96 wines deep, 21 Cabs strong, monthly wine dinners at $65, and thirty years of showing up
Sandy Springs · Atlanta · New American · Visit Website ↗
Updated September 2026
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · February 22, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Brooklyn Cafe’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Brooklyn Cafe has been holding down Sandy Springs Circle for over thirty years, and the wine list has grown up with the restaurant. Ninety-six selections across ten categories is not a casual effort — this is a neighborhood restaurant that treats its wine program like it matters. Owner Jeff Trump and Chef Mike Horosh have built something durable, and the monthly wine dinners at sixty-five dollars for six wines and five courses are among the best-value wine events in the entire metro area.
The list skews domestic and red-forward, exactly what the New American menu demands. Twenty-one Cabernet Sauvignons is a statement — that is not a distributor accident, that is a deliberate program built for a clientele that knows what it wants. But the range extends past the Napa comfort zone with categories covering Italian reds, French whites, and a handful of Southern Hemisphere picks that keep things interesting. Many bottles land under fifty dollars, which is increasingly rare for a restaurant with thirty years of reputation. The depth in each category means you are making real choices, not picking between two token options.
The by-the-glass program offers a functional spread across the major styles. Nothing is going to rewrite your understanding of wine, but every pour is solid and the pricing is honest. For a restaurant that has been around since the early nineties, the fact that the glass program stays current rather than relying on dusty distributor leftovers says something about how seriously the beverage program is managed.
Mid-range Cabernet Sauvignon from the 21-deep Cab section — Under $50/bottle
With 21 Cabs on the list, the value tier is genuinely deep. You can find a bottle here that would cost you fifteen dollars more at a Buckhead steakhouse. Tell your server you want the best Cab under fifty and watch them work.
The monthly wine dinner
Six wines paired with five courses for sixty-five dollars is not a wine dinner — it is a theft. Brooklyn Cafe hosts these regularly and they are the best-kept secret in Sandy Springs wine culture. Mark your calendar.
The safe Pinot Grigio
With 96 wines on the list, ordering the default white is a missed opportunity. Push into the Italian whites or ask for something from the Southern Hemisphere section. The list is deep enough to reward a little curiosity.
A mid-list Cabernet from the 21-deep Cab section + The kitchen's nightly special
Brooklyn Cafe's menu reflects the chef's inspiration and the Cabernet depth means there is always a red that fits. Trust the server to match the current special to the right bottle — they have been doing this for three decades.
The Bottom Line
Brooklyn Cafe is the Sandy Springs neighborhood restaurant that takes its wine program seriously without making a production out of it. Ninety-six wines, monthly wine dinners at sixty-five dollars, and thirty years of consistency. It will never chase a Wine Spectator award and it does not need to. It just keeps showing up with honest pricing and a list deep enough to make regulars happy visit after visit.
· Atlanta · New American / Tasting Menu
Choose your courses, then choose your glasses. Bacchanalia's posted pairings give you concrete options: Carl Loewen Riesling at $24 with crab, or Ca' La Bionda Ripasso at $27 with duck. Ask which suggestions match tonight's menu before committing to the wine bill.
Midtown · Atlanta · Southern European
Start with the $14 Vostinic-Klasnic Ikons if you want to explore beyond familiar grapes, or the $16 chilled La Galoche Gamay if that's your lane. Lyla Lila's posted glass list makes trying something different a one-glass decision, not a whole-bottle commitment.
· Atlanta · New American
Siren has a wine list that punches above its weight in a few key areas — particularly the by-the-glass whites and the Champagne bottle program — but the markup structure means you're spending real money to access it. If you're the kind of diner who wants to order Furmint on a Tuesday night in Atlanta, this is one of the few places that makes that possible, and that alone earns it a spot on the shortlist.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Atlanta · Regional Italian
Make Monday your bottle night at Indaco: half off bottles priced up to $100, then $50 off above that. Ask for the current bottle list before choosing; the discount has a ceiling, even if your wine budget doesn't.
Atlanta · Atlanta · Vietnamese
NAM Kitchen is doing something genuinely unexpected: running a thoughtful, fairly priced 68-label wine list inside a Vietnamese restaurant, anchored by a strong sparkling section and some legitimately food-smart white wine choices. If you're the kind of person who wants a real glass of wine with your bún bò Huế, this is worth knowing about.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Atlanta · Steakhouse
Il Premio is a steakhouse that took its wine list seriously enough to skip the obvious plays, and the result is one of the more interesting Italian-focused lists in Atlanta right now. It's compact, priced fairly across the board, and built for exploration — whether you're going glass by glass through the Italian regions or just need a solid bottle of Chianti Classico at $72 to make a steak dinner feel right. We'd send a friend here specifically for the wine.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Lake Geneva · New American
Turf. Kitchen + Tap looks like a solid resort wine program — broad enough geographically to suggest some genuine effort, casual enough in setting that nobody's going to quiz you on your order. We'd feel comfortable sending a friend here for a relaxed dinner with a decent glass of wine, but we'd stop short of calling it a destination for the list itself. Come for the views and the Choriqueso; the wine will take care of itself.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Sonoma · New American
El Dorado Kitchen isn't trying to be a wine destination, but it's set up squarely in one, and the list reflects that self-awareness. Fair pricing, smart local representation, a few genuinely interesting outliers, and the full list available by the glass make this a reliable stop for a well-poured evening in Sonoma. If you're after a deep cellar or something truly adventurous, look elsewhere — but if you want to drink well without stress, this delivers.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Sonoma · New American
The Valley's wine program punches well above its apparent weight class — 26 by-the-glass options with genuine range across Europe and California, at prices that don't insult the intelligence, is rare anywhere and remarkable in a tourist-heavy wine region where restaurants often coast on location. We don't have enough visibility into staff knowledge or food menu specifics to call this a Rager, but the list itself earns the Wild Card badge handily. If you're in Sonoma and you want to drink well without a reservation at a tasting room, this is where we'd point you.
Deep & Eclectic
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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