Wine-Down Wednesday Makes This One Worth It
Downtown · Portsmouth · American Grill · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 24, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Portsmouth Gas Light Co. – Grill’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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Wingman Metrics
The Gas Light is a classic downtown grill — wood-fired pizza, a buzzing bar, and a wine list that pretty much mirrors what you'd expect. It's not trying to be a wine destination, and it doesn't pretend to be. What saves it from the skip pile is a genuinely good Wednesday deal.
The list leans on California and Italian whites, with a few Washington State reds rounding things out — recognizable names like Kendall-Jackson, Josh Cellars, Meiomi, and Santa Margherita. These are safe, crowd-pleasing labels that do exactly what they're supposed to do at a casual grill, but there's no real depth or discovery here. Markups run steep across the board, with bottles like Josh Cellars Cab and Kendall-Jackson Chard pushed past the 140% markup threshold — that's aggressive for labels you can grab at the grocery store on the way home. The Italian wines — Maso Canali and Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio — actually come out looking relatively better on markup, which tells you something about where to focus.
By-the-glass specifics aren't published, but given the bottle list and price range of $15–$30, expect the usual suspects poured in adequate stemware. Nothing to get excited about, but nothing broken either. If you're going glass-by-glass on a night that isn't Wednesday, you're probably overpaying.
Maso Canali Pinot Grigio Trentino — $30
At a 100% markup it's still steep in absolute terms, but it's the most restrained markup on the list and Maso Canali punches above its weight — clean, alpine, and genuinely good with lighter food.
Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio Alto Adige
Yes, it's ubiquitous — but the Alto Adige designation means it's the real, mineral-driven version, not a watered-down knockoff. At 78% markup it's actually the best deal on the list relative to retail, and it holds its own against the wood-fired dishes.
Josh Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon
A $14 retail bottle at $34 is a tough ask. Josh is fine at home on a Tuesday night, but paying a 143% markup at a restaurant for it is exactly the kind of move your wallet will regret.
Meiomi Pinot Noir + Wood-fired pizza
Meiomi's ripe, slightly smoky fruit profile from the California coast actually works with char and tomato. It's soft enough not to fight the pizza and has enough body to stand up to the wood-fired crust. Not a cerebral pairing, but a crowd-pleasing one.
Wednesday — Wine-down Wednesday: half off all bottles of wine. Also features a weekday happy hour Monday–Friday 2:30–6 PM with half off draft beer, wine, and select apps.
✔️ The Bottom Line
Skip the Gas Light on any night but Wednesday — half off all bottles turns a steep list into a genuinely solid deal and makes this a legitimate downtown Portsmouth option. The rest of the week, order a beer.
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Dolce Vita is a reliable neighborhood wine bar with enough Italian depth to satisfy anyone who came to drink well with their dinner. The markups on the California heavy-hitters are a soft deterrent, but lean Italian and you'll leave happy.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown · Portsmouth · French patisserie, crêperie, and wine bar
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Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
West End · Portsmouth · Global Street Food / Eclectic American
STREET is a genuinely fun, globe-trotting neighborhood spot that deserves a wine list as curious as its food — instead it has six grocery-store staples marked up steep and left on autopilot. Order a cocktail, enjoy the Bibimbap, and don't overthink the wine.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Unknown · Portsmouth · Modern Mexican
Vida Cantina is a genuinely fun spot for food and cocktails, but the wine list is on autopilot — overpriced California standards with no imagination and no connection to the kitchen. Order a mezcal cocktail, grab the Vinho Verde if you insist on wine, and don't come here expecting anything more.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Unknown · Portsmouth · Bar / Rooftop
Come for the rooftop, stay for the vibe — but don't come for the wine. The Wednesday half-price bottle deal is the one reason to order a bottle, and even then, temper your expectations accordingly.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
Portwalk · Portsmouth · Seafood and Oyster Bar
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Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Branson Landing · Branson · American Grill
Black Oak Grill is a perfectly fine place to eat a burger and watch the Branson waterfront — just don't come here for the wine. With ten labels, steep markups, and zero evidence that the list has changed since the restaurant opened, the wine program is an afterthought at best.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Cranberry Township · American Grill
Juniper Grill isn't a destination wine list, but it's a thoughtful one — fairly priced, wider than it needs to be, and hiding a few genuinely good picks among the crowd-pleasers. If you're in Cranberry Township and someone says the wine list isn't worth your time, they haven't looked closely enough.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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StoneBridge is a neighborhood bar and grill that serves food, not a restaurant that takes wine seriously — and two labels confirms that. Order a cocktail or a beer and have a good time; just don't come here expecting anything from the wine list.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.