Bordeaux Obsession on Hope Street
Wayland Square · Providence · Modern American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 14, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Persimmon’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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Wingman Metrics
The list at Persimmon telegraphs its allegiances immediately — this is a Bordeaux house, full stop. With a sommelier on staff and a dedicated Bordeaux dinner series, the wine program has a clear point of view, which is refreshing even if it leaves drinkers who want Burgundy or the Rhône out in the cold.
The 100-150 bottle list leans heavily on France, with Bordeaux as the undisputed anchor — classified growths from both the left and right banks sit alongside white Bordeaux that most restaurants wouldn't bother with. The Entre-Deux-Mers selection signals someone actually thinking about the sauvignon blanc-sémillon blends that punch above their price point. Crémant rounds out the sparkling options as a smarter-than-Champagne-markup choice. The tradeoff is real range: if you're hunting for Italian, Iberian, or New World depth, this list isn't coming to your rescue.
Twelve to eighteen pours is a healthy by-the-glass program, and given the Bordeaux focus, expect the glass list to rotate through some genuinely interesting white Bordeaux and structured reds that most restaurants never bother to pour by the glass. It's a legitimately educational lineup if you let the staff guide you.
Entre-Deux-Mers — null
White Bordeaux from this appellation is chronically underpriced relative to its quality — sauvignon blanc and sémillon in a dry, mineral style that holds its own against anything twice the price. It's the smart order here, especially alongside the local seafood.
Crémant
Everyone reflexively reaches for Champagne at a special occasion dinner, but Persimmon's Crémant is the move — same traditional method, real bubbles, a fraction of the ego tax. Most tables walk right past it.
Classified Growth Bordeaux
The classified growth reds are impressive to look at on the list, but restaurant markup on name-brand Bordeaux is almost never kind to your wallet. Unless someone else is paying, the same terroir story can be told at a third of the price a few lines up the page.
Entre-Deux-Mers + Local seafood preparation
The bright acidity and citrus edge of a well-made Entre-Deux-Mers cuts through butter-finished seafood like a knife — it's the classic reason white Bordeaux exists, and Persimmon's local seafood focus makes this pairing almost unfairly obvious.
The Bottom Line
Persimmon is a genuinely serious wine restaurant hiding in a neighborhood bistro skin — if Bordeaux is your world, this is the best room in Providence for it. If you need range, temper your expectations and let the sommelier steer.
· Providence · Restaurant
Mare Rooftop is a great place to watch the sunset with a cold glass of Whispering Angel — and that's about the ceiling of its wine ambition. If you're here for the view and the vibe, lean into it; if you showed up hoping for a thoughtful wine experience, you're in the wrong place.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown · Providence · Italian (modern trattoria)
Sarto's wine list is a credible, Italy-focused program that earns its place in a serious Italian kitchen — just go in knowing the markups lean steep and the list doesn't reward wandering outside the boot. Order the Vermentino, eat the pasta, and you'll leave happy.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Federal Hill · Providence · Italian-American
Joe Marzilli's Old Canteen is a Providence legend for its food and its history, not its wine list — which reads like something assembled in 1994 and never reconsidered. Come for the veal cutlet and the nostalgia, but don't let the wine list talk you into spending $48 on a Kendall-Jackson.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
East Side · Providence · American Brasserie (French-Influenced)
Red Stripe isn't a wine destination, but it's not pretending to be one either. Fair prices on recognizable bottles in a lively room that actually makes you want to stay for another glass — that's a respectable thing to get right.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Providence · Providence · Upscale American Steakhouse with Seafood
The Capital Grille Providence is a well-oiled machine with a wine program that earns more respect than most chains deserve — the depth is real, the staff knows the list, and the Generous Pour event is a legit reason to show up. The markups are steep and the soul is corporate, but if someone else is expensing dinner, you could do a lot worse.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Seasonal Rotation
Proper
Downtown Providence · Providence · Seafood
Hemenway's is the rare seafood institution that earns its reputation on the wine side too — the sommelier presence is real, the French whites are well-chosen, and the list is built with actual intention. The markups are real and the BTG program could use more energy, but if you're eating raw bar in Providence, you could do a lot worse than starting with a glass of Fèvre Chablis here.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Healdsburg · Sonoma · Modern American
Valette is the wine country restaurant experience done right — deeply local, properly staffed, and serious about what's in the glass, even if the markups ask you to pay for the zip code. Send your friends here if they're already in Healdsburg; just tell them to skip the Phelps.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Annapolis Towne Centre · Annapolis · Modern American
Cooper's Hawk Annapolis is exactly what it is — a well-run, corporate winery restaurant where the wine list exists entirely in-house and the experience is built for people who want wine to be easy, not educational. Send your parents here without hesitation; send your wine-obsessed friend somewhere else.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
Downtown / Penn Square · Lancaster · Modern American
Plough isn't a destination wine list, but it's a fair and functional one — honest pricing, decent glass selection, and just enough global range to keep things interesting. If you're in Lancaster for the food and the vibe, the wine program won't let you down; just don't come expecting to be surprised.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
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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