One of America's largest Chateau Musar verticals, a wine director who rewrote the Persian-wine playbook, and a renovation promising even bigger things
Sandy Springs · Atlanta · Persian · Visit Website ↗
Updated March 2026
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · February 22, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Rumi's Kitchen - Sandy Springs’s wine list and gave it The Rager — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Rumi's Kitchen Sandy Springs has been undergoing a major renovation, but what wine director Stephen Kaplan has built here is too significant to sit on until the painters finish. Kaplan — who also serves as the company's COO — has assembled one of the largest Chateau Musar vertical collections in the United States inside a Persian restaurant in Sandy Springs. Read that sentence again. He has taken the intersection of Middle Eastern cuisine and Old World wine and turned it into a genuine program with national ambition. The renovation will only expand what was already the most interesting wine program in the Persian restaurant category anywhere in the Southeast.
The list is built on a foundation of organic and biodynamic producers with a deliberate focus on wines from the Middle East and the Mediterranean basin. Chateau Musar from Lebanon anchors the entire program — the vertical collection spans multiple vintages and represents a serious collector's commitment to a single legendary producer. Beyond Musar, the list reaches into natural wine territory with producers who farm sustainably and ferment with intention. This is not a wine list that happens to exist at a Persian restaurant. This is a wine program designed specifically for Persian food, exploring the flavor bridges between kebab and grape in ways most American restaurants have never attempted.
The by-the-glass program reflects the same organic and biodynamic philosophy as the full list, with pours chosen to partner with Persian cuisine rather than default to crowd-pleasing varietals. Expect the glass program to expand when the renovation completes — Kaplan is building a wine program, not maintaining one, and the bigger space gives him room to pour more ambitiously.
Chateau Musar (younger vintage) — Varies by vintage
A younger-vintage Musar at restaurant pricing is a genuine experience. The blend of Cabernet, Cinsault, and Carignan aged in the Bekaa Valley delivers flavor complexity that punches well above its price point. At a Persian restaurant, the pairing context makes it transcendent.
The organic and biodynamic deep cuts
Kaplan curates producers who farm with conviction, and these bottles carry stories that conventional labels cannot tell. Ask about the natural wine options — the intersection of organic winemaking and Persian spice is a pairing frontier that Rumi's is actively pioneering.
Anything conventional and predictable
You walked into a Persian restaurant with one of America's most significant Chateau Musar collections. This is not the night for the familiar Cabernet from Napa. Push into the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern selections. The food demands it and the program was built to deliver.
Chateau Musar Red + Koobideh Kebab
The smoke and char of ground lamb kebab meeting the earthy, dried-fruit complexity of Lebanese Musar is one of those pairings that makes you wonder why every Persian restaurant in America does not think this way. This is the pairing that defines Rumi's wine identity.
The Bottom Line
Rumi's Kitchen Sandy Springs earns the Rager badge on the strength of Stephen Kaplan's vision and execution. The Chateau Musar vertical collection, the organic and biodynamic commitment, and the Persian-wine pairing philosophy represent something genuinely unique in Atlanta's restaurant landscape. Check the website for the latest on the renovation timeline — when those doors reopen with the expanded program, you want to be first in line.
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