Two Bottles Don't Make a Wine List
· Clemson · Restaurant · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed October 20, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed Rick Erwin's Clemson’s wine list and gave it The Lazy List — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
You open the menu expecting a wine list and instead find two bottles — both from the same Post & Beam by Far Niente lineup, one red, one white. That's not a wine program; that's a placeholder. We've seen more selection at hotel minibars.
The entire wine offering at Rick Erwin's Clemson is two bottles: the Post & Beam by Far Niente Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 at $100/bottle and the Post & Beam by Far Niente Chardonnay 2022 at $85/bottle. Post & Beam is Far Niente's more accessible California label, which is fine wine in the right context — but presenting exactly two options under a 'Sommelier's Selections' banner is a stretch of that phrase's meaning. There are no other regions, no Old World options, no bubbles, no rosé, and no middle price point for the guest who doesn't want to commit $85–$100 to their only choice. The list raises more questions than it answers.
By-the-glass options are not documented for this location, so we can't speak to pours. If you're hoping to split a glass of something while you decide, don't count on it — the data doesn't support that the option even exists here.
The Bottom Line
Two wines, one producer, no real choice — Rick Erwin's Clemson treats wine as an afterthought and the pricing confirms it. Until this list gets a meaningful overhaul, order a cocktail or ask your server what's on draft.
· Hartland · Restaurant
The Commodore is a Champagne list wearing a full-restaurant costume — if bubbles are your reason for coming, there's enough grower depth (Chiquet, Gimonnet) mixed in with the prestige bottles to make it a legitimate destination pour. But the markups are real, the still wine bench is thin, and we don't have enough visibility into the rest of the experience to call it more than a Wild Card worth knowing about if you're celebrating in the western suburbs of Milwaukee.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Memorial · Houston · Restaurant
A flexible list for Memorial's upscale tavern: 20 pours by the glass in 6 oz or 9 oz sizes, plus bottle sections for Burgundy, Bordeaux, Piedmont and Tuscany. Start with the $18 Condado de Haza Tempranillo or the $22 Girard Bourgogne by the glass, and look at the Bordeaux spotlight if you are ordering steak. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
· Scottsdale · Restaurant
A long, Burgundy-and-Bordeaux-heavy list with a 24-pour glass page that starts at 13. Try the Maysara Momtazi Pinot Noir 2016 or the Sandy Cove Sauvignon Blanc from the glass page, and confirm what is open and what the two numbers mean. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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