Ann Arbor's Most Ambitious Wine List, Full Stop
South Ann Arbor · Ann Arbor · Mediterranean (Greek, Italian, Spanish) · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 4, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Mediterrano’s wine list and gave it The Rager — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
When a Mediterranean restaurant in a strip mall on South State Street hands you a wine list with over 300 labels and a sommelier on staff, you do a double-take. This is not the laminated two-page insert you were bracing for. Mediterrano is playing a completely different game than its neighbors.
The list earns its depth honestly — Greek and Spanish bottles anchor the program with real regional conviction, including the Lexis Kidonitsa from Nemea and Juan Gil's Jumilla red, both of which actually belong on a Mediterranean table. But the ambition doesn't stop there: you'll find Paolo Scavino's Barolo (in two expressions, including the 'Monvigliero'), Chateau Musar from Lebanon's Bekaa Valley, and serious California representation from the likes of Rivers-Marie, Patricia Green, and Spottswoode. The Burgundy section shows up with Gachot Monot's Chambolle-Musigny, which is a name most Ann Arbor diners will walk right past — their loss. The only real gap is a limited southern Italian and Iberian white presence beyond the glass pours, but that's nitpicking on a list this size.
321 by-the-glass options is not a typo — it's an extraordinary pour program that almost defies the format. At $13–$18 a glass, you can drink the Lexis Kidonitsa or the Juan Gil without committing to a bottle, which is exactly how it should work. There's no evidence of a rotating selection or active BTG program beyond what's listed, so what you see is what you get — but what you get is genuinely impressive.
Juan Gil Red Blend, Jumilla 2022 — $13/glass, $52/bottle
Juan Gil is a benchmark producer in Jumilla — Monastrell-driven, structured, and built for lamb and red meat. At $52 a bottle in a white-tablecloth setting with a sommelier on the floor, this is the pick every time. It's not a bargain-bin find; it's a real wine at a real price.
Chateau Musar Cabernet Blend, Bekaa Valley 2018
Musar is one of the most distinctive wines on the planet — a Lebanese blend that drinks like it was raised in Bordeaux and then spent a decade getting weird in the best possible way. Most tables will order a California Cab and miss this entirely. Don't be that table.
Edge Cabernet Sauvignon 2022
When a list has Spottswoode, O'Shaughnessy, and Rivers-Marie on it, Edge Cab is the one that doesn't belong. It's a grocery-tier brand that looks fine on paper but represents a clear step down in quality and intent. You're at Mediterrano — spend the extra few dollars and get something with a story.
Lexis Kidonitsa, Nemea 2023 + Lamb Shank
Kidonitsa is a rare Greek variety with enough dark fruit and earthy backbone to stand up to braised lamb without steamrolling the herbs. Keeping it regional on a Mediterranean table is never wrong, and this combo in particular is the reason the list was built this way.
The Bottom Line
Mediterrano is doing something genuinely rare — running a deep, focused, fairly priced wine program in a neighborhood restaurant setting and staffing it with people who actually know what's in the cellar. If you're in Ann Arbor and you care about drinking well with dinner, this is the room.
· Ann Arbor · French-Inspired
La Serre is a genuinely beautiful room with a wine list that's still finding its voice — solid enough for a date night, not yet a destination for anyone who really cares about what's in the glass. Come for the mussels and steak frites, drink something French, and hope the list grows into the space it inhabits.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Ann Arbor · Wine Bar / New American
Vinology is doing something genuinely interesting for Ann Arbor — a globally curious, fairly priced wine list with real depth by the glass and producers you won't find at the Italian place down the street. We'd send a friend here specifically for wine, which is not something we say lightly.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
· Ann Arbor · New American / Wine Bar
Spencer is a reliable wine bar doing exactly what it sets out to do — give Ann Arbor diners a comfortable, recognizable list with enough options to make everyone at the table happy. Just watch the by-the-glass pricing on the upper end, and let the Idlewild be your little secret.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown / Campus · Ann Arbor · New American / Hotel Restaurant
Eve is a dependable, well-kept hotel wine list that earns its place as Ann Arbor's go-to for faculty dinners and anniversary meals — just don't come expecting to be surprised. Order the Merry Edwards, skip the Stag's Leap markup, and let someone else handle the tab.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
West Ann Arbor · Ann Arbor · Upscale-casual Italian
Bravo! is a chain doing chain things with its wine list — predictable, approachable, and not particularly exciting. But the markup is fairer than most chains, the by-the-glass range is functional, and if you show up on a Wednesday, $7 Provençal rosé on the patio is a genuinely good time.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
Downtown · Ann Arbor · American Gastropub
The Ravens Club isn't a wine destination — it's a late-night Ann Arbor institution that happens to have a functional wine list. Show up on a Wednesday, order the Gruet for $6, and let the spirits program do its real job.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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