Hot Springs' Approachable Pour With Hidden Depth
· Hot Springs · Wine Bar · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · September 16, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Splash Wine Bar’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Walk into Splash and the wine list is lean — 26 labels total — but it's clearly curated with a casual, come-as-you-are crowd in mind. The price ceiling tops out at a Dom Pérignon flex for $500, but the real action is happening well below that, with most bottles sitting in a very reasonable $25–$50 range. For Hot Springs, Arkansas, this is punching above its weight.
The list skews heavily white and sparkling, which makes sense for a wine bar trying to keep things approachable and light. You've got a solid run through crowd-friendly whites — Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, Moscato, Rosé — with a few legitimately interesting picks tucked in. The Humbrecht Riesling from Alsace and the Vouvray Le Garenne Chenin Blanc show someone here has taste beyond the grocery store aisle. The weekly 'House' rotation across several categories adds a smart layer of discovery without committing to more SKUs than they can move.
Twenty-five of the 26 labels are available by the glass, which is essentially the whole list — rare and genuinely useful. Glass pours start at $7 for the Zonin Prosecco and climb to $21 at the high end. The rotating house picks ($25/bottle equivalent) across Moscato, Rosé, Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, and Riesling keep the program fresh week to week.
Campo Viejo Cava Brut — $25
A bottle of real Spanish Cava for $25 is a straight-up win. Campo Viejo is a reliable producer, this is proper method tradicional sparkling wine, and at this price you're basically paying grocery store rates to drink it in a wine bar setting.
Vouvray Le Garenne Chenin Blanc
Most people at a casual wine bar are going to reach for the Kim Crawford or the Santa Margherita. The Vouvray Le Garenne is where the real interest lies — Chenin Blanc from the Loire Valley with that classic tension between honeyed fruit and crisp acidity. It's the kind of bottle that makes you think the person who built this list actually cares.
Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio
At $50 a bottle, you're paying a massive premium for a label that's essentially become the Applebee's of Pinot Grigio. It's fine, but the Anne Amie from Oregon is right there at $38 and is more interesting in every way. Save the $12 and drink smarter.
Minuty Rosé + Charcuterie Board
Minuty is a Provence benchmark — dry, precise, built for exactly this moment. A charcuterie spread of cured meats and soft cheeses is the natural habitat for this wine, and at a wine bar like Splash where small plates are likely the format, this combination writes itself.
The Bottom Line
Splash Wine Bar is doing something genuinely worthwhile for Hot Springs — an almost-entirely-by-the-glass list with fair pricing and a few smart picks that go beyond the obvious. If you're rolling through town and want a real glass of wine without a lecture or a markup, this is your spot.
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Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
MIA
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Central Avenue / Commercial Strip · Hot Springs · Mexican / Tex-Mex
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Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Highway 7 North / Outskirts · Hot Springs · Southern Country Restaurant
We wouldn't send anyone to Cracker Barrel for wine, and neither should you — the food is the point, the wine is a footnote. If you need a glass with dinner, grab the Gambino sparkling and move on with your life.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
MIA
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Central Avenue / South Hot Springs · Hot Springs · Casual American
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Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Central Avenue / South Hot Springs · Hot Springs · Italian Chain
Olive Garden's wine list is the automotive equivalent of a rental car: it gets you where you're going, nobody's excited about it, and you return it without a second thought. Come for the breadsticks, drink the Chianti, and keep your expectations appropriately parked.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Central Avenue / South Hot Springs · Hot Springs · Seafood Chain
Red Lobster's wine program is exactly what it is — a chain afterthought with recognizable labels and pricing that won't actively insult you. Come for the biscuits, drink the Kim Crawford with your shrimp, and don't expect anything more.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Coeur d'Alene · Wine Bar
Wine House CDA is a small list with a genuine point of view — more global curiosity than anyone expects from a wine bar in Coeur d'Alene, and that's worth showing up for. If you're tired of the same Napa Cab and Pinot Grigio routine, this is your detour.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Corvallis · Wine Bar
Corazón earns its Wild Card badge by doing something genuinely different — a Spain-Mexico-Oregon trifecta in a cozy downtown space that doesn't feel like a gimmick. Pricing feedback from diners suggests the experience skews precious, but if you're in Corvallis and want a real wine bar moment rather than a patio IPA, this is your only real answer.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Old Bellevue · Bellevue · Wine Bar
Valentina's is a genuinely pleasant neighborhood wine bar that earns its place in Old Bellevue — it's not breaking ground, but it's doing the basics with intention. Send a friend here for a date night glass; just don't expect a rabbit hole of discovery.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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