The Napa Playbook, Executed Flawlessly
Friendly Center · Greensboro · Upscale Steakhouse · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed June 25, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed Ruth's Chris Steak House – Greensboro’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The list arrives looking confident — heavy stock, organized by varietal and region, with an obvious bias toward California powerhouses. It reads like a greatest hits album: every wine your dad has heard of, in one place. That's not an insult, exactly, but it tells you everything about who this list is for.
Napa and Sonoma dominate with an iron fist — Caymus, Silver Oak, Jordan, Duckhorn, Rombauer, Far Niente, Stag's Leap. The bones of a classic American steakhouse list are all here, and they're solid bones. Bordeaux and Burgundy make appearances to signal seriousness, but this list isn't going to surprise you with a Jura gamay or a skin-contact Sicilian. If you came in hoping for adventure, you picked the wrong room — but if you came in wanting a Napa Cab with your ribeye, you're exactly where you need to be.
Estimated 15–25 pours puts this well above average for a steakhouse, and the sommelier on staff should mean the glass program isn't totally on autopilot. Expect the usual Chardonnay-Cab-Pinot trifecta covered multiple times over at various price points. Rotation is likely minimal — this isn't a list that chases seasonal curiosity.
Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon, Alexander Valley — Unknown
Jordan is one of the most reliably elegant Cabs at this price tier in the market — structured without being a fruit bomb, and it holds its own against a filet without bullying it. In a list full of hype bottles, this is the move for someone who actually wants to taste the wine.
Duckhorn Merlot, Napa Valley
Everyone at the table is going to order a Cab. The Duckhorn Merlot is the wine they should be ordering. Plush, structured, genuinely complex — it's Merlot doing what Merlot does when nobody's making fun of it. Most people skip it on instinct. Those people are wrong.
Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley
Caymus is everywhere, and everywhere it's marked up to the heavens. The wine itself has gotten bigger and jammier over the years while the reputation stays on cruise control. You're paying for a name that peaked culturally sometime around 2014. There are better bottles on this list for the same money — or less.
Far Niente Chardonnay, Napa Valley + Creamed Spinach
This is a side dish pairing, and yes, we're serious. Far Niente's Chardonnay is rich and buttery enough to match the fat and cream in the spinach without getting lost — it's a textural handshake that makes both better. Order a glass while your steak rests.
The Bottom Line
Ruth's Chris Greensboro doesn't take risks with wine, and it doesn't need to — the list is professionally managed, properly stored, and staffed by someone who actually knows it. If you're celebrating a promotion, this works. Just don't expect to discover anything.
South Elm · Greensboro · Wine bar & cheese
Lewis & Elm earns the Wild Card badge because it's the kind of unexpected neighborhood wine bar that punches well above its zip code — a sommelier-curated list leaning into Tuscany, Greece, and Sicily inside a cozy South Elm storefront is not what most people expect to find in Greensboro. We'd happily send a friend here for a flight and a cheese board, and tell them to actually listen to whatever the staff recommends. Just know that our sourced pricing detail is thin right now, so go in with curiosity and ask questions — that's the right posture for a place like this anyway.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
· Greensboro · New American and Wine Bar
1808 Craft & Vine is doing something quietly smart: a fully by-the-glass list at prices that don't punish curiosity, with enough international range to keep things interesting. We don't know the food, we don't know the staff, and the list isn't going to wow a Burgundy collector — but if you're in Greensboro and want to drink something you'd never order at a chain steakhouse, this is the move.
Small but Thoughtful
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Greensboro · Wine and Cocktail Bar
Marjae's is doing something genuinely uncommon for a mid-size Southern city: running a wine-forward space with actual expertise behind it, at prices that won't make you wince. We'd send a friend here for a low-key date night or a Thursday tasting without hesitation — just go in ready to ask questions, because the staff seems like they actually want to answer them.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
· Greensboro · Cocktail and Wine Bar
Bitters Social House isn't trying to be a wine destination, and it doesn't pretend to be — but the pricing is genuinely fair, a couple of producer picks show real effort, and the by-the-glass setup means you can drink well without committing to a bottle. If you're in Greensboro and need a glass before or after dinner, this is a perfectly honest place to have one.
Crowd Pleasers
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Greensboro · Italian Steakhouse
Giovanni's is a reliable neighborhood anchor — the room is good, the food has a loyal following, and the Italian reds give you enough to work with if you dig past the Sand Point labels. We'd send a friend here for dinner without hesitation; we'd just steer them straight toward the Barolo or Brunello and skip the California filler.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Greensboro · Steakhouse
Fleming's Greensboro is doing more than most chain steakhouses bother to do with wine — 42 by-the-glass options and actual Alsatian whites on a Greensboro wine list deserves acknowledgment. The markups are real and the list isn't going to surprise anyone who's been to a Fleming's before, but if you're eating a bone-in ribeye and want a proper glass without guesswork, this delivers.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Marina District (Golden Nugget) · Atlantic City · Upscale Steakhouse
Vic & Anthony's is a perfectly competent steakhouse wine list doing exactly what a casino steakhouse wine list is supposed to do — just don't expect fair pricing or anything off the beaten path. Order the Decoy, enjoy your steak, and pocket the difference.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Beachside/Ocean Walk · Daytona Beach · Upscale Steakhouse
Hyde Park Prime Daytona is a dependable, well-run wine program in a room that knows what it wants to be — and mostly delivers. Markups will sting, but the sommelier, the depth, and the oceanfront setting make it the right call when the occasion calls for a serious bottle and a serious steak.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Occasional
Proper
Cool Springs · Franklin · Upscale Steakhouse
Ruth's Chris Franklin is a reliable wine execution at a chain price point — nobody's going home unhappy, but nobody's going home with a story either. Go on a Wednesday, hit the half-price bottle promotion, and drink better than the menu's markup would otherwise allow.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Proper
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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