Sandy Springs hiding a seriously curious wine list
Sandy Springs · New American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · September 30, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Local 3’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Local 3 does not look like what you expect to find in Sandy Springs. Vermentino from Sardinia, Kerner from Slovenia, Verdeca from Puglia — this is a list written by someone who actually reads wine maps. It earns your attention immediately.
Thirty-six labels spread across whites, reds, rosé, and sparkling, but the white wine section is where the personality lives. The Gonc Winery '60's' Kerner from Slovenia and the Produttori de Manduria 'Alice' Verdeca are the kinds of bottles that signal a buyer who is genuinely curious rather than just filling slots. The Champagne tier runs from Taittinger 'La Francaise' at $115 to Delamotte Brut at $175 — both credible choices that stay in the range of fair. The red section is thinner, with the Domaine de Piaugier 'La Grange' Grenache Blend and the Speri Valpolicella Classico representing solid old-world value, but reds feel like an afterthought compared to the white program.
Nineteen options by the glass is a genuinely strong number, and the pours span from a $13 Avissi Prosecco all the way to a $21 La Chablisienne Chablis. What stands out is that several of the more adventurous bottles — the Kerner, the Verdeca, the Chenin from T. Berkley — are actually available by the glass, which means you can experiment without committing to a full bottle.
The Bottom Line
Local 3 is doing something genuinely unusual for a neighborhood New American in Sandy Springs: building a white wine program with range and intellectual honesty, priced fairly enough that you will not feel punished for exploring it. If you are remotely curious about wine, this list rewards you. Send your friends here and tell them to order by the glass.
Sandy Springs · Sandy Springs · Italian
Cibo e Beve has a functional, crowd-pleasing wine list that serves its room well — but the markup on some bottles is hard to ignore, and the depth of Italian regionality you'd hope for at an Italian restaurant just isn't there. Grab the Gavi or the Verdicchio by the glass and call it a solid night.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Sandy Springs · Sandy Springs · Tasting Menu
Bacchanalia's wine program is doing something genuinely difficult: running a 35-option by-the-glass list with real range and intention inside a tasting menu format, priced at levels that don't feel punitive. The $20 Raventos and the $24 Carl Loewen Riesling are the kind of pours that make you trust the people who built this list. If you're eating in Atlanta and care about what's in your glass, this is the room.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Seasonal Rotation
Proper
Sandy Springs · Sandy Springs · Contemporary American
Atlas runs one of the most ambitious by-the-glass programs in the Atlanta metro — 48 options with genuine depth, from grower Champagne to Sicilian Nerello to serious Burgundy. The markup is real and the pricing at the top end gets aggressive, but there are legitimate values buried in the list for anyone willing to look past the Dom Pérignon. If you care about wine and find yourself in Sandy Springs, this is where you go.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Sandy Springs · Sandy Springs · Steakhouse and Wine Bar
Fleming's Sandy Springs does exactly what a national steakhouse wine program should do — broad coverage, fair markups, and enough by-the-glass options that no one at the table is stuck. It's not a destination list, but the Pascal Jolivet Sancerre at $18/glass and the Abadía de San Campio Albariño at $15 are genuine finds. Send a friend here if they want reliable and well-poured; don't send them if they're hunting for discovery.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Sandy Springs · Steakhouse
Kevin Rathbun Steak's by-the-glass program is a legitimate effort in a category — steakhouses — where most restaurants phone it in. The pricing skews steep at the top end and there's no evidence of active wine events or rotation keeping things fresh, but the range is real and a few picks like the Long-Depaquit Chablis and Lachini Pinot Noir punch above their weight. Come for the steak, but don't just default to the house Cab — there's more here if you look.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Sandy Springs · Steakhouse
Kaiser's Chop House has a wine list that won't embarrass the restaurant, but it won't excite anyone either. If you're sticking to what you know — Duckhorn Chardonnay, a big California Cab — you'll be comfortable here. For the curious diner, the Brittan Basalt Block Pinot and the Naveran Cava are worth hunting down. Just don't expect the list to surprise you.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· San Jose · New American
Orchard City Kitchen's all-glass wine program is a smart move that forces the list to work harder — and mostly it does. The selection punches above its weight with picks from Talley, August West, Tablas Creek, and J. Lassalle sharing space with genuinely interesting European pours. If you're in San Jose and want to drink something more interesting than the usual Cab-or-Chardonnay binary, this list gives you real options.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· San Jose · New American
Blossom & Bourbon's wine list is built for the broadest possible audience, and it delivers exactly that — comfortable, recognizable, inoffensive. If you're with a group and someone just wants a glass of Belle Glos Pinot Noir, this works. But there's little here that will surprise you or make you feel like the restaurant is working on your behalf as a wine drinker. Order the Pedroncelli Zinfandel if it's on the table, and temper expectations on value.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· San Jose · New American
Selby's has one of the most ambitious by-the-glass programs in the South Bay — the Coravin reserve access alone puts it in a different tier from most of its peers. Pricing stretches steep at the top end, and we can't speak to service or staff knowledge from what we've seen, but the list itself is the work of someone who cares. If wine matters to your dinner, this belongs on your list.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
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.
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