St. Paul's Secret Weapon for Serious Wine
St. Paul · Wine Bar / Bottle Shop Bistro · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · August 24, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Sunfish Cellars Wine Bar & Bistro’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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Wingman Metrics
Nineteen bottles on the list sounds like the setup to a disappointment — until you actually read it. This is not a place that stumbled into good wine. Someone here is paying attention, hard, and it shows from the first label down.
For a list this compact, the range is borderline absurd in the best way: Sadie Family shows up three times (Pofadder, Columella, Treinspoor), which is not something you see at most dedicated wine bars let alone a bistro in St. Paul. Alongside that South African anchor, you get a Sigalas Santorini Assyrtiko, an Elvio Cogno Nascetta from Piedmont, and a Brash Higgins field blend from McLaren Vale — real stuff from real producers. The list does lean heavily on reds and oddities, so if you want a deep white or rosé selection, you'll hit the wall fast. But the hits here are genuinely thrilling for a 19-bottle lineup.
By-the-glass specifics aren't published, and this being a bottle shop hybrid means the real play is likely retail-to-table. With prices starting at $9 for the Vinos Patio Rose Fizz and $10 for a Broadbent Rainwater Madeira or Skouras Moscofilero, the low end of the bottle list is priced like glass pours anyway. We'd ask the staff what's open.
Elvio Cogno 'Anas-Cetta' Langhe Nascetta di Novello 2023 — $15
Nascetta is a rare indigenous Piedmontese white that most wine bars in New York charge $20+ a glass for. Getting the whole bottle for $15 is genuinely ridiculous value — this is the move.
Brash Higgins R/SM Field Blend 2016
Roussanne and Shiraz from McLaren Vale, made by one of Australia's more adventurous producers. It's weird in the right way, has some age on it, and costs $15. Most people will walk right past it and order the Malbec. Don't be those people.
Jordan Chardonnay 2022
At $34.99, it's not criminal, but Jordan Chardonnay is a grocery store staple that retail-shops for around $22-25. On a list this interesting, spending your dollars here is a waste. Go literally anywhere else on this list.
Sadie Family Pofadder Red 2017 + Charcuterie board
Pofadder is Cinsault-based, bright, and earthy with enough age to have softened into something silky. It's made for cured meats, funky cheeses, and the kind of grazing that a bottle shop bistro is built around.
The Bottom Line
Sunfish Cellars is punching several weight classes above its size — a 19-bottle list with three Sadie Family wines and an Elvio Cogno Nascetta at $15 is not something you stumble across. If you care about wine and you're in St. Paul, you need to know this place exists.
Randolph · St. Paul · Italian
Luci Ancora isn't here to dazzle wine geeks, but it earns its keep as a thoughtful neighborhood Italian with a list that respects the kitchen. If you're after a quiet dinner and a well-chosen Italian bottle, you're in the right place.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· St. Paul · Steak / Seafood / Italian
Lela's wine list is competent hotel work — nothing that'll surprise you, but enough to get through a steak dinner without regret. Lean into the Sancerre or Riesling, avoid the Caymus markup, and you'll be fine.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· St. Paul · Fine Dining American
Lake Elmo Inn has a wine list that earns genuine respect — fair prices, a real by-the-glass program, and a Coravin setup that shows they're thinking beyond the ordinary. It's not destination wine territory, but if you're already going for dinner, you're in good hands.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
Mill District · St. Paul · Wine Bar / Bistro
Milly's is for the curious drinker who wants to understand wine, not just drink it, and the comparative flight format makes that happen without any lecturing. If you're in St. Paul and want to actually learn something about what's in your glass, this is the move.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Active Program
Proper
· St. Paul · American / Sports-Adjacent Brasserie
Herbie's wine program is on autopilot — it gets the job done for guests who just want something familiar with their meal, but anyone who actually cares about what's in the glass should order a cocktail and move on. Send your wine-curious friends somewhere else.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· St. Paul · Cafe / Pizza / Bakery
Cafe Latte is the Wild Card because nobody expects a café in St. Paul to stock Ridge and Scribe alongside a Sancerre and a Quinta de Noval Port at these prices. Go for the pizza, stay because the wine list is quietly doing something right.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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