Southern Comfort, Decent Pours, No Surprises
· West Palm Beach · Southern / New American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · August 29, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Sassafras’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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Wingman Metrics
The Sassafras wine list is exactly what you'd expect from a Southern-leaning New American spot in West Palm Beach — familiar names, approachable selections, and nothing that's going to make your jaw drop. It's a list built for the table that wants wine with dinner, not a list built for the table that came for wine. That's fine. Not everything has to be a statement.
Twenty-nine labels sounds like a tight edit, but the range here is actually reasonable — sparkling, whites, rosé, and reds all get representation without any single category feeling neglected. The white wine section does most of the heavy lifting, with Chardonnay getting three slots (Mer Soleil, Rodney Strong, Rombauer) and two Pinot Grigios somehow finding their way onto a 29-bottle list. Reds are where things get thin: the list leans hard on Malbec and Pinot Noir, with no Cabernet, Syrah, or Zinfandel to speak of — a gap that'll frustrate anyone who wants something with more structure or grip. The R. Prum Essence Riesling is the one moment of genuine curiosity on an otherwise safely navigated list.
Twenty-one of 29 labels available by the glass is a genuinely impressive ratio — nearly the whole list is open, which makes this a strong spot for table splits and exploration. Glass pours run $10–$20, which is fair for West Palm Beach. The Chandon Brut at $14/glass is the smartest entry point on the menu.
Chandon Brut — $14
Fourteen bucks for a glass of Chandon Brut is one of the more honest prices on this list. It's a crowd-pleasing sparkler that punches above its price point, and it's the kind of pour that works as an aperitif or carries you through a whole meal without demanding attention.
R. Prum Essence Riesling
Nobody at a Southern restaurant in West Palm Beach is reaching for the Riesling, which is exactly why you should. R. Prum makes a beautifully balanced off-dry Riesling that cuts through rich, saucy food like a knife. It's the most interesting wine on the list and it'll go ignored all night.
Rombauer Chardonnay
Eighty-eight dollars for Rombauer — a wine that retails around $28 — is a markup that's hard to justify when you can get the equally solid Mer Soleil Silver for $46. Rombauer's buttery California Chardonnay has a fan club, but this isn't the price to pay for it.
Clos de los Siete Malbec Blend + Southern-style braised short ribs
Clos de los Siete is a Mendoza blend with enough fruit weight and structure to stand up to slow-braised beef without steamrolling the table. It's the red on this list with the most complexity, and it earns its $54 price tag when it's next to something rich and saucy.
The Bottom Line
Sassafras is a reliable neighborhood wine list that gets the job done without asking too much of you — or offering too much in return. Markups run steep in spots, but the by-the-glass program is generous enough that you can find your footing without committing to a bottle.
· West Palm Beach · Wine Bar / Lounge
Le Bar is a stripped-down concept that works because the six bottles it chose are actually worth drinking — unusual for a lounge where wine is often an afterthought. If you want depth, go elsewhere. If you want a smart glass of something Italian while you decompress, this earns its keep.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· West Palm Beach · Steakhouse
Morton's is not a destination for wine — it's a destination for beef, and the list reflects exactly that level of effort. If you're here, pick the Merry Edwards, enjoy your steak, and don't expect the wine to be the story of the evening.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
The Square / Downtown · West Palm Beach · Italian trattoria
Il Bellagio is a perfectly decent place to drink Italian wine with Italian food on a warm West Palm Beach evening — just don't expect the list to surprise you, and steer clear of the Santa Margherita markup. Order the Chianti, grab a table on the plaza, and call it a reliable night out.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
The Square / Downtown · West Palm Beach · Plant-based/vegan, contemporary
PLANTA West Palm Beach won't disappoint you on wine, but it won't thrill you either — the list is safe, the markups are mostly steep, and the picks are designed for consensus. Come for the food, order the Whispering Angel, and don't overthink it.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
The Square / Downtown · West Palm Beach · Tuscan-inspired Italian, coastal Italian
Felice earns its keep with a genuinely Italy-focused list, a Tignanello markup that won't make you wince, and a Monday wine program that should be on your weekly calendar. Not groundbreaking, but reliably good — and in this neighborhood, that's not nothing.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
CityPlace / Downtown · West Palm Beach · Classic American Steakhouse
Abe & Louie's is a dependable, well-stocked steakhouse wine program with real depth and knowledgeable staff — it just charges accordingly and rarely colors outside the lines. Send a friend here for a serious bottle of Cab with a prime steak, but tell them to ask the sommelier to find something off the beaten path.
Solid Range
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Harrah's Gulf Coast / Biloxi · Gulfport · Southern / New American
Magnolia House isn't trying to be a wine destination, and with Kelly English's Southern cooking as the real draw, you can forgive a lot. Stick to the by-the-glass program, lean on the seafood-friendly whites, and don't expect your markup to be treated with any particular mercy.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Inman Park · Atlanta · Southern / New American
Wisteria is a dependable red wine destination — especially if Pinot Noir is your thing — but the list plays it too safe to excite, and markups keep it from being a true value play. Send a friend here knowing they'll drink well, just don't expect to be surprised.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Greenville · Greenville · Southern / New American
Soby's has one of the most legitimately impressive wine programs in the entire Southeast, and the fact that it's anchored in Greenville rather than a major metro makes it worth a detour on its own. If you're anywhere near South Carolina and you care about wine, you owe yourself a seat at this table.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Seasonal Rotation
Proper
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