An 11-Page Wine List, a Secret Book, and Century-Old Fortified Wines
Poncey-Highland · Atlanta · Wine Bar / New American · Visit Website ↗
Updated March 2026
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · February 10, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Madeira Park’s wine list and gave it The Rager — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Madeira Park is the wine bar Atlanta has needed for years, brought by Miller Union's James Beard-winning chef Steven Satterfield and wine expert Tim Willard. Sommelier and GM Jade Palmer curates an ever-evolving 11-page wine list spanning familiar favorites, boundary-pushing natural wines, and collector-level bottles. The secret weapon: ask for "the book," an off-menu handwritten list of limited-run and rare wines that Palmer keeps behind the bar. Fortified wine lovers will find a deep selection of vermouth, sherry, port, and Madeira, including century-old bottled-aged Sercial and Terrantez dating back to 1899. Wines by the half-glass encourage exploration without commitment.
The vibe is high-energy and casual. This is not fine dining. But the wine program is extraordinary. Entrees like gnocchi and poulet rouge run mid-range, making it easy to spend wisely on food and splurge on the pour. The Poncey-Highland location on North Highland Ave puts it in one of Atlanta's most walkable neighborhoods.
Ask for the book. Not the menu. The book. That handwritten list of limited-run and rare wines is why Madeira Park is a Rager and not just another wine bar. Start with a half-glass of something you have never heard of, then let Jade Palmer guide you deeper. The fortified wine collection alone makes this a destination for serious wine people.
The Bottom Line
Madeira Park is the most exciting wine program in Atlanta right now. An 11-page list, a secret rare-wine book, century-old fortified wines, and a James Beard-winning team behind it. This is not just a wine bar. This is a wine destination.
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Fia has the bones of a genuinely good wine program — thoughtful white selections, a few hidden gems, and a Champagne section that sets a mood — but steep markups and a list that doesn't stray far from the expected hold it back from greatness. Go for the Aligoté or the Trebbiano d'Abruzzo, skip the trophy bottles, and you'll drink well without feeling taken.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Buckhead · Atlanta · Wine shop / bar
Cellar 13 earns its Wild Card badge not because it's quirky for quirky's sake, but because a focused, knowledgeable wine shop-bar in the middle of Buckhead is genuinely unexpected and genuinely good. If you want a staff that can talk you through what's actually in the glass and a list that won't bore you, this is the move. We'd send a friend here without hesitation — especially one who thinks they've already found all the good wine spots in Atlanta.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
· Atlanta · Tasting Room / Wine Bar
Divinely Elegant Vines is a single-producer tasting room that leans hard into legitimate California appellations and keeps prices in a range that doesn't require a conversation with your accountant first. The Wild Card badge is earned: it's not the kind of list you'd expect to find worth a trip, but the Howell Mountain Cab and the Russian River Pinot Noir are the real deal for the price. If you're open to the house-label format and curious about California appellations without the usual Napa markup trauma, this is worth your time.
Plays It Safe
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Virginia-Highland · Atlanta · Butcher Shop / Tasting Menu Pop-up
Kinship is the Wild Card badge in its purest form: a butcher shop and sandwich counter moonlighting as a legitimate wine destination, with a sommelier on staff and a tasting menu that'll run you $325 a head. Come for the meat, stay because the wine list earned it.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Seasonal Rotation
Proper
Atlanta · Atlanta · Spanish
Buena Vida doesn't have the deepest list in Atlanta, but they've done real work curating twenty bottles that actually match the food and the spirit of the place — and with 18 pours available by the glass at fair prices, it's one of the more inviting wine setups on the tapas scene. Send your friends here.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Atlanta · Sushi / Omakase
Sushi By Bou is clearly here to serve great fish — and the wine list confirms that wine is very much an afterthought. Order the Dom if you're feeling flush or the Hampton Water if you're being sensible, and let the food do the heavy lifting.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Avalon District · Johns Creek · Wine Bar / New American
Cru is doing something genuinely uncommon for suburban Atlanta — a thoughtful, explorable by-the-glass program with real producers and fair pricing. We'd send a friend here specifically to work through the Riesling flight (Trimbach, Eroica, August Kessler all on one menu is not nothing). Just go in knowing the food program is an open question from a wine-review standpoint.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Champaign · Wine Bar / New American
Sun Singer is punching well above its weight for central Illinois — the sparkling program alone makes it worth a detour, and the bottle list has enough personality to reward anyone willing to look past the house pours. Send your wine-curious friends here without hesitation.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Medford · Wine Bar / New American
The Beatrice is a small list done with more care than you'd expect from a mid-sized Oregon city wine bar. It won't blow your mind, but it's the kind of place where you can trust a glass recommendation and not feel burned.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
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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