California Classics Done Right in the Piedmont
Winston-Salem · Winston Salem · American Steakhouse · Visit Website ↗
Updated September 2026
Reviewed May 7, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed Ryan's Restaurant’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Walk into Ryan's and the wine list reads exactly like the room feels — warm, comfortable, and unapologetically California. There's no adventure here, but there is intention: this is a list built to sell bottles alongside dry-aged beef, and it does that job with conviction. Wine Spectator has been handing them an Award of Excellence since 2005, and you can see why — the bones are solid.
The list runs 150 to 250 bottles and stays almost entirely in California, leaning hard on the Napa Valley hits that steakhouse crowds reach for without hesitation — Caymus, Silver Oak, Jordan, Stag's Leap, Duckhorn, Rombauer, Far Niente. It's a greatest-hits compilation, not a curated cellar. Don't come looking for Burgundy, Barolo, or anything that requires explanation — that's not the point. The point is that every bottle on this list knows what it's supposed to do next to a prime New York strip, and most of them do it well.
Twelve to twenty options by the glass is a respectable spread for a steakhouse of this size, and the price range of $8 to $18 keeps things accessible without feeling like a bargain bin. Expect the usual suspects — a Rombauer Chardonnay pour is almost certainly on the board, which is never a bad thing. There's no evidence of active rotation, so what you see is likely what you get, season after season.
Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon — $80
Jordan consistently punches above its retail weight in a steakhouse setting — it's polished, food-friendly, and doesn't demand the reverence (or the wallet damage) of a Silver Oak. If the markup lands anywhere close to reasonable on this one, it's the move.
Duckhorn Merlot
Everyone's ordering Cab, which means the Duckhorn Merlot gets overlooked. That's a mistake — this is serious Napa Merlot from one of the variety's best producers, and it tends to carry a gentler markup than the big-name Cabs flanking it on the list.
Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon
Caymus is a crowd-pleaser with near-universal name recognition, which is exactly why restaurants mark it up aggressively. You're paying for the label as much as the wine here — the same money almost always buys you something more interesting or more fairly priced elsewhere on this list.
Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon + Dry-aged ribeye
Stag's Leap brings enough structure and dark fruit to stand up to the fat and char of a dry-aged ribeye without steamrolling the meat the way a bigger, jammier Cab might. It's the most elegant option in the California Cab lineup here — and elegance is exactly what a ribeye deserves.
The Bottom Line
Ryan's isn't trying to surprise you, and it doesn't — but two decades of Wine Spectator recognition don't happen by accident, and a well-maintained California list in a proper steakhouse setting earns its keep. Send a friend who wants a great Napa Cab with a great cut of beef; don't send one who's hunting for discovery.
· Winston Salem · Bakery / Cafe
Camino Bakery shouldn't have a wine list this considered, and yet here we are. Bottles top out at $29, most land between $14 and $19, and the selection skews curious rather than safe — Txakoli and orange wine at a Winston-Salem bakery is genuinely unexpected. If you're nearby and want a low-pressure bottle without the restaurant markup, this is a legitimately good stop.
Small but Thoughtful
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Winston Salem · Thai
Thai Harmony is genuinely worth visiting for the food — the khao soi and kai yang have real fans for a reason, and the downtown space is one of the better dining rooms in Winston-Salem. But come for the kitchen, not the cellar. Until the wine program shows us something specific worth recommending, you're better off ordering a Thai iced tea and saving the wine for another night.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Winston Salem · Modern Mexican
Alma Mexicana is a genuine wild card — a modern Mexican restaurant in Winston-Salem with a wine program that's quietly pointing at Old World Europe instead of the expected California house pour. We need the full list to give you the real numbers, but the instinct here is good enough to warrant ordering something other than a margarita.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
· Winston Salem · Wine Bar / Bottle Shop
The Caviste is doing something genuinely weird for Winston-Salem — a curated, Austria-only bottle shop with prices that should embarrass most restaurant wine lists. If you're even slightly curious about Grüner Veltliner or natural-leaning reds, this is a low-risk, high-reward detour.
Small but Thoughtful
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Winston Salem · Winery Tasting Room / Light Bites
Divine Llama is a fun, farm-genuine detour if you're exploring North Carolina wine country and want something local and unpretentious. Don't come for depth or discovery beyond the estate — come for the story, the setting, and a glass of Traminette you probably wouldn't have ordered anywhere else.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
· Winston Salem · American Cafe
West End Cafe isn't a wine destination, but it's a perfectly decent place to drink something decent without overpaying for it. Send a friend here if they want wine with dinner and aren't looking to make an event out of it.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· McLean · American Steakhouse
We don't fully understand how a six-bottle list this good ended up at The Palm Tysons Corner, but here we are. If you're eating here and care about wine at all, this list deserves your attention — especially that Sancerre at $23. It's a small program, but it's a thoughtful one, and in a category full of lazy steakhouse lists, that counts for a lot.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· The Woodlands · American Steakhouse
We're working with event-night evidence, not a full house list, so drawing firm conclusions about Del Frisco's Grille's everyday wine program would be dishonest. What we can say is that a six-wine promotional dinner built around one producer family isn't a reason to make this your wine destination. Come for the steakhouse experience — but don't expect the wine list to be the main event.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Occasional
Acceptable
· Ashburn · American Steakhouse
Eddie Merlot's is a dependable upscale steakhouse that delivers on the beef side of the equation. The wine program appears to be functional rather than inspired — a crowd-pleasing list built to sell confidently, not to excite. If you're coming for a business dinner or a straightforward date night and want a Napa Cab with your prime-aged ribeye, you'll be just fine. If you want something to talk about on the drive home, you might need to bring your own bottle or do a little pre-visit homework.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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