Old-School Durham Charm, Quietly Decent Pours
Rockwood · Durham · New American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 7, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Nana's’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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Wingman Metrics
Nana's wine list feels like the restaurant itself — unpretentious, a little dressy, and rooted in classic taste. It doesn't try to impress you with esoteric producers, but it's also not phoning it in with a wall of Kendall-Jackson. There's genuine care here, even if the list isn't going to make anyone's heart race.
The sparkling and white section alone clears 30 bottles, anchored by a credible Champagne lineup — Henriot, Taittinger, Veuve Clicquot — plus some smart Italian picks like Gini Soave Classico and Botega Vinaia Pinot Grigio that go well beyond the usual suspects. Oregon shows up with Soter Brut Rosé, which is a nice nod to domestic bubbles. The gaps are real though: we're working from a partial menu, and what's missing (reds, presumably) is the unknown variable that keeps this from being a stronger recommendation.
By-the-glass options aren't confirmed from available data, which is a frustrating blind spot — at a casual-elegant neighborhood spot in this price range, you'd expect a reasonable pour program. If they're running a tight BTG selection, they're leaving money and goodwill on the table. Worth asking your server before you commit to a bottle.
Gini Soave Classico — $35
Gini is a benchmark Soave producer — this isn't the watery supermarket stuff. At $35, it's a genuinely interesting white from Veneto that drinks more like a $55 bottle anywhere else. Order it and feel smart.
Soter Brut Rosé
Most people at a Durham neighborhood restaurant are reaching for Champagne or skipping bubbles entirely. Soter's Oregon Brut Rosé is a sleeper — earthy, precise, and made by one of the Willamette Valley's most serious producers. It earns its $75 price tag.
Veuve Clicquot Brut MV
At $81, you're paying a full restaurant premium for a Champagne that retails around $55 and has become something of a status-symbol brand rather than a quality benchmark. The Henriot Brut NV at $58 is a better bottle and a better deal — spring for that instead.
Elena Walch Sauvignon Blanc + Twice-Baked Grits Soufflé
Elena Walch's Alto Adige Sauvignon has enough brightness and herbal snap to cut through the richness of the soufflé without steamrolling the dish's savory depth. It's the kind of pairing that just makes sense on a plate.
The Bottom Line
Nana's won't wow the wine obsessives, but it's a solid, fairly priced list with a few genuinely good picks buried inside. If you're eating there anyway — and you probably should be — you won't struggle to find something worth drinking.
Fearrington Village / Pittsboro · Durham · Contemporary American / Modern Tasting Menu
Fearrington House is the rare Wine Spectator Award list that actually earns it — a deep, expertly managed cellar in a setting that has no business being this good. Yes, pricing at the top end is steep, but for a full tasting menu experience, this is as serious as it gets in the Carolinas.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Seasonal Rotation
Proper
Downtown · Durham · Japanese sushi restaurant with omakase and nigiri focus
M Sushi is a Wild Card in the best possible sense — a sushi counter in downtown Durham with an Old World wine list that actually respects the food it's serving. If you're willing to let go of the familiar and trust the list, this is one of the more satisfying wine experiences you'll find in the Triangle.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Rockwood / Chapel Hill Road · Durham · Cafe & Market
Foster's Market is a genuinely lovely café, and the wine program seems to know it's playing second fiddle — six house-label bottles at flat $15 pricing isn't a wine program so much as a courtesy. Order the coffee, eat the baked goods, and save your wine night for somewhere else.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Southpoint / Fayetteville Road · Durham · Seasonal Farm-to-Fork American
Harvest 18 is a reliable neighborhood spot where the kitchen clearly outpaces the wine list. Come for the food, come on a Wednesday for the half-price bottles, and calibrate your expectations accordingly.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
Downtown · Durham · Seasonal American, Southern-influenced hotel restaurant
For a hotel restaurant, The Restaurant at The Durham is punching well above its weight class — Jura producers and Matthiasson on a downtown Durham wine list is genuinely surprising. The markups keep it from being a destination for wine alone, but if you're eating here anyway, you're in better hands than most hotel guests ever get.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Duke West Campus · Durham · Fine Dining
Fairview is a reliable, well-run hotel wine program that does its job — it won't embarrass you on a date night or a client dinner, but it's not the reason to make the drive. Come for the occasion, drink the Jordan, and leave the exploration for another night.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
7th Ave / Dolores · Carmel By The Sea · New American
Seventh & Dolores isn't a destination wine list, but it's a respectable one that at least knows where it is geographically. Come for the steak, order the Wrath, and don't expect to go down any rabbit holes.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Vail · Vail · New American
Vin48 is a genuinely surprising wine program hiding inside a Colorado ski resort, and if you're a wine-first diner passing through Vail, it absolutely warrants a stop. The markups reflect the zip code more than we'd like, but the depth and curation of the list are the real deal.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
Downtown Solvang · Solvang · New American
Root 246 is the rare hotel restaurant that actually earns your wine attention — a focused Santa Barbara County list with real producers, a sommelier who knows the material, and pricing that doesn't punish you for being curious. If you're passing through Solvang wine country, this is where you eat.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
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