Oysters, Ribs, and Monday Wine Deals
West End / State Street · Ithaca · Seafood / Cajun · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed July 22, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed Maxie's Supper Club & Oyster Bar’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Six bottles, six pours — Maxie's isn't trying to be a wine destination, and it doesn't pretend to be. What you get is a tight, approachable list that fits the room: loud, fun, oyster-forward, and completely unpretentious. The wine is here to play a supporting role to the raw bar, and it mostly does that job.
The list skims across the familiar — a Malbec, a Cab, a rosé, a Chard, a bubbly, a Sauv Blanc — all crowd-pleasing grapes with no real curve balls. There's a nod to regional producers with the Atwater Vineyards Chardonnay Reserve 2022 out of the Finger Lakes, which is a smart local pick for a restaurant in Ithaca and the most interesting bottle on the list. Beyond that, you're in conventional U.S. wine territory with labels like Thresher, Crosby, and The Pinot Project — grocery store adjacents that do the job without inspiring much conversation. Gaps are obvious: no Champagne beyond the Veuve Ambal Blanc de Blancs, no old world at all, and zero depth for anyone who wants to explore.
All six bottles pour by the glass, which is the whole program — no mysterious cellar selections hiding behind the list, what you see is what you get. Glass prices are approachable, ranging from $8.50 for the Thresher Sauvignon Blanc up to $12 for the Atwater Chardonnay Reserve. For a casual seafood supper club, the by-the-glass game is honest and accessible, even if it's never going to excite anyone who's been to a real wine bar.
Atwater Vineyards Chardonnay Reserve 2022 — $12/glass
Atwater is a legit Finger Lakes producer, and getting a reserve pour from a respected local winery at $12 in a restaurant is genuinely solid. It's the only bottle on the list that reflects where you actually are, and it's the right call next to oysters.
Veuve Ambal Blanc de Blancs NV
Most people skip the sparkling at a casual supper club assuming it's an afterthought, but at $9 a glass, this is a smart, low-risk move with a plate of raw oysters. Blanc de Blancs and briny shellfish is a classic combination, and Veuve Ambal is a solid Crémant de Bourgogne producer. Worth ordering.
Crosby Cabernet Sauvignon 2022
A Cab at a seafood-forward Cajun supper club is already fighting an uphill battle against the menu, and Crosby is a mass-market California label that doesn't give you much reason to order it anywhere. Save the $9 and get another round of oysters.
Veuve Ambal Blanc de Blancs NV + Raw Oysters
Bubbles and raw oysters is one of those combinations that exists for a reason — the acidity and effervescence cut through the brine and reset your palate for the next one. At $9 a glass, this is the most fun you can have with the list.
Monday — $10 off every bottle of wine on Mondays. Combine with the daily 4–6 p.m. half-price raw oysters and clams for a genuinely excellent low-cost evening.
The Bottom Line
Maxie's is not a wine destination, but it's a genuinely good time with a list that's fair, approachable, and wisely anchored by the Atwater Finger Lakes pour. Show up on a Monday for $10 off every bottle, order the oysters, and don't overthink it.
· Ithaca · Southwestern / New American
Agava's wine program is essentially a placeholder — no producers named, no prices published, no apparent effort to connect the Southwestern-leaning menu to anything interesting in the glass. Ithaca sits in the heart of Finger Lakes wine country, making this omission especially puzzling. Order a cocktail, or bring your own bottle if corkage is an option.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Ithaca · Hotel bar / seasonal restaurant
For a hotel bar in wine country, this list punches above its category — the Finger Lakes producers are legitimate, the Saperavi alone is worth a detour, and the overall curation signals actual effort. Pricing at a lakeside inn will likely sting, and without confirmed by-the-glass options or staff expertise, you may need to advocate for yourself. Come ready to order by the bottle, pick something local, and enjoy the view.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Ithaca · New American
The Rook is swinging for something more interesting than its size suggests, and the range of regions and styles — Txakoline, Verdicchio, Barolo rosé, orange Garnacha — earns genuine respect for a 12-bottle list. Pricing skews steep at the top end, and the lack of any documented reds from classic regions is a real hole. If you're an adventurous drinker who's tired of the same wine list at every New American spot, this is worth exploring — just go in knowing you'll probably land in the $45–$56 range to find the value.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Ithaca · Brasserie / New American
Simeon's wine list does its job without breaking a sweat — it's approachable, reasonably priced, and quietly proud of the Finger Lakes producers it stocks. The by-the-glass selection is the real strength here; if you're in Ithaca and want to explore local wine without committing to a bottle, this is a perfectly decent place to do it.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Ithaca · Northern Italian
Mercato is a well-regarded local staple with the right regional instincts — Italian roots, Finger Lakes ambition, and a warm room that earns its reservations. We'd feel comfortable sending a friend here for a solid bottle of wine with dinner, but we'd tell them to ask questions at the table, because we can't yet confirm the specifics behind the list. Worth a visit; worth a deeper look once a full wine list is in hand.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
South Hill / Elmira Road corridor · Ithaca · Steakhouse
Texas Roadhouse Ithaca is not a wine destination, and it's not trying to be — the list is short, the producers are supermarket-tier, and the markups on house pours are quietly aggressive. Come for the bread and the steak; if you need wine, order one glass and make peace with it.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Occasional
Acceptable
· McAllen · Seafood / Cajun
Nobody expects a seafood chain in McAllen to stock Assyrtiko and Txakolina alongside a Loire Sauvignon Blanc and a Portuguese field blend — but here we are. The markup is reasonable across most of the list, the by-the-glass program is wide enough to keep explorers happy, and the overall curation clearly had a seafood-first logic behind it. If you're eating here anyway, you have real options.
Surprising Depth
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
LSU Area · Baton Rouge · Seafood / Cajun
Willie's is a perfectly decent spot to eat, but the wine list is an afterthought dressed up in familiar labels with steep markups. Order a cocktail or crack a beer — you'll be happier.
Crowd Pleasers
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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