Bubbles Up Front, Surprises in the Back
Chapel Hill · New American / Wine Bar · Visit Website ↗
Updated August 2026
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 17, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Flair Restaurant & Wine Bar’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The list is short — 18 labels — but it's clearly been curated with intention rather than just grabbed off a distributor sheet. The sparkling section alone runs from Lunetta Prosecco all the way up to Dom Pérignon, which tells you something about who they're trying to please. It's a wine bar that takes its bubbles seriously, even if the rest of the list is still finding its footing.
Flair leans hard into sparkling and white wines, and honestly that focus works in a list this size. You've got solid Burgundy representation with the Sebastian Magnien Haut Côtes de Beaune and Domaine Pascal Berthier Mâcon-Chaintré, plus an Eric Louis Sancerre that earns its place next to three different Chardonnay options including the Ramey and Mer Soleil Reserve. The Pinot Gris and Grigio section is a little redundant — Sokol Blosser, Pighin, and Terlato all doing roughly the same job — and red wine lovers are basically an afterthought here. If you came looking for a Barolo or a Napa Cab, this isn't your night.
Six pours by the glass at $13–$15 is a reasonable range for Chapel Hill, though we'd like to see a bit more transparency about which six rotate into that slot. The sparkling options likely anchor the BTG program given how prominently they feature on the list. What we'd really want here is a dedicated BTG board with vintage info — right now it feels like the by-the-glass program is an afterthought to the bottle list.
Domaine Pascal Berthier Mâcon-Chaintré 'Roxanne' — $40
Southern Burgundy Chardonnay at a price point that makes sense — it drinks with more character and minerality than anything from Mer Soleil or Matanzas Creek at a similar or higher ask. This is the bottle that makes the list worth exploring.
Cascina San Lorenzo Moscato d'Asti 'Lunatico'
Most people scroll past Moscato d'Asti without a second look. Don't. Cascina San Lorenzo is a serious Piedmontese producer, and 'Lunatico' is a far cry from the sugary stuff that gave the category a bad name — it's delicate, barely fizzy, and genuinely interesting.
Dom Perignon Brut Champagne
At $295, you're paying a significant premium over retail on a bottle that's become more status symbol than wine discovery. The Taittinger 'La Française' and even the Veuve Yellow Label will give you a better experience-per-dollar in this setting — save the Dom for somewhere with the cellar and service to justify it.
Eric Louis Sancerre + Globally inspired seafood starter
A Loire Valley Sancerre with its signature citrus snap and chalky mineral finish is the move against any light seafood or herb-forward dish on a New American menu. It's the kind of pairing that makes the table stop talking and start paying attention to what's in their glass.
The Bottom Line
Flair is a small but genuinely considered wine list in a town that doesn't always demand that level of effort — if you're there for bubbles and whites, you'll find something worth ordering. Just don't show up expecting a deep cellar, and maybe skip the Dom unless someone else is paying.
· Chapel Hill · Modern American / Asian-Fusion
Elements has the bones of a solid wine bar destination — an interesting region mix, a sophisticated room, and a menu that genuinely wants wine alongside it. But without a transparent, published list, we can't tell you whether the execution lives up to the concept. If you're going, ask questions: what's open, what's drinking well tonight, what pairs with the trout. A place that calls itself a wine bar should be able to answer all three without hesitation.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Chapel Hill · Chapel Hill · Cajun / Bar Food
Imbibe's wine list is an afterthought in a place where cocktails and beer are clearly the main event — and that's fine, as long as you order accordingly. If you're committed to wine with your étouffée, grab the Mülderbosch and move on.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Chapel Hill · American Grill
Page Road Grill isn't trying to be a wine destination and doesn't pretend to be — but the list is priced fairly, shows occasional flashes of genuine curation, and gives you enough options to drink well while you eat. Send a friend here for dinner and tell them to skip the Honig.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Chapel Hill · Chapel Hill · Contemporary American / Casual Fine Dining
Hawthorne & Wood isn't trying to be a wine destination, but it's doing more than most comparable spots in the area — the list is curated, the glass selection is generous, and a few real gems are hiding in plain sight. Send your friends here with instructions to order the Txakolina and the Rioja and ignore the Cab.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Chapel Hill · Chapel Hill · Seafood and Oyster Bar
Squid's isn't a wine destination, but it's a very good seafood restaurant with a list that doesn't get in its own way — and that Tuesday half-price bottle deal makes it a legitimate reason to show up on a weeknight. Come for the oysters, order the Sauvignon Blanc, and enjoy yourself.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
Chapel Hill · Chapel Hill · Seafood-focused American grill
Bonefish Grill Chapel Hill is a reliable spot if you want a decent glass of wine with your seafood and zero surprises. Don't come here expecting discovery — come here expecting competence, and you'll leave satisfied.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
Belmont Heights · Long Beach · New American / Wine Bar
Taste is doing something genuinely uncommon in Long Beach: a neighborhood wine bar with a Baja California identity, a sommelier who presumably knows why that matters, and a food menu built around dishes that actually want wine next to them. We'd send a friend here with one instruction — skip the menu and ask the staff what they're excited about right now.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Lincoln · New American / Wine Bar
Art & Soul is doing something that most restaurants in cities twice Lincoln's size wouldn't attempt: a by-the-glass program anchored by a 1975 Austrian white and a biodynamic Joly Chenin Blanc, at prices that don't make you wince. We don't have enough intel on the food menu or service to give this the full Rager treatment, but if you're in Lincoln and you care about wine, this is the room you want to be in.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Atlantic City · New American / Wine Bar
The Iron Room is the kind of wine-forward bar Atlantic City doesn't know it needs — cozy, staffed by people who care, and refreshingly serious about what's in the glass. If you're in AC and want something other than $14 Pinot Grigio at a casino bar, this is your move.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Occasional
Acceptable
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