Red Cow
Serious Wine Hiding Behind the Burger Menu
Multiple Locations · Minneapolis · Upscale-Casual Burgers · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed March 29, 2026
Wingman Metrics
First Impression
You walk into a place famous for smash burgers and craft beer and the wine list has Bollinger and Billecart-Salmon on it. That's not an accident — someone here made deliberate choices. The list punches well above what the room suggests.
Selection Deep Dive
Red Cow covers the expected bases — California, France, Italy, Spain — but does it with more conviction than most burger joints have any right to. The Pinot Noir section alone earns respect: Scribe from Carneros, Gary Farrell from Russian River Valley, Melville Estate out of Santa Rita Hills, and Domaine Drouhin repping Willamette Valley. That's a legitimate lineup. Bubbles are similarly serious, with Drappier, Billecart-Salmon rosé, and Bollinger's Special Cuvée sitting alongside the more casual Zardetto Prosecco. The gaps show up in depth — there's no real push into Burgundy, Rhône, or anything older — but for what this place is, the range is genuinely surprising.
By the Glass
Twelve to eighteen pours by the glass gives you real options, not just a token red and a token white. The glass list pulls from the broader bottle list with enough variety to find something interesting whether you're drinking before your burger arrives or committing to a full bottle. Rotation appears limited — this reads more like a stable, curated program than one that chases seasonal trends.
Elk Cove Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley — $Unknown
Elk Cove is a benchmark Willamette producer that doesn't get the hype of bigger names but delivers consistent, food-friendly Pinot at a price that won't wreck your night. At a burger bar, that's exactly what you want on the table.
Drappier Rosé Champagne
Drappier is criminally underrated next to the Billecart-Salmon sitting beside it on the list. Same category, same occasion, typically better value — and the fact that it's available at a Twin Cities burger spot makes it worth ordering just to say you did.
Bollinger Brut Special Cuvée
Great Champagne, no argument. But at a casual burger bar, you're almost certainly paying a significant markup on a bottle you could find for less elsewhere. Save Bollinger for a room that earns it and spend that money on two bottles of something else here.
Gary Farrell Russian River Valley Pinot Noir + Truffle Fries
Russian River Pinot has enough earthy depth and red fruit to echo the truffle without getting bulldozed by it. It's a richer pour that can actually hold its own against something this savory and umami-forward.
🎲 The Bottom Line
Red Cow is the rare burger spot where ordering wine is genuinely the right call — the list is thoughtful, the pricing is reasonable, and the Pinot selection alone would make some proper wine bars jealous. Send your friends here and tell them to skip the beer for once.
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