A Polished Lakeside List Worth Lingering Over
Loring Park · Minneapolis · New American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · June 8, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Cafe Lurcat’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Cafe Lurcat arrives looking exactly like the restaurant itself — composed, confident, and dressed for the occasion. You're sitting in a room overlooking Loring Park, and the list matches the energy: France, California, Oregon, Spain, all the right names in all the expected places. It's not trying to surprise you, and that's fine.
With somewhere between 150 and 250 bottles, this is a serious list by Minneapolis standards. Burgundy and Bordeaux anchor the Old World side with genuine depth, while California flexes its usual Napa Cabernet muscle for the expense-account crowd. Oregon Pinot Noir gets a respectable showing, and the Spanish section — Rioja and Ribera del Duero — adds some texture to what could otherwise feel like a greatest-hits compilation. The gaps are predictable: don't expect natural wines, pet-nats, or anything that would raise an eyebrow at a business dinner.
Sixteen to twenty-four pours by the glass is a strong showing, and with a sommelier on staff you'd expect that selection to be curated rather than just padded. The range covers the core regions on the bottle list, so you can work your way through France and California without committing to a full bottle. Rotation isn't something we could pin down as frequent, but the depth of the program suggests the pours are at least thoughtfully chosen.
Oregon Pinot Noir — null
In a list that leans hard on Napa Cab and French prestige bottles, the Oregon Pinot Noir selections represent the best value play — genuinely food-friendly, lower markup territory than the headline Burgundies, and a natural fit with Cafe Lurcat's kitchen. Specific pricing wasn't available in our research, but these are the bottles worth asking about.
Spanish Ribera del Duero
Everyone at the table is eyeing the Napa Cab, but the Ribera del Duero selection is the quiet overachiever here. Tempranillo-based, built for red meat, and almost always priced more honestly than the French and Californian prestige picks sitting next to it on the list.
Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon (well-known producers)
The big-name Napa Cabs are the most requested bottles in the room, which means they're also the most marked-up. You're paying for the brand recognition and the comfort of ordering something everyone recognizes. If that's not the goal, your money goes further almost anywhere else on this list.
Oregon Pinot Noir + Minnesota Walleye
Walleye is delicate and sweet, and a heavy Cab would bulldoze it. A lighter Oregon Pinot Noir — especially one with some earthy, red-fruit character — gives you enough structure to feel like a real wine pairing without overwhelming the fish. It's the kind of call a good sommelier will steer you toward if you ask.
The Bottom Line
Cafe Lurcat is a reliable, well-staffed wine program in one of Minneapolis's prettiest dining rooms — just know you're paying a premium for the address and the ambiance. Ask the sommelier for help navigating the list and you'll drink well; go on autopilot and order the obvious Napa Cab and you'll leave having spent more than you should have.
Downtown · Minneapolis · Brazilian churrascaria / Brazilian steakhouse
Fogo de Chão Minneapolis is a reliably fun night out if you're there for the meat spectacle — and you should be. The wine list is a supporting cast that knows its role: keep people happy, don't surprise anyone, move on. If wine is more than an afterthought for you, lower your expectations before you open the menu.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
North Loop / Warehouse District · Minneapolis · Modern Argentinian Steakhouse
Porzana punches above its class for a Minneapolis steakhouse — the Italian and Argentine selections show genuine curation, and the Fenocchio Barolo alone justifies a serious wine order. Just go in with eyes open on markups and skip the entry-level bottles unless you're pouring by the glass.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Lowry Hill · Minneapolis · Steakhouse and Wood-Fired Pizza
Burch has the bones of a genuinely great wine program — knowledgeable staff, proper storage, and a list that respects the classics — but the pricing strategy on the mid-tier and entry-level bottles will test your patience. Go big or go home: the value-to-quality ratio only really clicks once you're spending $200+.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Downtown / North Loop · Minneapolis · New American / Contemporary American
112 Eatery's wine list is punching well above its weight for a Minneapolis neighborhood bistro, with a genuinely distinctive Old World focus and producers that belong on serious lists anywhere in the country. The markups sting on a few bottles, but the curation earns enough goodwill to keep us coming back.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Uptown · Minneapolis · French Bistro
Barbette is a wine list built by someone who actually drinks wine and wants you to as well — it's small, French, and surprisingly legit for a neighborhood bistro in Uptown. If you're a natural wine fan or just someone who wants good Beaujolais with steak frites, send your friends here.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Southwest Minneapolis (Fulton) · Minneapolis · Italian, fresh housemade pasta
Broders' Pasta Bar isn't a wine destination, but it's exactly the kind of neighborhood spot that gets the wine list right by staying in its lane. Fair prices, Italian focus, solid glass pours — bring a friend who orders by the bottle and you're in good shape.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Sedona · New American
The Vault Uptown is a reliable place to drink decent wine with a genuinely great view — and in Sedona, that counts for something. The wine program won't blow any minds, but it won't ruin dinner either. If you're there for the red rocks and the filet, order a glass of something Californian and enjoy the moment. For serious wine exploration, look elsewhere.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
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
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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