Soul Food With a Surprisingly Grown-Up Wine List
Downtown Tacoma · Tacoma · Southern and Soul Food · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · June 28, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Pacific Southern’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
You walk into a casual soul food spot expecting sweet tea and maybe a Barefoot Cab on the list — and then you spot Vineyard 29 and Mauritson Wines sitting next to an Australian natural-leaning label. It's a pleasant jolt. Someone here actually cares about what's in the bottle.
The list leans California-heavy with a Pacific Northwest cameo and an Australian wildcard in Fowles Wine, which brings both their Farm to Table and Ladies Who Shoot Their Lunch labels to the table — an unexpected and genuinely interesting choice for a fried chicken spot. Buehler Vineyards and ZD Wines round out the California backbone with solid, food-friendly options, while JAX Vineyards and Mauritson add some Sonoma credibility. The gaps are real — no Pinot Noir worth writing home about, and the white wine depth is thin — but the hits outnumber the misses by enough to make this list worth taking seriously.
With an estimated 8–12 pours by the glass, there's enough rotation to keep things interesting across a meal. The selection appears to pull from the same producers on the bottle list, which is a good sign — you're not being poured off-cuts. We'd love to see more whites and rosés represented given the food's richness, but what's here is serviceable and fairly priced.
Fowles Wine Farm to Table — $12
Fowles Farm to Table is a reliable, easy-drinking Australian red that punches well above its price point — bright fruit, low fuss, and exactly the kind of bottle that disappears fast at a table full of fried chicken and shrimp and grits.
Fowles Wine Ladies Who Shoot Their Lunch
Most diners skip right past it because the name sounds gimmicky, but Ladies Who Shoot Their Lunch is a genuinely interesting Shiraz-dominant blend from Victoria — wild and savory in ways that actually love spiced, smoky Southern food. Order it before someone else does.
Vineyard 29
Vineyard 29 makes serious Napa Cab that belongs on a steakhouse list at $150+ a bottle. At a $15–$25 entrée spot, the markup likely makes it the worst value on the menu — you're paying for a name in a room where the food deserves something more honest.
Mauritson Wines + Shrimp and Grits
Mauritson's Dry Creek Zinfandel has enough spice and structure to stand up to the richness of shrimp and grits without bulldozing it — the peppery backbone plays off the savory, buttery base of the dish in a way that feels almost intentional.
The Bottom Line
Pacific Southern isn't a wine destination, but it's got a list that respects you — and in a soul food spot in Downtown Tacoma, that's worth something. Come for the chicken and waffles, stay for the Fowles.
· Tacoma · New American
The Table is doing more with its wine program than most restaurants in its weight class, and the sommelier on staff gives it real credibility. We'd send a wine-curious friend here without hesitation — just ask questions, trust the staff, and let them point you somewhere interesting.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Seasonal Rotation
Proper
· Tacoma · Seafood
The Lobster Shop's wine list is doing more than it has to, and doing it at prices that won't make you wince. If you're eating seafood in Tacoma, this is a better glass situation than you'd find at most spots with ten times the ambition.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Tacoma · Northwest seafood & steak
Copper & Salt isn't trying to be a wine destination, but it's working harder than most Northwest kitchen-and-bar concepts to give you something worth drinking. The regional focus is genuine, the by-the-glass selection is unusually generous, and the pricing won't make you wince — send a friend here with confidence.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Tacoma · New American bar & restaurant
Field is punching way above its weight for a Tacoma bar — a focused, affordable list that rewards curiosity instead of punishing it. If you care even a little about interesting wine, this is worth making a detour for.
Small but Thoughtful
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Sumner · Tacoma · Wine Bar & Gelato Shop
Valley Social is the kind of wine bar that a town like Sumner needs: thoughtful enough to reward attention, casual enough to not require it. Send your friends here for a flight and some gelato — they'll be glad you did.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
· Tacoma · Wine bar & bottle shop
Gig Harbor Wine Co. is a one-brand wine bar that somehow doesn't feel like a vanity project — the range is thoughtful, the prices are honest, and the whole setup rewards locals who want to drink well without the markup theater. If you're open to going all-in on a single producer for a night, this is a genuinely fun place to do it.
Small but Thoughtful
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
List Variety
Markup
Glassware
Staff
Specials & Deals
Storage & Temp
