Buckhead Sushi With a Serious Wine Passport
Buckhead · Atlanta · Japanese / Sushi · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · October 15, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Brush Sushi Izakaya’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Walk into Brush and you're immediately in a different register than your average Buckhead sushi spot — polished, contemporary, and clearly designed for people who are paying attention. The wine program signals the same ambition: this isn't a list thrown together to check a box. Someone with a point of view put it together.
What makes Brush genuinely interesting is the geographic range of the wine list. The expected anchors — California and Italy — show up, but so do Spain, Portugal, Hungary, and even Georgia (the country, not the state), which is a legitimately bold call for a Buckhead sushi restaurant. Japan rounds out the list with sake and likely some Japanese wines, which makes sense given the kitchen's focus. We can't verify individual bottles or pricing from available sources, but the regional spread suggests a program built for curiosity rather than comfort.
By-the-glass specifics aren't publicly documented from our sources, so we can't tell you what's pouring tonight or at what price. Given the sommelier on staff and the ambition of the broader list, we'd expect more than just house pours — but confirm with your server before you get attached to any expectations.
The Bottom Line
Brush is doing something genuinely unusual: running a geographically adventurous wine program inside a polished omakase-capable sushi restaurant in Buckhead. The sommelier presence gives us real confidence in the curation, even if pricing likely skews upscale to match the room. If you're going for the uni carbonara udon or the wagyu mazamen, let whoever's working the floor guide you — that's exactly what they're there for.
Midtown · Atlanta · Modern American
Epicurean Atlanta is a perfectly respectable place to drink wine over dinner, especially if you're already there for the food — the Bang Bang Shrimp and Pulpo Asado alone make a case for showing up. But without more transparency on what's actually in the list and at what prices, we'd encourage you to ask your server direct questions before committing to a bottle. Hotel markups are real, and a little pushback goes a long way.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Virginia-Highland · Atlanta · Wine shop
If you're eating in Virginia-Highland and want to actually drink well, Highland Fine Wine is the right stop before dinner. The regional focus — Austrian whites, German Riesling, Willamette Pinot, Graves Bordeaux — suggests a buyer with a genuine point of view. We can't quote you specific bottles or prices without verified inventory data, but the breadth of regions alone puts this well above your average neighborhood wine shop.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Seasonal Rotation
Proper
· Atlanta · Bottle Shop (Non-Alcoholic & Low-ABV)
The Zero Co. is doing something genuinely useful in Atlanta: building a real, curated non-alcoholic wine program at prices that don't punish you for being sober-curious. If you're looking for a gift, a dry January haul, or just want to explore what this category actually tastes like from producers who care, this is the right place to start.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Morningside · Atlanta · Southeast Asian
Whiskey Bird earns its Wild Card badge by doing something most restaurants in its category don't bother with: building a wine list that actually tries. Fair prices, a few genuinely interesting producers, and 14 by-the-glass options make this worth ordering a bottle over another cocktail. If you're eating Southeast Asian in Atlanta and want wine that doesn't embarrass you, Morningside delivers.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Upper Westside · Atlanta · Pizzeria
Westside Pizzeria isn't trying to be a wine destination, and that's fine — but seven grocery-tier pours with no standout producers and zero rotation means the wine list is an afterthought, not an asset. If you're here, order the Sean Minor Pinot Noir or the Montepulciano, enjoy your pizza, and don't overthink it.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Atlanta · Italian
Nino's wine list is exactly what it looks like: a dependable, crowd-pleasing selection built for guests who want something familiar with their chicken piccata. The pricing runs steep in places — Korbel at $50 is hard to defend — but the Italian whites, especially the Gavi options, show that someone put at least some thought into this. Send a friend here if they want a comfortable, no-surprises dinner; don't send them if they're hunting for value or discovery.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Wilson · Jackson Hole · Japanese / Sushi
Start with the $16 Ca' Vittoria Prosecco, or the $17 Pascal Biotteau Anjou Blanc if you want a white by the glass. If you book the omakase, the restaurant says a wine or sake pairing is an additional $50 for four 3 oz pours. Confirm current availability and prices. This unrated guide covers the posted list, not service, storage or retail markups.
· Portsmouth · Japanese / Sushi
Nichinan's wine list is short but earns its keep — the presence of Pieropan, Grüner Veltliner, and Henri Bourgeois Sancerre tells you someone on staff understands that sushi and Chardonnay is not the only answer. Markups are fair across the board, and the by-the-glass selection is wide enough to keep the table happy without forcing a bottle. If you're in Portsmouth and want something better than the default wine-at-a-sushi-restaurant experience, this delivers.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Ogden · Japanese / Sushi
Tona earns its Wild Card badge not because the wine program is remarkable on its own, but because Tuesday half-price wine night at one of Utah's most decorated sushi spots is a genuinely great deal hiding in plain sight. Come for the sushi, stay for the midweek special — just don't come expecting a list that surprises you.
Plays It Safe
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
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