Southern Elegance, Wine List Still Finding Itself
Downtown · Chattanooga · Regional American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 2, 2026
Wingman Metrics
Walking into St. John's, the room does the heavy lifting — historic bones, polished service, the kind of place that makes you want to order a second bottle before the first one lands on the table. The wine list arrives with genuine ambition: 80-plus bottles spanning France, California, Italy, and the Pacific Northwest, which is a real effort for downtown Chattanooga. But flip a few pages and the pricing starts to sting a little.
The list covers familiar ground with a sommelier guiding the selections, and the regional spread — Old World France and Italy alongside California and Pacific Northwest — signals someone here actually cares. There's enough variety to navigate a table with different preferences, and the inclusion of a local Tennessee producer like Reedy Creek shows some genuine curiosity about what's happening in the region. That said, the list leans toward crowd-pleasing labels rather than hunting for producers who overdeliver at price. The gaps show up when you want something that surprises you — this is a list that plays it safe more than it should given the kitchen's ambition.
Sixteen to twenty-four pours by the glass is a respectable spread and gives you room to explore without committing to a bottle. The range tracks the bottle list — France, California, Italy all represented — which means you're not stuck with one or two token options. We'd love to see more rotation to keep regulars guessing, but what's here is consistent.
Reedy Creek Brimstone NV, Kingsport, Tennessee — $45
A Tennessee wine on a restaurant list is rare enough to be worth the curiosity alone. At $45 it's marked up from a $20 retail, which stings a bit, but supporting a local producer at a spot this good feels right — and it's a conversation starter at the table.
Reedy Creek Brimstone NV, Kingsport, Tennessee
Most tables are going straight for California or France without a second glance at this one. A homegrown Tennessee bottling at a white-tablecloth restaurant is the kind of thing you'll regret skipping — order it, talk about it, and tip your server for knowing what it is.
Francis Coppola Diamond Series Claret 2016, Sonoma
Forty dollars for a bottle that retails around $15 is a 167% markup on a wine that's fine but not exciting — this is grocery store shelf stock in a tuxedo. The kitchen deserves better company than this, and so does your wallet.
Reedy Creek Brimstone NV, Kingsport, Tennessee + Butternut Apple Ravioli
The earthy, likely red-fruit-forward profile of a Tennessee blend echoes the sweet-savory tension in that ravioli — butternut squash and apple want something with weight and a little rusticity, not a polished Napa cab. Local wine, local ingredients, makes sense on the plate.
✔️ The Bottom Line
St. John's is one of Chattanooga's best rooms to eat in, and the wine list has real bones — a sommelier, a solid range, and at least one local producer worth seeking out. The markups hold it back from greatness, but if you order smart, the wine absolutely keeps pace with the kitchen.
Northshore · Chattanooga · American / Southern
The Rosecomb isn't a wine destination, but it's a genuinely good wine surprise — especially on a Tuesday when the whole bottle list goes half-price. Come for the burger, stay for the País.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
Ringgold (Greater Chattanooga Area) · Chattanooga · Southern Coastal (Seafood, Steaks, Southern Sides)
1885 Grill Ringgold won't change how you think about wine, but it won't embarrass you in front of your dinner date either. It's the reliable neighborhood option in a part of Greater Chattanooga where that actually counts for something.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Ooltewah · Chattanooga · Southern Coastal (Seafood, Steaks, Southern Sides)
1885 Grill is a solid neighborhood spot where the wine list does its job without doing much more. The selection is approachable, the BTG count is surprisingly high, but watch the markups on the low end — some of those glass pours are doing a lot of work for the house.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
St. Elmo · Chattanooga · Southern and Coastal
1885 Grill St. Elmo isn't a wine destination, but it doesn't need to be — it's a reliable neighborhood spot with fair prices, a comfortable patio, and a list that won't embarrass anyone. Send a friend here for dinner and tell them to order the Trapiche; don't send them here to geek out on wine.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Northshore · Chattanooga · Portuguese and Mediterranean
Bela Lisboa is the most interesting wine list you'll find attached to a cozy neighborhood bistro in Chattanooga — the Portuguese focus is real and it works with the food. The markups are too aggressive on several bottles, but the soul of the program is there, and that's not nothing.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Lookout Valley · Chattanooga · Winery
DeBarge is the Wild Card Chattanooga deserves — a real working winery in the city's backyard, making honest wine at honest prices, staffed by people who actually care what's in the glass. If you want a Napa blockbuster, go somewhere else; if you want to drink something made twenty minutes from where you're sitting, this is your stop.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
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