Forager Brewery

Walking into a brewpub in Rochester, Minnesota, you're not exactly bracing yourself for a serious wine list — and that's exactly why Forager catches you off guard. Thirteen labels isn't a lot, but someone clearly curated this thing with intention. There's Champagne from Françoise Seconde and Thibault Boudignon's Anjou Blanc sitting next to a Zinfandel and a Malbec — this is not a list assembled by clicking 'order' on a distributor's top sellers.

The list covers all the bases — white, red, rosé, sparkling, and Champagne — without spreading itself too thin. The white wine section punches above its weight class: Paradas Xarel·lo Malvasia from Spain and Thibault Boudignon's Anjou Blanc (a serious natural wine producer from the Loire) signal that someone here is paying attention to interesting producers, not just recognizable labels. The reds are more conventional — L'Agnostique Pinot Noir and Padrillos Malbec are solid crowd-pleasers — but they don't embarrass the list. The real gap is depth: 13 bottles is lean, and there's no obvious path for someone who wants to explore beyond the basics.

Ten of the thirteen bottles are available by the glass at $9–$13, which is genuinely generous for a brewpub and means you're not trapped into a bottle commitment. The Cosi Frizzante Prosecco at $10/glass is a low-risk opener, and having the Lago Cerqueira Rosé pourable by the glass is smart for a casual setting. The program doesn't rotate much, but the glass selection is broad enough that repeat visitors won't feel stuck.