Chuck's
Great Burgers, Forgettable Wine List
Downtown · Raleigh · Burgers · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed March 17, 2026
Wingman Metrics
First Impression
Chuck's is a no-frills downtown burger spot where a double patty and fries for under ten bucks is absolutely the right call. The wine list, though, reads like someone grabbed whatever was on sale at the ABC store and called it a day. Nothing here was curated with any intention.
Selection Deep Dive
The list is small and leans heavily on mass-market labels — Wayne Gretzky No.99, Yellow Tail, and Peller Family Reserve are not exactly the hallmarks of a serious wine program. There's one interesting outlier: a Fontanafredda Barolo that feels like it wandered in from a different restaurant entirely. Beyond that lone bright spot, the selection is the kind of thing you'd find in the wine aisle at a grocery store. No regional focus, no discovery, no sign anyone thought hard about what belongs on this list.
By the Glass
By-the-glass specifics aren't confirmed, but given the list size and lineup, expect the usual suspects poured in standard stems. Don't come here expecting a rotating glass program or anything adventurous — this list was set a while ago and hasn't moved since.
Fontanafredda Barolo — $42.99
At only a 23% markup over a $35 retail bottle, this is the lone smart buy on an otherwise lazy list. It's absurdly out of place next to a $9 burger, but if you're going to drink wine here, this is the one.
Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio
Yes, it's ubiquitous. Yes, you've seen it everywhere. But at a 40% markup over retail, it's among the fairer pours on this list, and it's actually a decent glass of wine for a casual lunch spot charging less than $10 for an entree.
Yellow Tail Shiraz
A 220% markup on a $10 retail bottle is genuinely hard to justify. This is a $10 grocery store wine dressed up at $31.99. Order a beer instead — or just get the burger and move on.
Fontanafredda Barolo + Double patty burger
Barolo with a greasy double smash burger is chaotic in the best possible way. The tannins and acidity in the Barolo cut straight through the fat, and honestly it's more fun than it has any right to be at a place like this.
❌ The Bottom Line
Chuck's is a great burger spot that has no real interest in wine, and the list reflects exactly that. Order the food, grab a beer, and save the serious bottle for somewhere that's actually trying.
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