Sushi joint, serious wine list, zero apologies
Downtown / Bentonville · Bentonville · Sushi / Japanese · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 18, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Junto’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
Walking into a sushi spot in downtown Bentonville and landing on a list that includes Lopez de Heredia and Domaine du Pegau is not something you expect. The list is short — 24 labels — but whoever built it was paying attention. This isn't a wine list thrown together to satisfy the licensing board.
The list punches above its weight for a 24-label roster. You've got a St. Urbans-Hof Mosel Riesling sitting next to Sokol Blosser Dundee Hills Pinot Noir, with a Château de Sancerre and a Maison L'Envoyé Moulin-à-Vent lurking in bottle-only territory — that's real range. The Willamette Valley love is strong and well-chosen, the Rhône and Rioja inclusions feel deliberate rather than accidental, and the sparkling options span Prosecco to Champagne to Alsace rosé. Gaps exist — South America is MIA, and the red options thin out fast once you get past Pinot Noir and Cabernet — but for a sushi counter in Northwest Arkansas, this is genuinely impressive curation.
Nine pours by the glass is a solid haul for a 24-bottle list, meaning they're not just dangling one or two tokens for people who don't want a full bottle. The range covers sparkling, whites, rosé, and red — you can build a real meal around these options. Prices run $12 to $28 a glass, which edges into steep territory, especially when retail data is thin and markups on the bottle side look ambitious.
St. Urbans-Hof Riesling 'Estate' 2023 (Mosel, Germany) — $14/glass (est.)
A benchmark Mosel producer making crisp, precise Riesling that belongs on every sushi table in the world — the acidity cuts fish, the fruit doesn't fight anything, and it's one of the few bottles where the pedigree actually justifies what you're paying. This is the move.
Maison L'Envoyé Moulin-à-Vent 2018
Most people look past Beaujolais crus, especially on a sushi list. That's a mistake. A 2018 Moulin-à-Vent from L'Envoyé has had time to open up into something genuinely complex — earthy, dark-fruited, with enough structure to handle richer cuts. It's the bottle on this list that'll make you look smart to whoever you're dining with.
Charles de Cazanove Tête de Cuvée Brut (Champagne)
At $129 a bottle, you're paying Champagne prices for a négociant house that doesn't have the name recognition to justify the tariff. The Lucien Albrecht Brut Rosé from Alsace or even the Poggio Costa Prosecco get you the bubbles without the sticker shock — save the $129 splurge for something with a better story.
Drylands Sauvignon Blanc 2023 (Marlborough, New Zealand) + Sushi omakase or nigiri selection
Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc is essentially engineered for raw fish. The grapefruit-driven acidity and herbal edge clean the palate between bites, the wine doesn't overwhelm delicate fish flavors, and at $51 a bottle it's one of the more reasonable entries on the list. Classic combination for a reason.
🎲 The Bottom Line
Junto is doing something genuinely unexpected — building a thoughtful, globally-minded wine list inside a downtown sushi spot in Bentonville. Markups aren't doing you any favors, but the selection earns real respect, and the Riesling-with-sushi angle alone is worth the visit.
Rainbow Curve / I-49 Corridor · Bentonville · Italian
The Bertani Amarone and Col d'Orcia Brunello sitting on this list are like finding a Rolex in a vending machine — impressive that they exist, but the surrounding context makes the whole thing feel absurd. Come for the pasta, drink the Chianti Classico, and lower your expectations accordingly.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Northwest Bentonville · Bentonville · Steakhouse / BBQ
Fred's Hickory Inn is worth the trip for the smoke and the history — the wine list is not the reason you come. Order the barbecue, drink whatever's cold, and save the serious bottle for somewhere else.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Crystal Bridges Museum Area · Bentonville · Modern American Comfort / High South
Eleven is a museum restaurant that knows its audience and plays to it — the wine list is competent, slightly overpriced, and will keep almost everyone happy without exciting anyone. Come for the view and the tasting menu events; just don't expect the wine program to match the art on the walls.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
8th Street Market / Arts District · Bentonville · Café / Multi-concept
This is not a wine destination — it's a coffee bar attached to an art space that happens to have a short, thoughtful wine list. If you're doing the Momentary and want a glass while you wander the galleries, you'll drink better here than the setting suggests.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Square · Bentonville · Italian
Tavola Trattoria isn't trying to be a wine destination, but it has enough going on — solid Italian depth, fair pricing, reasonable glass options — to earn your business on a date night in Bentonville. Stick to the classics and let the balcony do the rest.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Bentonville / 8th Street Market Area · Bentonville · American Café
Table at the Station is a Wild Card because no one expects a Sancerre and a Zuccardi Malbec at a Bentonville burger café — and yet here we are. It's not a wine destination, but it's a wine list that clearly has a pulse, and that's worth celebrating.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
East Green Bay · Green Bay · Sushi / Japanese
Come to Sushi Lover for the sushi — the wine list is clearly not the point and nobody's pretending otherwise. If you're drinking wine tonight, stick to the rosé or the plum wine and save the serious bottle for a restaurant that cares.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
South Ann Arbor · Ann Arbor · Sushi / Japanese
Nagomi is the rare sushi spot that made an actual choice with its wine program instead of just phoning it in with grocery store staples — a focused BC lineup at fair prices is exactly the kind of unexpected that earns a second look. If you're curious about Canadian wine and want a low-stakes way to explore it, this is your spot.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
East End · Portland · Sushi / Japanese
Mr. Tuna isn't a wine destination — it's a great sushi spot that happens to have two sensible, well-chosen bottles and a local can that makes the experience feel intentional. Come for the hand rolls, drink the Vinho Verde, and don't overthink it.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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