Napa Heavy, Alpharetta Ready
· Alpharetta · Wine Bar · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed October 26, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed CRU Wine Bar & Bistro’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The list at CRU reads like a greatest-hits collection of California names your uncle would recognize — PlumpJack, Silver Oak, Stag's Leap. It's comfortable territory, built for the crowd that wants a trusted label without much adventure. Nothing wrong with that, but it doesn't suggest a team that's sweating the details.
About 28 bottles deep, this list leans hard into Napa and Sonoma, with PlumpJack showing up multiple times across what appears to be different bottlings. Stag's Leap Wine Cellars and Silver Oak anchor the prestige tier, while L'Ecole No. 41 Merlot from Walla Walla and Trefethen from Oak Knoll add some range without straying far from the mainstream. There's a Champagne section anchored by Larter Père & Fils — appearing four times, suggesting a range of cuvées — and Hampton Water rosé for the crowd that follows Jon Bon Jovi into the wine business. France's presence beyond Champagne is thin; the rest of the world barely shows up.
By-the-glass specifics aren't documented in the available data, so we can't tell you what's pouring or at what price point. For a wine bar, that's a significant unknown — and one you'll want to ask about before you sit down.
The Bottom Line
CRU is a perfectly serviceable wine bar if you like California classics and don't mind paying for the reputation on the label. The list won't surprise you, and that's exactly the point — but don't come here looking for natural wine, deep Burgundy, or anything that requires a passport beyond Napa Valley. If you're in Alpharetta and want a glass of Silver Oak without a long drive, CRU delivers.
28 wines captured from the source list, including wines not yet matched to our catalog. Availability, vintages, and prices can change. View source wine list.
Plumpjack
Top Shelf
Plumpjack
Top Shelf
Plumpjack
Top Shelf
Neibaum (Niebaum)
Top Shelf
Trefethen
Top Shelf
Venga / Ven
Top Shelf
L'Ecole
Top Shelf
Stag's Leap / Stag
Top Shelf
Lodi Grove
Second Shelf
Curtain / Certain
Second Shelf
Silver Oak / Silverado
Second Shelf
Artesa
Second Shelf
Stag
Second Shelf
Hampton Water
Rosé / Orange
Garino / Scarino
Rosé / Orange
Larter Pere & Fils
Rosé / Orange
Larter Pere & Fils
Rosé / Orange
Larter Pere & Fils
Rosé / Orange
Larter Pere & Fils
Rosé / Orange
Clos du Ril / Clos du Riel
Rosé / Orange
Rath / Wrath
Rosé / Orange
Tuble / Tubl
Rosé / Orange Right
Cakebread Cellars
White
Anna
White
Villesele / Villele
White
Wairau River
White
Wairau River
White
Wairau River
White
· Alpharetta · Steakhouse
The Butcher and Bottle isn't trying to be a wine destination — it's a steakhouse with a sensible, well-priced list that keeps things moving. The near-total by-the-glass program is genuinely smart, and the pricing is fairer than most places in this category. If you want adventure, look elsewhere; if you want a reliable Cab with your ribeye at a price that won't ruin the evening, this works.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Alpharetta · Steakhouse
Connors is a reliable steakhouse wine list that does its job without embarrassing itself or dazzling anyone. The by-the-glass count is a genuine bright spot, markups are steep but consistent with the category, and the selection covers the bases its clientele expects. Send a friend here if they want a solid glass of California Cab with their ribeye — just don't send them expecting anything they haven't already seen.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Alpharetta · Wine and Cigar Bar
Wine Me Down earns points for carving out a genuinely different kind of night out in Alpharetta — cigars, hookah, and wine together in one stylish room is not a combination you find everywhere in the suburbs. But until we can get a real look at the wine list with actual bottles and prices, we can't send you here specifically for the wine. Go for the atmosphere, bring cash for the cigars, and keep your wine expectations flexible.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Alpharetta · Wine tasting bar
Fermented Flight Club is doing something genuinely unusual in the Atlanta suburbs: building a wine program around obscurity as a feature, not a flaw. If you've ever wanted to try Nascetta, Marzemino, or a co-fermented red-white without flying to Italy or paying fine-dining prices, this is your spot. We'd send a curious friend here without hesitation — and tell them to let the Four Blind flight humble them a little.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Alpharetta · Alpharetta · Modern Italian
Colletta's wine list punches well above its suburban strip-mall expectations — an all-Italian program with genuine depth in whites and a sparkling section worth lingering over. The markup is honest, the by-the-glass count is generous, and the producers skew toward the interesting rather than the obvious. If you're eating here, skip the red and let the white Italian side of the list do the work.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Alpharetta · Italian Steakhouse
Luci's isn't going to win any wine destination awards, but the by-the-glass program is unusually broad, markup is fair across most of the list, and there are a few genuinely good picks tucked in among the crowd-pleasers. If you're eating here, you can drink well — just know what to order and what to skip.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Buckhead · Atlanta · Wine Bar
Vine & Tap earns its Wild Card badge by doing something rare in Buckhead: pointing the list toward places most wine bars won't bother with, like Lebanon and Friuli, and keeping entree prices under $20 so the wine spend can actually shine. If you're in the neighborhood on a Wednesday, the half-price flight situation makes this an easy yes — show up, explore something you've never heard of, eat some octopus, and leave having learned something.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
· La Crosse · Wine Bar
The Wine Guyz earns its Wild Card badge by being something La Crosse didn't necessarily need but clearly does: a real wine bar with range, a relaxed atmosphere, and food that goes beyond bar snacks. We'd send a curious wine drinker here without hesitation — just go in ready to ask questions, since the list doesn't live online and the real program reveals itself in person.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Buckman · Portland · Wine Bar
A winery list that is easy to order from: 22 wines, all by the glass at 14 to 17, with house bottlings next to imports. Start with the five-pour ENSO Reds flight at $25, then settle on a glass of the Chateauneuf du Stark at 16 or the chilled Valpolicella at 15, and confirm what is open since the menu is undated. This unrated guide covers the posted wine menu, not service, storage or markups.
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
List Variety
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