Julep's New Southern Cuisine
Virginia wine pride hiding in plain sight
Shockoe Bottom · Richmond · New Southern · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed March 16, 2026
Wingman Metrics
First Impression
The wine list at Julep's opens with a clear statement of intent: Virginia is a real wine region and they're here to prove it. Between the Barboursville sparklings and the Ankida Ridge Pinot, this is one of the more committed local-producer lineups you'll find on a restaurant menu in Richmond. It's not a long list, but it's curated with actual conviction.
Selection Deep Dive
Fifty-plus labels spread across Virginia, California, Washington, France, and Italy — lean but purposeful. Virginia anchors the list with genuine standouts: Barboursville shows up twice (the Cuvee 1814 Brut and the Phileo dessert wine), Rapidan River brings a semi-dry Riesling from Leon, and Ankida Ridge's Amherst County Pinot Noir is one of the more serious bottles on the menu. California gets its obligatory cameo with Orin Swift Papillon and a couple of Napa heavyweights, and there's a decent Champagne section running from Nicolas Feuillatte up to Veuve Clicquot. The gaps are real — minimal Italian depth beyond the Barboursville sparkler, no Burgundy, no natural wine to speak of — but within its lane this list is doing something intentional.
By the Glass
Glass pours run $8.50 to $12.75, which is honest pricing for Richmond. The by-the-glass count is modest at 3+, so don't expect a wall of options — you're choosing from a tight edit. We'd love to see the Virginia producers represented by the glass more aggressively; right now the BTG program doesn't fully deliver on the local-pride promise of the bottle list.
Thibaut-Janisson Blanc de Blanc Brut, Monticello, Virginia NV — $31
A Virginia sparkling wine made by a French Champagne house transplant — and at the low end of the bottle price range, it overdelivers on occasion. This is the move if you want something celebratory without the Champagne markup.
Ankida Ridge Pinot Noir, Amherst '15
Most people sleep on Virginia Pinot Noir entirely, and that's a mistake. Ankida Ridge farms at high elevation in Amherst County and makes one of the most genuinely compelling Pinots on the East Coast. Most diners will scroll past it looking for something they recognize — don't be that person.
Veuve Clicquot Vintage Brut Champagne, Reims, France NV
Veuve Clicquot is fine, but it's airport-lounge Champagne and you're paying restaurant markup on a bottle you can grab at any Total Wine. With Thibaut-Janisson on the same list at a fraction of the price, there's no reason to go here.
Rapidan River Semi-Dry Riesling, Leon, Virginia + She-Crab Soup
The subtle residual sugar in this Virginia Riesling plays off the rich, briny sweetness of the she-crab soup without drowning either one out. The acidity keeps things clean. It's a genuinely local pairing that actually makes sense.
🎲 The Bottom Line
Julep's isn't trying to be a wine destination, but its commitment to Virginia producers gives it a regional identity most comparable restaurants don't bother building. If you care about drinking local and eating well in the same sitting, this is your spot.
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