Art-Deco Ambition, Solid Wine to Match
Downtown Minneapolis · St. Paul · French-Mediterranean / New American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · October 8, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Fhima's Minneapolis’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Walk into Fhima's and the room does the heavy lifting — curved bar, art-deco bones, the kind of space that makes you want to order something impressive. The wine list follows the vibe: 70 labels, polished presentation, clearly assembled with intention. It's not a deep-cellar situation, but it's trying, and for downtown Minneapolis, that matters.
The list spans a respectable range — Italian producers like Ratti and Jermann sit alongside Washington state's DeLille and California stalwarts like Belle Glos and Austin Hope. There's a genuine attempt at variety here: Barbera d'Asti, Lambrusco, Crémant de Loire, and a Méthode Ancestrale pour from J. Laurent all signal that someone was paying attention when they built this list. The gaps show up in depth — you're not finding multiple vintages or serious Old World verticals, and the bottle list skews heavily toward recognizable labels over discovery. It reads more like a confident crowd-pleaser than a wine director's passion project, but it gets the job done for its audience.
Nineteen by-the-glass options is genuinely generous, running from $11 to $23 a pour. The range is solid — sparkling, white, red, and a Moscato for the table that can't agree — and the selection doesn't just default to Chardonnay and Cabernet. That said, there's no evidence of regular rotation, so what you see is likely what you've always gotten.
Saint Cosme Syrah — $14/glass
Saint Cosme is a serious Rhône name — their Syrah punches well above a $14 pour price. If you're eating lamb shank confit, this is the obvious move and one of the better value plays on the list.
Cleto Chiarli Centenario Lambrusco
Most people scroll past Lambrusco without a second look, which is their loss. Cleto Chiarli's Centenario is the real deal — a proper Modenese producer making structured, dry-leaning fizzy red that cuts through rich food beautifully. At $13 a glass, it's the most interesting pour on the list that nobody orders.
Austin Hope Cabernet Sauvignon
At $23 a glass, Austin Hope is the most expensive pour on the list — and while it's a decent Paso Robles Cab, it's also widely distributed and available at retail for far less than what you're implying with a $23 glass price. You're paying for the name recognition more than anything else.
Ratti Battaglione Barbera D'Asti + Lamb Shank Confit
Barbera's naturally high acidity and dark fruit cut right through the richness of braised lamb. Ratti is one of the benchmark Piedmontese producers, and at $15 a glass this is a smart, food-friendly order that makes the dish taste better and the wine taste like a deal.
The Bottom Line
Fhima's is a reliable wine list in a room that deserves one — the glass count is impressive, there are genuine finds buried in there if you look past the Cabs and Chardonnays, and the Italian selections in particular show real range. Markups lean steep on the bigger names, so stay mid-list and you'll eat and drink well. Yes, send a friend here for wine — just steer them away from the Austin Hope.
· St. Paul · Cocktail Bar and Italian
The Vermilion isn't a wine list for every night out, but it's one of the most intentional specialty lists we've seen in the Twin Cities — a full dessert and fortified wine program executed with actual conviction. If you're the kind of person who's ever wanted to work through a Tokaji, a Madeira, and a Macvin du Jura in one sitting, this is your spot.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Rondo · St. Paul · Cafe and New American
Golden Thyme deserves every bit of its community love, and the kitchen is cooking at a level the wine list hasn't caught up to yet. Come for the jambalaya linguine and the catfish po'boy — just don't plan your evening around what's in the glass.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· St. Paul · French
Restaurant Aubergine is running an eleven-bottle wine program that punches well above its weight class — the selections are specific, considered, and genuinely adventurous for a French spot in the Twin Cities. If you want a deep cellar and a leather-bound wine bible, look elsewhere; if you want someone's honest, well-edited point of view in a glass, this earns your attention.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· St. Paul · Mexican
Boca Chica is almost certainly a great neighborhood spot for Mexican food, but the wine program is an afterthought. Eight unlabeled house varietals and a White Zinfandel on the menu is all the signal you need — order the sangria, order a margarita, and save the wine night for somewhere else.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Roseville · St. Paul · Italian / Steakhouse Hybrid
Chianti Grill is not here to challenge you — it's here to give you a familiar Italian-American night out with wine that won't embarrass anyone. Watch the markups on the California pours, lean into the Italian section, and order the Chianti flight at least once.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· St. Paul · New American
Cafe Lurcat is a reliable anchor for a Minneapolis date night, and the wine list won't embarrass you — but at these prices, you'd want it to thrill you a little more than it does. Go for the atmosphere and the food; treat the wine list as a solid supporting cast, not the headline act.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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