Manolo's Boutique Wines

The list at Manolo's is short — 34 labels — but it reads like someone cleared out a serious private cellar and decided to share. Barolo, Brunello, Gevrey-Chambertin, Margaux: this is not the wine program you expect to find in Winston-Salem. It commands your full attention before you've even sat down.

The focus is unmistakably Old World, and the curation is deliberate. Italy leads the charge with a murderers' row of heavyweights — Barolo DOCG, Brunello di Montalcino, Amarone della Valpolicella, and a Super Tuscan rounding out the reds, while Friulano and a Chianti Classico Riserva give you entry points at saner prices. France holds its own with Gevrey-Chambertin, a Saint-Émilion Grand Cru, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, and a Margaux at the very top of the ceiling, plus solid white coverage through Chablis Premier Cru, Meursault, and Sancerre. Spain adds real depth — Rioja Gran Reserva, Ribera del Duero Reserva, and a Priorat DOQ that most wine bars wouldn't touch. California shows up (Napa Cab, Russian River Pinot, Paso Robles Zin), but this is clearly not that kind of place. Gaps? Virtually no Southern Hemisphere, no bubbles listed, no Riesling. But what's here is chosen with real intent.

Here's the remarkable part: all 34 bottles are available by the glass. That means you can pour a Gevrey-Chambertin or a Brunello without committing to the full bottle — which is genuinely rare and genuinely generous for a list of this caliber. Glass prices run from $18 up to $250, so the range is real; this isn't just symbolic access.