Columbia's underground date night done right
Downtown · Columbia · Wine Bar & Bistro · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · August 27, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Cherry Street Cellar’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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Wingman Metrics
Walking into Cherry Street Cellar feels like finding a wine bar that wasn't meant for you to find — and that's exactly the point. It's tucked underground in downtown Columbia, and the intimate, candlelit atmosphere hits before you even crack the list. This is not your average Missouri wine stop.
The list leans toward France and Spain, which tells you something: someone here made a decision, and it wasn't 'just stock the Kendall-Jackson.' That Old World focus in a mid-Missouri college town qualifies as a minor act of rebellion. We can't speak to specific bottles from what's available to us, but the regional lean suggests a curator who cares more about terroir than mass appeal. Depth is hard to gauge from the outside, but the vibe of the room and the focus of the program suggest a tight, purposeful list over a sprawling one.
Happy hour runs 5–6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and pulls house wine down to $4 a glass — which, if the house pour is anything worth drinking, is a genuinely good deal for a weeknight. We don't have confirmed by-the-glass counts or rotation details, but for a spot this size, we'd expect a modest selection that changes with the seasons rather than a static 20-option wall.
Tuesday–Saturday — Happy hour runs 5–6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, featuring $4 house wine glasses and discounts on snacks and bites.
The Bottom Line
Cherry Street Cellar is doing something genuinely uncommon for Columbia — an Old World-focused wine program in a space that actually feels like it belongs in a bigger city. We'd send a curious friend here on a Tuesday at 5:59 p.m. without hesitation.
Downtown / Alley A · Columbia · European beer garden and café
Günter Hans is a fantastic spot for beer, waffles, and atmosphere — the wine list is an afterthought wearing a Canyon Road uniform. Order a craft beer, enjoy every minute of the pretzel, and come back when they decide wine deserves the same love as everything else on the menu.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Near Campus · Columbia · American Sports Bar
Campus Bar & Grill is a great place to watch a Mizzou game and drink a beer — and that's exactly what you should do. The wine program is an afterthought from a restaurant that has no interest in wine, and we respect the honesty of that even as we wave you toward the tap list.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
MIA
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown · Columbia · Contemporary American
Bleu is the kind of wine list that works well if you already know what you want and want it done properly. It's not pushing any boundaries, the markups are on the steeper side, and there's no real discovery to be had — but for a night out in Columbia, it's a solid, well-stocked option that won't let you down.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
South Columbia · Columbia · Upscale globally influenced cuisine with Italian-inspired fare, seafood, pasta, steak, and gourmet pizzas
Sophia's is doing more with wine than almost anywhere else in Columbia, and we'd happily send a friend here — with a warning to navigate carefully around the commodity wines and go straight for the reserve list. The ambition is real; the markup discipline just hasn't caught up yet.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Columbia · Columbia · New American
Sycamore is doing something genuinely unusual in Columbia: running a tight, thoughtful wine list with real producers and fair prices, backed by someone on staff who knows what they're talking about. Come on a Wednesday and it's a no-brainer.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Active Program
Acceptable
Forum Boulevard / south Columbia · Columbia · American and international; steak and seafood-focused
Chris McD's is doing more with wine than almost any restaurant in Columbia — 35 by-the-glass pours and some genuinely interesting cellar selections earn it real credibility. Markups run steep and the list leans heavily on California safe bets, but as a neighborhood wine bar that also happens to serve a good steak, it punches above its weight class.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
Downtown Roanoke · Roanoke · Wine Bar & Bistro
Well Hung Vineyard Roanoke is a genuinely fun, no-pretense stop for anyone curious about what Virginia wine is doing right now — the branding is a lot, but the pours back it up. Send a friend here if they think Virginia wine is a punchline; they'll leave thinking otherwise.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
West Side / Junction Road · Madison · Wine Bar & Bistro
Eno Vino West is the dependable neighborhood wine bar Madison's west side needs — not flashy, not adventurous, but genuinely well-stocked and fairly priced. Show up on a Monday or Tuesday, grab a half-price bottle, and stop overthinking it.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
Unknown · Charleston · Wine Bar & Bistro
Chambers is doing something genuinely worthwhile for the Charleston, WV wine scene: a real list, real staff knowledge, and a clear point of view. It won't blow the doors off a seasoned wine traveler, but as a neighborhood wine bar, it's the kind of place you'd actually send a friend — especially if that friend would otherwise be drinking house Merlot out of a cavernous goblet somewhere else.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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