Wegmans' Cooler Younger Sibling Pours Serious Wine
Pittsford Plaza · Rochester · Sushi and Japanese-inspired contemporary dining · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · June 19, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Next Door by Wegmans’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
You walk into what is essentially a Wegmans side project and somehow find Quintessa and Château d'Yquem on the events calendar — that's not what you expect from a grocery store's restaurant spinoff. The list skews polished and safe, but there's enough range to suggest someone with actual taste built this. It's the most pleasant wine surprise you'll find in a strip mall in Rochester.
The list pulls from reliable heavy hitters: Flowers for California Pinot and Chard, Green Rows out of Willamette Valley, a Mezy Sancerre for the Loire purists, and a Bandol rosé that signals the buyer knows their southern French producers. The Burgundy anchor via Pierre Ponnelle Saint-Véran is a smart move given the sushi-forward menu — white Burgundy and raw fish is a legitimate combination. What's missing is depth below the surface: no second-tier producers to dig into, no real rabbit hole for the wine curious. It's a curated greatest-hits collection, not a living wine program.
By-the-glass specifics aren't published, and that's a mild frustration — in a polished room like this, the pour list deserves its own spotlight. Based on the menu sourcing, expect a handful of options drawn from the bottle list, probably including the Parini Prosecco NV as an opener and at least one domestic Pinot. The Illumination Sauvignon Blanc (a Huneeus family project) would be a natural glass pour here given the food format, but we can't confirm without a printed pour list.
Green Rows Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon — null
Willamette Pinot alongside sushi is an underused but genuinely good combo — the earthy red fruit doesn't fight raw fish the way a California Cab would. If this is priced reasonably, it's the move for anyone who wants red wine with their omakase.
Bandol Terrasses de Fontanieu Rosé
Most people at a sushi bar are reaching for the Prosecco or a sake. They're sleeping on Bandol — this southern French rosé has the structure and savory depth to stand up to fatty fish and soy-forward sauces in a way that pink Provence usually can't. It's the quiet overachiever on this list.
Parini Prosecco NV, Veneto
Parini is a bulk Prosecco brand that lands in grocery stores for good reason: it's inexpensive and approachable. In a restaurant setting, you're almost certainly paying a significant markup on a bottle that costs $12 at retail. If you want bubbles, spend a little more and see if the events list ever surfaces a Roederer or Moët option — both of which have appeared at Next Door pairing dinners.
Flowers Sonoma Coast Chardonnay + Fresh seafood
Flowers Sonoma Coast Chardonnay is cool-climate, restrained, and built on tension rather than butter — exactly what you want alongside clean, delicate seafood preparations. It doesn't overwhelm the dish, it frames it.
The Bottom Line
Next Door is a Wild Card in the best sense: a grocery chain's restaurant with genuine wine ambition and a beverage program that earns more than a dismissive eye-roll. The markups will sting and the by-the-glass program needs more visibility, but the bones are here — and the wine pairing dinners featuring Château d'Yquem prove someone in the building actually cares.
Downtown · Rochester · American Steakhouse
CHAR makes it easy to try Finger Lakes wine alongside the steakhouse standards. Our move is Hosmer Cabernet Franc at $16/glass, with Panizzi Vernaccia at $14 for anyone leaning white. Check the per-ounce pricing before ordering a Coravin pour.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Neighborhood of the Arts · Rochester · Contemporary American with Italian and French inspiration
Avvino is the rare neighborhood restaurant where the wine list is a genuine reason to show up, not an afterthought. If you're in Rochester and you care about drinking well, this is your room.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Brighton / Monroe Ave · Rochester · Contemporary American with Italian and French influences
Avvino is the kind of wine-forward neighborhood restaurant Rochester deserves more of — nearly 200 bottles, a sommelier, and a standing half-price Wednesday that makes a solid splurge genuinely accessible. It's not reinventing the wine list, but it's doing the right things consistently enough that we'd send a friend here without hesitation.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Seasonal Rotation
Proper
Village Gate / NOTA · Rochester · Farm-to-Table / New American
Lento isn't trying to be a wine destination, but its list is thoughtful enough that it kind of becomes one by accident — especially if you care about Finger Lakes wines in their natural habitat. Send your friends here, let them order the Duck Confit, and point them toward the Cab Franc.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Pittsford · Rochester · Refined Seasonal American with Wood-Fired Pizzas
jojo Pittsford is the kind of wine program that makes you want to cancel your dinner reservation somewhere else. For a bistro in suburban Rochester, this list is genuinely exciting — send your wine-curious friends here without hesitation.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Occasional
Proper
East Avenue / Winton · Rochester · Traditional Italian
Ristorante Lucano is a reliable Italian dinner with a wine list that doesn't embarrass itself — Italy-focused, anchored by classics, a bit overpriced but not offensively so. Send a friend here for a date night with the instruction to order the Barolo and not overthink it.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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