Greensboro's secret weapon for serious bottles
Greensboro · Italian, European · Visit Website ↗
Updated June 2026
Reviewed April 21, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed GIA Drink.Eat.Listen’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
When a craft-cocktail lounge in Greensboro pulls a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence, you pay attention. The list reads like someone actually cares — France, Italy, California, and enough depth to surprise you on a Tuesday night out. For a spot that bills itself as a drink-eat-listen hangout, the wine program is punching well above its weight class.
The list runs 150 to 250 bottles and leans hard into its Italian identity — Barolo from Piedmont, Brunello di Montalcino, and Chianti Classico Riserva give you a proper tour of the boot without feeling like a tourist trap. France holds its own with Burgundy producers out of the Côte de Nuits and Bordeaux classified growths, while California shows up with Napa Cab to keep the crowd happy. The real flex is having Sassicaia and Ornellaia on the same list as a charcuterie board — Super Tuscans at a share-plates lounge in North Carolina is exactly the kind of weird, wonderful mismatch we love.
Twelve to twenty options by the glass puts GIA solidly in the conversation for a by-the-glass program worth exploring, with prices landing between $10 and $18 — reasonable for this caliber of wine. We'd love to see more rotation and adventurous pours at the glass level, but the current spread covers the room without embarrassing itself.
Chianti Classico Riserva — $35-$50
Chianti Classico Riserva at the lower end of GIA's pricing range is the sweet spot — structured enough to be interesting, food-friendly enough to carry a whole meal, and consistently underpriced relative to what you're actually getting in the glass.
Côte de Nuits Burgundy
Most people at a cocktail lounge are reaching for Napa Cab or an Italian red they recognize — which means the Burgundy producers from the Côte de Nuits are sitting there, quietly available, for the one table smart enough to order them. Don't be the table that doesn't.
Bordeaux Classified Growth
Classified Bordeaux at a casual share-plates spot almost always means a serious markup and a bottle that's been sitting longer than ideal. Unless you're celebrating something, the money is better spent on the Italian side of this list.
Brunello di Montalcino + Charcuterie Board
Brunello's high acid and grippy tannins are practically built for cured meats — the fat in the charcuterie softens the wine's edges while the wine cuts right through the richness. It's a straightforward call that never disappoints.
The Bottom Line
GIA is the kind of place that makes you do a double-take when you see the wine list — a craft-cocktail lounge with Sassicaia, Brunello, and a Wine Spectator award is genuinely unexpected in this market. If you're in Greensboro and you care about wine, this is your spot.
South Elm · Greensboro · Wine bar & cheese
Lewis & Elm earns the Wild Card badge because it's the kind of unexpected neighborhood wine bar that punches well above its zip code — a sommelier-curated list leaning into Tuscany, Greece, and Sicily inside a cozy South Elm storefront is not what most people expect to find in Greensboro. We'd happily send a friend here for a flight and a cheese board, and tell them to actually listen to whatever the staff recommends. Just know that our sourced pricing detail is thin right now, so go in with curiosity and ask questions — that's the right posture for a place like this anyway.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
· Greensboro · New American and Wine Bar
1808 Craft & Vine is doing something quietly smart: a fully by-the-glass list at prices that don't punish curiosity, with enough international range to keep things interesting. We don't know the food, we don't know the staff, and the list isn't going to wow a Burgundy collector — but if you're in Greensboro and want to drink something you'd never order at a chain steakhouse, this is the move.
Small but Thoughtful
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Greensboro · Wine and Cocktail Bar
Marjae's is doing something genuinely uncommon for a mid-size Southern city: running a wine-forward space with actual expertise behind it, at prices that won't make you wince. We'd send a friend here for a low-key date night or a Thursday tasting without hesitation — just go in ready to ask questions, because the staff seems like they actually want to answer them.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
· Greensboro · Cocktail and Wine Bar
Bitters Social House isn't trying to be a wine destination, and it doesn't pretend to be — but the pricing is genuinely fair, a couple of producer picks show real effort, and the by-the-glass setup means you can drink well without committing to a bottle. If you're in Greensboro and need a glass before or after dinner, this is a perfectly honest place to have one.
Crowd Pleasers
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Greensboro · Italian Steakhouse
Giovanni's is a reliable neighborhood anchor — the room is good, the food has a loyal following, and the Italian reds give you enough to work with if you dig past the Sand Point labels. We'd send a friend here for dinner without hesitation; we'd just steer them straight toward the Barolo or Brunello and skip the California filler.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Greensboro · Steakhouse
Fleming's Greensboro is doing more than most chain steakhouses bother to do with wine — 42 by-the-glass options and actual Alsatian whites on a Greensboro wine list deserves acknowledgment. The markups are real and the list isn't going to surprise anyone who's been to a Fleming's before, but if you're eating a bone-in ribeye and want a proper glass without guesswork, this delivers.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Wichita · Wichita · Italian, European
Vora is the kind of restaurant that makes you reconsider Wichita as a dining destination — a legitimately serious Italian and French list in a casual-elegant room with a patio. If you care about old-world reds and want to drink well in the middle of Kansas, this is your spot.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Stuart · Stuart · Italian, European
Ristorante Giordi is punching well above its weight for Stuart — the Italian bottle list is legitimately impressive and earns its Wine Spectator nod. Just go in knowing you're paying for the ambition, and steer toward the Italian side of the list where the real action is.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Clearwater · Clearwater · Italian, European
Alfano's is the kind of place that surprises you — a low-key Clearwater Italian joint quietly holding a decade-plus Wine Spectator credential with a list that earns it. If you're in the area and want serious Italian and California bottles without driving to Tampa, this is your spot.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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