Jazz Vibes, Solid Pours, Wednesday Is Your Friend
Downtown Norfolk · Norfolk · Upscale-Casual American · Visit Website ↗
Updated April 2026
Reviewed March 24, 2026
Wingman Metrics
The jazz-inspired room sets expectations high, and the wine list mostly keeps up — it's a genuine effort across multiple regions with a price spread that doesn't punish you for wanting something decent. Forty to eighty bottles with real names on the list is more than most restaurants in this category bother with. It's not a destination wine program, but it's not an afterthought either.
California dominates, as expected, with Oregon and Washington getting respectable representation alongside Italy and Argentina. The range is real — you've got Silver Gate Cab at $35 a bottle sitting on the same list as a Brunello di Montalcino at $180 and a La Jota W.S. Keyes Chardonnay at $150, which tells you this list is trying to serve multiple audiences at once. Germany shows up too, which is a pleasant surprise and suggests someone building this list has opinions beyond the obvious. The gaps are in the Old World mid-range — there's no obvious Rhône, Burgundy, or Loire representation surfacing in the data, which keeps this from being a truly well-rounded list.
Ten-plus options by the glass with a $8–$15 range is genuinely solid for a casual-upscale spot in Norfolk — you're not stuck choosing between two anonymous options. Elouan Pinot Noir and the Quilt Threadcount Red Blend both clock in at $14 a glass, which is fair for what they are. The Wine Down Wednesday deal — buy one glass, get the second half off, plus 50% off all white bottles — makes Wednesday the obvious night to lean into the glass program.
Silver Gate Cabernet Sauvignon — $35/bottle
At $35 a bottle, this is where you pull ahead of the table next to you. Decent California Cab at a price point that isn't punishing — the glass pour at $10 is fair, but the bottle is where the math works in your favor.
La Jota Vineyard W.S. Keyes 2018 Chardonnay
Most people gloss over the $150 Chardonnay on a list like this, but La Jota's W.S. Keyes bottling is a serious Howell Mountain wine that shows up rarely on restaurant lists outside of California. If you're splitting it at a table of four, this is the move — it drinks well above its price in the real world and will outperform everything else at this tier.
Quilt Threadcount Red Blend
Quilt is a fine, perfectly inoffensive Napa red blend, but at $48 a bottle you're paying a brand premium for a wine that's essentially engineered for exactly this kind of list. The Silver Gate at $35 does the same job without the Napa marketing tax.
Elouan Pinot Noir + Duck or salmon entrée
Elouan's Oregon Pinot is built for the table — bright enough to cut through rich proteins, soft enough not to fight anything. On a jazz-night dinner with a duck or salmon dish, it's the glass that just works without requiring any thought.
Wednesday — Wine Down Wednesday — buy one glass of wine and get the second glass half off (by-the-glass only). All bottles of white wine are 50% off.
✔️ The Bottom Line
Gershwin's isn't reinventing wine lists, but it's doing the job with more care than most spots at this price point — and Wine Down Wednesday alone makes it worth putting in the rotation. Send a friend here on a Wednesday with a bottle of white and they'll thank you.
Downtown Norfolk · Norfolk · American
Mermaid Winery is a genuine wine destination that happens to be in Norfolk — and yes, that still surprises us a little. The pricing leans steep and the staff isn't running a Master Sommelier class, but the list is deep where it counts and Wednesday half-price night is one of the better wine deals in the region.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Proper
Virginia Beach · Norfolk · Steakhouse
Ruth's Chris Virginia Beach won't surprise you on wine, and a few markups are hard to forgive, but the depth is real and the by-the-glass program is better than most steakhouses at this price point. If you're here for a special occasion steak and want a bottle that won't embarrass the meal, you'll find it — just avoid the house pours and do a little homework first.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Norfolk · Norfolk · Gourmet Market & Wine Shop
Taste Unlimited is a gourmet market that quietly outclasses most sit-down restaurants on wine curation and blows them out completely on price. If you're in Norfolk and haven't figured out that this is also a wine stop, you've been leaving money on the table.
Small but Thoughtful
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
Governors Pointe · Norfolk · Southern American
Vintage Tavern has no business having a wine list this serious in a suburb of Norfolk — and we mean that as a high compliment. The markups take some of the shine off, but a sommelier on staff, 400 bottles, and a genuine Virginia section make this the best wine destination for miles around.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Downtown · Norfolk · French
Todd Jurich's Bistro is the most serious wine list in Norfolk, full stop — but you'll pay for that seriousness, especially on the French side. Go for the sommelier's guidance, order the Barboursville, and enjoy the fact that a room this focused on wine exists in downtown Norfolk at all.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Ghent · Norfolk · New American
Varia is doing something genuinely rare in a mid-sized market — building a wine program that would hold its own in Chicago or D.C. The markup isn't always charitable, but the depth, the cruvinet by-the-glass program, and the evident expertise on staff make this one worth the trip across town.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
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