Tiny List, Big Swings, Zero Apologies
San Francisco · Wine bar · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · August 28, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Fig & Thistle’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Thirteen bottles, all by the glass — that's the entire list, and somehow it works. Fig & Thistle isn't trying to overwhelm you with options; it's betting that every single pour deserves your attention. That confidence either reads as refreshing or nerve-wracking depending on how much you like having choices, but one look at the producers and it's clear this wasn't assembled on autopilot.
The list reads like someone actually enjoys wine and isn't afraid to argue about it. You've got a pét-nat from Austrian natural wine luminary Johannes Zillinger, a Turkish field blend from Selendi that mixes Chardonnay, Viognier, and the indigenous Narince grape, and a Haarmeyer Nebbiolo from the Sacramento Delta that has no business being this interesting. The sparkling category alone — a Carboniste Extra Brut Rosé and Zillinger's ancestral method — signals that whoever built this list thinks bubbles deserve more than a token slot. If there's a gap, it's depth: one wine per style means if you don't vibe with the Cab Franc, there's no backup plan.
Everything is by the glass, which is either the whole point or the only trick depending on your mood. Prices run $12 to $20, which for San Francisco and for this caliber of producer is genuinely fair — the Wine Navigator Late Harvest Tokaji at $12 might be the best pour-per-dollar in the room. No rotating program we can verify, so what you see is what you get until the list changes.
Selendi Bordeaux Blend 2020 — $45
The cheapest bottle on the list happens to be from one of Turkey's most interesting small producers. A Bordeaux-style blend from the Aegean coast for $45 feels like the list is doing you a favor — this would cost more anywhere that imported it with fanfare.
Toshokan Yount Mill Vineyard Pinot Meunier 2021
Pinot Meunier as a solo varietal is still a tough sell for most people who only know it as Champagne filler. Toshokan's Napa Valley take is the kind of thing you'd never order without a nudge — lighter than Pinot Noir, strawberry-forward, a little savory. Order it. You'll want another glass.
Haarmeyer Heringer Estates Nebbiolo 2022
At $77 it's the most expensive bottle on a compact list, and Nebbiolo from California's Sacramento Delta is still a 'we'll see' proposition for most drinkers. Haarmeyer does solid work, but $77 is a lot of trust to extend on a young, unconventional red when the Tessier Cab Franc or the Chateau de Lascaux are sitting right there at $56.
Domaine Dujardin La Tournelle Aligoté 2021 + Cheese plate
Aligoté is the sharp, citrus-driven Burgundian white that Chardonnay stole the spotlight from — and it's exactly what you want cutting through a salty, fatty spread of cheese. At a wine bar where a board is likely your anchor order, this is the move.
The Bottom Line
Fig & Thistle is for people who trust a short menu built by someone with a point of view — thirteen bottles, all pouring, all worth talking about. If you need a fallback Cab or a recognizable label to feel safe, this isn't your spot. If you don't, this absolutely is.
West Portal · San Francisco · Italian wine bar and small plates
A wine-bar list built around Italian bottles, with prices from $41 to $600 on the Wine List page. Start with the Firmino Miotti Breganze Cabernet 2015 at $18/64 from the glass section, or take the Raina Le Campette Montefalco Rosso 2020 at $42 if you want a bottle, and confirm prices since neither page is dated. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Fillmore · San Francisco · Indian, Regional
A South Indian dinner menu with two wine PDFs behind it: 17 pours on the glass PDF from 15 to 32, then a bottle PDF that starts with grower Champagne. Start with the chilled Florèz God's Own at 15 or the Aldo Viola Moretto at 17, and confirm both lists, since the PDFs are undated and the website Wines tab names some different producers. This unrated guide covers the posted wine lists, not service, storage or markups.
Hayes Valley · San Francisco · Wine bar with California/Italian-leaning small plates
A wine-bar list that ranges from Lebanese sparkling and orange wine to Jura bottles and sherry by the 3 or 4 oz. Start with the Pardusco 2024 chilled red at $14 / $56 or the Apátsági 2022 juhfark at $17, and confirm prices, since the page itself points you to the wine wall for more. This unrated guide covers the posted drinks and bottle lists, not service, storage or markups.
North Beach · San Francisco · Italian
A pizzeria wine list with real range: 24 wines under the Glasses heading, Italian reds sorted by region, and New World reds that include Napa and Paso Robles Cabernet. Start with the $10/$40 house Chianti Superiore, or try the $13/$52 Planeta Ceresuolo with a Margherita, and confirm vintages and prices before you order. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Union Square · San Francisco · French
A 66-page list that starts with a 20-pour glass page and moves quickly into Burgundy, Rhône and Bordeaux bottles priced in the hundreds and thousands, so decide early whether you are drinking by the glass or committing to a bottle. Start with the $20 Chablis or the $23 Corsican red, and confirm today's list because it carries no print date. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Potrero Hill · San Francisco · Italian
A list with two speeds: 29 glass pours from $13 to $45, and a bottle book that runs from $44 to $2,100. Start with the $13 Il Frappato or the $18 Vietti Perbacco Nebbiolo, then look at the Etna Rosso bottles (Tenuta delle Terre Nere 2023 is $82) if you want a bottle. This unrated guide covers the posted drinks list, not service, storage or markups.
Los Feliz · Los Angeles · Wine bar
Bar Covell is the kind of neighborhood wine bar that Los Angeles doesn't have nearly enough of — genuinely knowledgeable staff, a rotating list with real range, and a room that makes you want to stay for another glass. Without confirmed bottle-level pricing or a sourced wine list, we can't get granular on specific picks, but the regional profile and reviewer consensus point to a program worth trusting. Go in, tell them your budget and what you're feeling, and let the staff do the rest — that's the whole point.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Seasonal Rotation
Proper
· Gilbert · Wine bar
Bottles & Boards earns its 'Wild Card' badge by doing something quietly clever in Gilbert: it pairs a focused, approachable wine list with genuine category thinking — non-alcoholic options, a surprise grape like Valdigue, and real Champagne at honest prices. It's not a destination for serious collectors, but if you want a well-poured glass in a relaxed setting without getting gouged, this is the spot.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Sandy Springs · Atlanta · Wine bar
Under Pressure is the kind of wine bar Atlanta's northern neighborhoods have genuinely needed — a spot with a real point of view, someone knowledgeable behind the program, and a concept built around guided discovery rather than generic pours. If you're anywhere near Sandy Springs and care about drinking something interesting, this is worth the trip. We'll revisit once the full list is in hand for the deep cuts.
Surprising Depth
Fair
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
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