A Dessert Wine List Stuck in the Corner
· Montgomery · Steakhouse & Southern · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · October 14, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Itta Bena Montgomery’s wine list and gave it The Lazy List — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
You open the wine menu at Itta Bena Montgomery and find five labels — all of them dessert wines. No red, no white, no rosé. Just Port and icewine, which is either a very bold editorial choice or a case of someone forgetting to finish the list.
The entire program is built around two producers: Menéres Porto (LBV 2018, 10 Year, and 20 Year) and Inniskillin Vidal Icewine (standard and Gold). That's it. For a steakhouse — a format that practically demands a Cabernet or a Malbec — the absence of any table wine is genuinely baffling. The Menéres Porto trio at least has some logic: an LBV entry point, a 10 Year tawny for breadth, and a 20 Year for the high rollers. The Inniskillin selections are crowd-pleasing Canadian icewines, widely distributed and not particularly rare. There are no regions to explore, no discovery to be had, and no bottle that suggests anyone with wine knowledge had a hand in building this list.
By-the-glass options are unknown from available data, and given that this is a five-label list of fortified and dessert wines, we wouldn't hold our breath. If you're hoping to sip something with dinner rather than after it, you may be out of luck before you even sit down.
The Bottom Line
Itta Bena Montgomery's wine program isn't really a wine program — it's a dessert trolley masquerading as a list. If you're finishing a steak dinner and want a glass of tawny Port or a splash of icewine with something sweet, the Menéres 20 Year might serve you well. But for anything before dessert, skip the wine entirely and order a cocktail.
· Montgomery · Tapas & Wine Bar
Taste is doing something genuinely useful for Montgomery's dining scene — a moody, polished wine bar with tapas that invites you to slow down and order another round. We can't speak to specific bottles or pricing until we get the full list in hand, but the concept is right and the atmosphere earns it. If you're in the city for a date night or a special occasion, this is your best wine bar bet. Just go in with calibrated expectations: it's a reliable neighborhood gem, not a destination cellar.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
EastChase · Montgomery · Seafood Bar
Bonefish Grill isn't trying to be a wine destination, and the three-label bar menu makes that abundantly clear. Order a cocktail, enjoy the fish, and save your wine curiosity for a restaurant that shares it.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Montgomery · Steakhouse
This is a wine list by legal obligation, not by passion. Order a cocktail, a beer, or just accept that Outback Taylor Road is not your wine night destination.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
MIA
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Cloverdale · Montgomery · French Wine Bar
Frenchie's is doing something genuinely rare for Montgomery — committing to a French wine bar identity in a city that mostly plays it safe — and that alone earns them the Wild Card. Come for the duck confit and the atmosphere; just go in ready to explore rather than expecting a deep, curated cellar.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Montgomery · New American
La Jolla isn't trying to be a wine destination, but it's putting in more effort than most restaurants in Montgomery. Fair prices, a surprising Loire pick hiding in plain sight, and enough glass options to keep the table happy all night.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown / Alley Entertainment District · Montgomery · Upscale American, Contemporary Southern
Central is the kind of place where the wine list supports the meal without stealing the spotlight — which is exactly what a restaurant like this needs. Send your friends here for dinner; just steer them toward the Rhône white or the Pinot Gris and away from the Rombauer markup.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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