California Classics Done Right for Steak Night
Hanes Mall / Strickland Rd · Winston Salem · American Steakhouse · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed June 25, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed Firebirds Wood Fired Grill’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Firebirds reads like a greatest hits album of California wine — Jordan, Duckhorn, Sonoma-Cutrer, Meiomi. You know every song, you've heard them all before, and honestly, sometimes that's exactly what you want. It's a polished, approachable list built to match the room: wood-fired steaks, confident service, and zero surprises.
With 100-150 bottles, the list leans hard into California and the Pacific Northwest — Napa, Sonoma, Washington State — with the kind of brand-name reliability that keeps a steakhouse crowd comfortable. Jordan Cabernet from Alexander Valley and Duckhorn Merlot from Napa anchor the reds, while Sonoma-Cutrer Russian River Ranches Chardonnay holds down the white side. Don't come here looking for a grower Champagne or an obscure Jura find; this list isn't trying to be that. The regional focus is narrow, and anything outside the California axis is an afterthought.
The by-the-glass program is genuinely generous at 20-30 options — that's a real commitment for a chain steakhouse, and it means you can explore a little without committing to a bottle. Meiomi Pinot Noir shows up here as the crowd-pleasing workhorse, and it earns that spot. The pours are standard restaurant size, nothing revelatory, but the selection gives most tables something they'll be happy with.
Sonoma-Cutrer Russian River Ranches Chardonnay — null
Russian River Ranches is a genuinely good, site-specific Chardonnay — not just a label play. In a list this California-centric, this is the bottle that actually justifies what you're spending. Restrained oak, real acidity, and it can handle both the seafood and the lighter steak cuts without getting lost.
Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon, Alexander Valley
Jordan gets dismissed as a dinner-party brand by the wine nerd crowd, but that's snobbery talking. Alexander Valley Cab at its best is plush, food-friendly, and less aggressively tannic than Napa — exactly what you want against a wood-fired ribeye. Most tables here walk past it for something flashier. Don't.
Meiomi Pinot Noir
Meiomi is everywhere — your grocery store, your local chain, your in-laws' fridge. It's fine, it's sweet, and it's almost certainly marked up well past what it's worth on a restaurant list. If you're going to spend money at Firebirds, spend it on something you can't pick up at Costco on the way home.
Duckhorn Merlot, Napa Valley + Wood-Fired Steak
Duckhorn Merlot is a Napa Valley staple for a reason — it's rich, structured, and generous without being a bruiser. Against a char-kissed wood-fired steak, that dark fruit and soft tannin structure is exactly the right counterweight. Classic move, but classics exist because they work.
The Bottom Line
Firebirds isn't trying to reinvent anything, and the wine list reflects that — it's a dependable, California-forward selection that does its job without embarrassing itself. If you want adventure, look elsewhere; if you want a solid bottle with a good steak in a comfortable room, this gets you there.
· Winston Salem · Bakery / Cafe
Camino Bakery shouldn't have a wine list this considered, and yet here we are. Bottles top out at $29, most land between $14 and $19, and the selection skews curious rather than safe — Txakoli and orange wine at a Winston-Salem bakery is genuinely unexpected. If you're nearby and want a low-pressure bottle without the restaurant markup, this is a legitimately good stop.
Small but Thoughtful
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Winston Salem · Thai
Thai Harmony is genuinely worth visiting for the food — the khao soi and kai yang have real fans for a reason, and the downtown space is one of the better dining rooms in Winston-Salem. But come for the kitchen, not the cellar. Until the wine program shows us something specific worth recommending, you're better off ordering a Thai iced tea and saving the wine for another night.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Winston Salem · Modern Mexican
Alma Mexicana is a genuine wild card — a modern Mexican restaurant in Winston-Salem with a wine program that's quietly pointing at Old World Europe instead of the expected California house pour. We need the full list to give you the real numbers, but the instinct here is good enough to warrant ordering something other than a margarita.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
· Winston Salem · Wine Bar / Bottle Shop
The Caviste is doing something genuinely weird for Winston-Salem — a curated, Austria-only bottle shop with prices that should embarrass most restaurant wine lists. If you're even slightly curious about Grüner Veltliner or natural-leaning reds, this is a low-risk, high-reward detour.
Small but Thoughtful
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Winston Salem · Winery Tasting Room / Light Bites
Divine Llama is a fun, farm-genuine detour if you're exploring North Carolina wine country and want something local and unpretentious. Don't come for depth or discovery beyond the estate — come for the story, the setting, and a glass of Traminette you probably wouldn't have ordered anywhere else.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
· Winston Salem · American Cafe
West End Cafe isn't a wine destination, but it's a perfectly decent place to drink something decent without overpaying for it. Send a friend here if they want wine with dinner and aren't looking to make an event out of it.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· McLean · American Steakhouse
We don't fully understand how a six-bottle list this good ended up at The Palm Tysons Corner, but here we are. If you're eating here and care about wine at all, this list deserves your attention — especially that Sancerre at $23. It's a small program, but it's a thoughtful one, and in a category full of lazy steakhouse lists, that counts for a lot.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· The Woodlands · American Steakhouse
We're working with event-night evidence, not a full house list, so drawing firm conclusions about Del Frisco's Grille's everyday wine program would be dishonest. What we can say is that a six-wine promotional dinner built around one producer family isn't a reason to make this your wine destination. Come for the steakhouse experience — but don't expect the wine list to be the main event.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Occasional
Acceptable
· Ashburn · American Steakhouse
Eddie Merlot's is a dependable upscale steakhouse that delivers on the beef side of the equation. The wine program appears to be functional rather than inspired — a crowd-pleasing list built to sell confidently, not to excite. If you're coming for a business dinner or a straightforward date night and want a Napa Cab with your prime-aged ribeye, you'll be just fine. If you want something to talk about on the drive home, you might need to bring your own bottle or do a little pre-visit homework.
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.
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