Greensboro's Cozy Wine Secret Worth Finding
South Elm · Greensboro · Wine bar & cheese · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · October 14, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Lewis & Elm’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Walking into Lewis & Elm on South Elm Street, the vibe hits immediately — intimate, polished, the kind of place where people are actually talking about what they're drinking. This is not a wine list that exists as an afterthought to a kitchen; the wine is the point here. The focus on flights and small bites signals that someone put real thought into the program.
The list leans into the Mediterranean, with a reported focus on Tuscany, Greece, and Sicily — a smart trifecta that covers both depth and discovery. That regional focus keeps things coherent without being boring; these aren't the easiest wine regions to program well, and the fact that this isn't another New World merlot-and-cab list tells us something. A sommelier is on staff, which in a room this size means the list is actively curated rather than just restocked. Gaps in documented variety mean we can't map the full selection, but the overall character of the program reads as deliberate and edited.
Specific by-the-glass options and prices aren't currently documented in our research, so we can't call out individual pours — but a flight-forward concept like this typically builds its glass program around exploration, not just house wine. Expect the glass list to reflect the same Mediterranean tilt as the broader selection.
The Bottom Line
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.
· 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
· Greensboro · Wine shop & bar
We want to root for a place called State Street Wine Company, but three unlabeled wines at the entry level is not a wine program — it's a starting point that hasn't started yet. If the selection expands and the curation gets intentional, check back. For now, there are better wine bars in Greensboro worth your evening.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
List Variety
Markup
Glassware
Staff
Specials & Deals
Storage & Temp
