Brewery hides a surprisingly decent wine list
Stowe Village / Mountain Road · Stowe · Brewpub / American Comfort Food / Bavarian-Inspired · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 28, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Idletyme Brewing Company’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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Wingman Metrics
You walk into Idletyme expecting to talk about IPAs and sausages — and you should, that's the point — but the wine list quietly earns a second look. Fourteen labels isn't a lot, but the names on the page suggest someone actually made choices instead of just calling the Sysco rep. It's a pleasant surprise for a ski-town brewpub.
The list punches above its weight for what it is. Patient Cottat Loire Sauvignon Blanc and a Domaine La Croix St Laurent Sancerre on the same small list is legitimately good curation — that's not an accident. Owen Roe shows up twice with their Ex Umbris Syrah from Yakima Valley and the Kilmore Pinot Noir, giving Pacific Northwest representation that most Vermont brewpubs don't bother with. California anchors the reds with Bonanza Cab on the approachable end and Stag's Leap Artemis at the trophy end, which covers the room well. The gaps are Italy and anything south of France — but at 14 labels, you can't have everything.
Ten of the fourteen bottles are available by the glass, which is a generous ratio and means you can actually explore the list without committing to a bottle. Pours run $11–$22, which is fair for Stowe prices but still adds up fast if you're doing multiple rounds. No obvious rotation or seasonal program in sight — this feels like a set list that changes infrequently.
Owen Roe Syrah Ex Umbris Yakima Valley 2023 — $75 bottle
Owen Roe's Ex Umbris consistently retails in the $25–$30 range, so $75 is on the steeper side — but for a Yakima Syrah with this much savory depth and dark fruit, it's still the most interesting bottle on the list by a mile. If you're splitting a bottle at dinner, this is where to land.
Carrel & Senger Rosé Savoie 2025
Most people at a brewpub will reach for a beer or default to the Whitehaven — and that's exactly why you should order this. Savoie rosé is genuinely unusual on any list, let alone a Vermont brewpub. It's alpine, it's crisp, and it's the kind of thing you'd never think to order until someone tells you to.
Stag's Leap Cabernet Sauvignon Artemis Napa 2021
At $190 a bottle, the Artemis is doing trophy-wine pricing in a beer hall. Stag's Leap Artemis retails around $65–$70 — that's nearly a 3x markup. It's a solid Napa Cab, but drinking it next to a pretzel plate under pendant lights isn't the experience that justifies this price tag. Order the Owen Roe instead.
Kermit Lynch Côtes du Rhône France 2024 + House-made sausages
A good Grenache-based Côtes du Rhône is practically engineered for sausage — the garrigue notes, the medium body, the easy fruit. Kermit Lynch's Rhône bottling is exactly this: rustic, food-friendly, and zero pretense. It cuts through the fat without trying to be the main event.
🎲 The Bottom Line
Idletyme is a beer destination that happens to have a wine list worth respecting — not the reason to come, but not an afterthought either. If your table splits between beer people and wine people, everyone gets out alive.
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