move this list is set up for.
The Bottom Line
Brasserie du Soleil is a reliable French wine list in a town where the competition isn't exactly fierce — the Old World depth is real, but watch your step on mid-tier markups that can quietly sting. Send a friend here for the Steak au poivre and a Rhône red; just steer them away from the by-the-glass traps.
Lumina Station · Wilmington · Upscale American / New American with Seafood and Steaks
Port Land Grille is a dependable wine program for a dependable upscale dinner — it won't wow you, but it won't let you down either. If you're in Lumina Station and want a solid glass with a serious steak, you're in the right place.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Murrayville/Market Street · Wilmington · Modern American / Southern Comfort
JohnnyLukes is a solid neighborhood spot that happens to have a wine list, not a wine destination that happens to serve food — and that's fine. Show up on a Wednesday, grab the Sea Sun or the Il Masso at half price, and pair it with the crab cake. You'll leave happy.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
Downtown Riverfront/Marina · Wilmington · Seafood / American
Marina Grill is a perfectly solid spot to drink wine if you show up on a Wednesday and let the half-price deal do the heavy lifting. Any other night, the markups are hard to justify when the list is this unambitious.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
Downtown Riverfront · Wilmington · Southern comfort and New Orleans-inspired American
Rooster & The Crow is doing real things in the kitchen, but the wine list is an afterthought dressed up with familiar labels and steep markups. Order a cocktail, or bring your own if corkage is an option — this list isn't the reason to come.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Riverfront · Wilmington · Upscale Italian
Floriana isn't trying to be a wine destination, and that's fine — it's trying to be a great Italian restaurant with a wine list that doesn't let the food down. For a date night in Wilmington, it delivers exactly that.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Second Street · Wilmington · Italian (Abruzzese-inspired, house-made pasta)
Tarantelli's wine list is a solid, Italy-focused companion to food that deserves it — fair prices, logical pours, and no real duds. It won't blow your mind, but it'll make your Osso Buco taste better, and that's the whole job.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
River Market · Kansas City · French
A French-led list with 25 two-price wines up front and a long run of Burgundy, Bordeaux and Rhône bottles behind them. Start with the Chinon Le Garenne at 42 or the Cornas 'Granit 60' at 88, ask which number is the glass price, and confirm prices, since the page is undated. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Union Square · San Francisco · French
A 66-page list that starts with a 20-pour glass page and moves quickly into Burgundy, Rhône and Bordeaux bottles priced in the hundreds and thousands, so decide early whether you are drinking by the glass or committing to a bottle. Start with the $20 Chablis or the $23 Corsican red, and confirm today's list because it carries no print date. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Meatpacking District · New York · French
A French wine list with a wide price ladder: $16 glasses, $40 half bottles and $60 full bottles at the bottom, Pétrus and Domaine de la Romanée-Conti at the top. Start with the $16 Famille Coulon Rhône white by the glass, or spend $115 on the Marcel Deiss Alsace pinot noir, and check prices because the two PDFs show different bottle prices for Delos. This unrated guide covers the posted wine lists, not service, storage or markups.
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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