Old World Depth Meets New Mexico Fine Dining
Downtown · Santa Fe · Contemporary American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 3, 2026
Wingman Metrics
The list at Restaurant Martín signals immediately that someone here actually cares — there's Burgundy with real pedigree, a German blanc de noir that most Santa Fe restaurants wouldn't touch, and boutique Napa alongside it. It's a focused, 100-175 bottle list that skews Old World without abandoning California entirely. The room matches: elegant without being stuffy, and the wine program follows that same lead.
France anchors the list, with Burgundy doing the heaviest lifting — producers like Thibault Liger-Belair show up, which tells you someone's paying attention to the négociant-meets-terroir movement in the Côte d'Or. Germany makes a quiet appearance via Paul Anheuser from the Nahe, which is exactly the kind of left-field pick a good list uses to separate itself from the pack. California gets its due with Biale's Royal Punishers Petite Sirah — not a safe, crowd-pleasing Cab, but a bold, old-vine choice that fits the menu's ambition. The gaps are real though: South America, Spain, and domestic regions outside Napa are largely absent.
By-the-glass runs somewhere in the 10-16 option range, which is respectable for a fine dining spot of this size. We'd expect the pours to rotate with the kitchen's seasonal direction, though no formal rotation program was found — what's on the list is likely what's been on the list. Quality over quantity seems to be the philosophy, and that's the right call.
Paul Anheuser Blanc de Noir Pinot Noir Qualitätswein, Nahe 2019 — $50+
A German Pinot Noir blanc de noir from the Nahe is a genuinely rare find on any American restaurant list, and Anheuser is a serious, respected producer. You're getting something distinctive and food-friendly that most tables will walk right past — their loss, your gain.
Domaine Thibault Liger-Belair Les Deux Terres Bourgogne 2016
Village-level Bourgogne from Liger-Belair is the kind of bottle that makes a Burgundy lover's eyes light up while everyone else orders Napa Cab. This is serious winemaking at an entry-level appellation, and 2016 was a quietly excellent vintage. Don't sleep on it.
Biale Royal Punishers Petite Sirah, Napa Valley 2019
We love Biale and the wine is legitimately good, but fine dining markup on a cult-ish California Petite Sirah is going to sting. Retail isn't cheap to begin with, and restaurant pricing here pushes it into territory where the value math stops working. Great bottle — not at this price.
Domaine Thibault Liger-Belair Les Deux Terres Bourgogne 2016 + Duck Confit
Aged Bourgogne rouge and duck confit is a classic pairing for a reason — the wine's earthy, iron-tinged red fruit cuts through the fat without overpowering the dish's richness. The 2016 has had time to open up and settle into exactly the kind of savory, silky territory that makes this combo work.
✔️ The Bottom Line
Restaurant Martín earns its reputation with a wine list that has genuine personality and a sommelier who clearly built it with intention — but steep markups mean you'll pay for that personality. Go for the Burgundy and the blanc de noir, keep an eye on the bill, and you'll leave happy.
Downtown/Plaza · Santa Fe · Winery Tasting Room with Light Bites
A single-producer tasting room shouldn't make this strong a case for itself, but Gruet earns it — absurdly fair pricing, genuinely interesting bubbles, and a concept that reminds you New Mexico is quietly doing something special. If you're in Santa Fe and skip this, that's on you.
Small but Thoughtful
Steal
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Downtown/Plaza · Santa Fe · Winery Tasting Room
Noisy Water's Santa Fe tasting room is the Wild Card badge made flesh — a downtown spot doing something genuinely regional and proudly weird that you won't find replicated anywhere else. Send a curious friend, not a Bordeaux purist.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown/Plaza · Santa Fe · Wine bar with French-inspired New American small plates
Hervé is exactly what it is — a polished, single-producer showcase that happens to be one of the more honest wine programs in Santa Fe. If you're open to letting New Mexico terroir surprise you, this is worth the stop; if you came looking for Burgundy, you're at the wrong address.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
South Capitol · Santa Fe · Contemporary American with regional New Mexican influences
Joseph's is the kind of place that earns a double-take — a cozy pub on Agua Fria with a sommelier, a real wine list, and enough range to reward curiosity. We'd absolutely send a friend here for wine, especially if duck confit is on the menu that night.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Seasonal Rotation
Proper
Downtown · Santa Fe · Spanish tapas and wine bar
Taberna La Boca is doing something genuinely rare in Santa Fe: building a wine program with a real point of view. It's not perfect — the curation could go deeper and the staff knowledge is hit or miss — but the commitment to Spanish and Mediterranean wines in a tapas context is exactly right, and the Wild Card badge is earned.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
North of Santa Fe / Tesuque · Santa Fe · Southwestern / New American
Terra is what a luxury resort wine list looks like when the hotel actually tried — proper storage, a real sommelier, and some legitimately good producers on the page. The markup is what it is, and there's no getting around it, but if you're already spending a night at the Four Seasons, this is not the place to order a cocktail and ignore the wine list.
Solid Range
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Downtown · Columbia · Contemporary American
Bleu is the kind of wine list that works well if you already know what you want and want it done properly. It's not pushing any boundaries, the markups are on the steeper side, and there's no real discovery to be had — but for a night out in Columbia, it's a solid, well-stocked option that won't let you down.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Northwest Akron · Akron · Contemporary American
Wednesday's half-price bottle night is genuinely the move here — it's the only time the math starts working in your favor. Show up on any other night and you're paying hotel prices for grocery store wine with a great view.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
Country Club Plaza · Overland Park · Contemporary American
Gram & Dun is a reliable wine night for Plaza-adjacent diners who want a real list without doing homework — the California selections are genuinely good, and a few hidden gems reward curious drinkers. Just steer clear of the trophy bottles unless you enjoy paying rent-money markups.
Solid Range
Steep
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.