Come for the beer, not the Merlot
Industrial Park · Fargo · Brewpub
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 19, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Fargo Brewing Company’s wine list and gave it The Lazy List — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Fargo Brewing feels like an afterthought stapled to the back of a very good beer menu. Four options, all names you'd recognize from a gas station endcap. This is a place that knows what it is — a brewpub — and the wine program reflects zero ambition beyond checking a box.
Washington and California are the represented regions here, which sounds fine until you see exactly which bottles made the cut: 15 Hands Chardonnay, Menage a Trois Red Blend, and Beringer White Zinfandel. These are mass-produced, widely distributed crowd-pleasers with roughly the same level of terroir expression as a fruit punch. There's no depth, no regional curiosity, and no attempt to find even a modestly interesting producer within those same price brackets. If you're hoping for a Walla Walla Syrah or even a half-decent Napa Cab, keep walking.
Four by-the-glass pours at $7–$10 a pop, which sounds affordable until you realize what's in the glass. Rotation appears nonexistent — this list reads like it hasn't been touched since the menu was printed. The price-per-ounce math is fine; the quality-per-ounce math is not.
15 Hands Chardonnay — $7
At $7 a glass it's the least offensive option on the list — a straightforward, unoaked-ish Washington Chardonnay that at least won't embarrass you at the table the way the White Zin might.
15 Hands Chardonnay
It's not a gem by any stretch, but in this lineup it's the closest thing to a wine someone actually thought about. At a brewpub with pretzels and brisket, an inoffensive Chardonnay quietly does its job.
Menage a Trois Red Blend
At $32 a bottle, you're paying more than double retail ($15) for a wine that's built for the $9 grocery store shelf. The 113% markup on something this ordinary is hard to justify — just order a pint.
15 Hands Chardonnay + Pretzel bites
Warm, salty pretzel bites need something cold and crisp to cut through. The 15 Hands Chardonnay, whatever its limitations, has enough acidity to play off the salt without getting in the way. It works, and sometimes that's the most you can ask.
The Bottom Line
Fargo Brewing makes solid beer — order that. The wine list exists in name only, and at these markups, you're better off grabbing a cold IPA and calling it a night.
South Fargo · Fargo · Italian-American Chain
Come for the breadsticks, stay for the pasta, but don't come for the wine. Olive Garden Fargo's list is exactly what you'd expect from a national chain that treats wine as a revenue line, not a program — and in Fargo, you deserve better options.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
West Fargo / I-94 Corridor · Fargo · American Steakhouse
LongHorn West Fargo isn't a wine destination, and it's not trying to be — but the pricing is fair, the by-the-glass range is workable, and you won't be stuck drinking bad wine with a good steak. Send a friend here for the ribeye; just remind them to skip the KJ and order the Cab.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
South Fargo · Fargo · Mexican
Come for the margaritas, the table-side guac, and the fajitas — the wine list is not the reason to be here. If your group insists on wine, Austin Hope is the one pick worth your time; everything else is just filler.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Brewhalla Food Hall · Fargo · Seafood / Wine Bar
Mangata is the kind of place that shouldn't work on paper but absolutely does in practice — a sommelier-curated wine list inside a food hall, next to a raw bar, in Fargo. Send your friends here, and tell them to ask about the Tondonia.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Occasional
Proper
Downtown · Fargo · Modern American with Scandinavian and Midwestern influences
Rosewild is the kind of wine program that shouldn't exist in a hotel restaurant in Fargo — and yet here we are. Wednesday night, half-price bottles, a thoughtful list, and a kitchen that actually gives the wine something to work with. Get there.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
Downtown Fargo · Fargo · German
Würst Bier Hall is a genuinely fun place to eat and drink in Fargo — just don't make wine the reason you go. Stick to the beer program, which is clearly where the care and attention lives, and treat the wine list as emergency rations.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Moab · Brewpub
Moab Brewery is a solid brewpub doing exactly what it should — pouring craft beer to dusty hikers and mountain bikers. The wine list is an afterthought, and that's fine, as long as you treat it like one. Order the beer. If someone at your table insists on wine, the Trapiche Malbec is probably your least-bad option, but don't come here for the wine.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Hood River · Brewpub
pFriem is one of the best brewpubs in the Pacific Northwest, and the wine list knows its role — it's backup, not the headliner. If you're the wine person in a group of beer people, you'll survive and probably drink something decent from the region. If wine is your whole reason for going out, Hood River has better options for that and pFriem has better options for you — namely, the beer.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Truckee · Brewpub
Alibi Ale Works Truckee Public House is a brewpub that remembered wine drinkers exist — and that's genuinely more than many peers do. The list won't excite anyone with serious wine interest, but it gives casual drinkers enough familiar options to have a decent glass with their meal. Come for the beer, stay if you must for the wine.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
List Variety
Markup
Glassware
Staff
Specials & Deals
Storage & Temp
