Old-school glamour, serious California Cab muscle
Fulton Market · Chicago · Steak House · Visit Website ↗
Updated October 2026
Reviewed April 7, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed Swift & Sons’s wine list and gave it The Rager — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Walking into Swift & Sons feels like stepping into a 1920s meatpacking cathedral that got very serious about wine. The list lands on your table with the kind of weight that makes you sit up straighter. California and France are front and center, and they mean it.
With 400-600 bottles and a Best of Award of Excellence held since 2017, this is a list that earns its reputation. California Cabernet is the obvious heart of it — Opus One, Caymus Special Selection, Stag's Leap Cask 23, Far Niente, and Silver Oak Alexander Valley all show up, giving you a genuine tour of Napa's greatest hits. Tuscany punches equally hard with Sassicaia, Tignanello, and Antinori Solaia anchoring the Italian side. The white game isn't just an afterthought either — Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet and Kistler Chardonnay signal that someone thought carefully about the table that isn't ordering a bone-in ribeye.
Twenty to thirty-five options by the glass is genuinely impressive for a steakhouse, and the range spans $15 to $45 a pour — so you can warm up or go straight to the deep end. Bollinger Special Cuvée is a strong opener if you want Champagne before committing to a bottle. Rotation appears limited, so don't expect to find something new every visit.
Silver Oak Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon — $60–$80 range
Alexander Valley Silver Oak is the entry point into the Swift Cab world, and it consistently over-delivers relative to its list price here. It's the move if you want the full steak-and-California experience without crossing into three-digit territory.
Bollinger Special Cuvée Champagne
Everyone comes in locked on Cab and forgets that a dry-aged ribeye and a glass of Bollinger is one of the great underrated pairings. The richness of Special Cuvée stands up to beef fat in a way that most people don't expect from Champagne.
Opus One
Opus One is a reliable markup target at steakhouses nationwide, and Swift is no exception. You're paying heavily for the label here — the same money spent on Sassicaia or Solaia gets you more wine, more story, and fewer people at the next table judging you.
Sassicaia + Dry-aged prime ribeye
Sassicaia's Cabernet Sauvignon–Cabernet Franc backbone — grippy tannins, iron and cedar edge — cuts through the fat of a dry-aged ribeye without bullying the beef. It's old-world structure meeting the best cut on the menu.
The Bottom Line
Swift & Sons is the full steakhouse wine experience done right — deep cellar, strong California and Italian bones, and glassware that respects what's in it. Markups run predictably high for the format, but if you pick smart, you'll drink very well in one of Chicago's best dining rooms.
· Chicago · Brazilian Steakhouse
Fogo de Chão Chicago's wine list is built for throughput, not discovery — it's reliable, reasonably ranged by the glass, and anchored by South American selections that at least make thematic sense with the food. The markups are steeper than we'd like and the list won't excite anyone who drinks wine as seriously as they eat meat, but the Catena Malbec and the Bodega Garzón Albariño are legitimate picks that rise above the crowd-pleaser baseline. Come for the churrasco, drink the Catena, and don't overthink it.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
River North · Chicago · Seafood
A seafood house with a long, mixed list: a Seafood Whites section, Burgundy and Napa depth, and 22 pours by the glass. Order the Marc Brédif "Royal Oyster" Muscadet with a half dozen oysters, or start with the $11/glass Charles de Fère, and confirm current prices. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
River North · Chicago · Mediterranean, Steakhouse
A Napa-heavy bottle list with a real Greek section and a short, priced glass board. Start with the $10 happy-hour Vermentino or, if you are staying for dinner, the AA Sigalas Assyrtiko at $75, and confirm prices and availability when you sit down. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Magnificent Mile · Chicago · Mediterranean
A 38-pour glass list with unpriced Champagne and Burgundy-heavy bottle pages behind it. Start with the $14 Tiberio Trebbiano or the $15 Thymiopoulos Assyrtiko, and ask for bottle prices because the posted bottle pages carry none. This unrated guide covers the posted drinks menu, not service, storage or markups.
Fulton Market · Chicago · Mediterranean, Middle Eastern
A Mediterranean list built around Greece and Lebanon, with 18 wines on the by-the-glass pages. Start with the Kalokaíri rosé (16 / 64) or the Chateau Musar "Jeune Rouge" (19 / 76), and confirm current vintages and prices. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
River North · Chicago · American
A short 14-wine list, with most price pairs between $13 and $15 and four single-price wines at $72 to $80. Order the Chateau Ste Michelle Riesling at $13 | 50, or the Provence rosé if you want the one French wine, and ask which number is the glass price. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Washington · Washington · Steak House
A 20-wine by-the-glass list with every pour between $14 and $30, split across four sparkling, six white, two rosé and eight red. With a steak, start with the $26 Clos Duval Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon or the $22 Monte Antico Supremus; for the cheapest glass, take the $14 Dr. Loosen Riesling. Pour sizes aren't posted and the page is undated, so confirm today's wines. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Chicago Loop · Chicago · Steak House
A Napa-leaning Cabernet list with a Library & Reserve section that reaches 3,098 and glass pours from $13.99 to $49.99. Start with the $15.99 Broadbent Cabernet by the glass, or the $41.99 Stag's Leap Artemis if the ribeye is on the table, and confirm current availability since the list does not guarantee vintages. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Union Square · San Francisco · Steak House
A glass list that does the steakhouse job: 36 pours, a tidy Napa Cabernet set and prices from $13. Order the $15 Beringer Cabernet with your steak, or the $14 Guado Al Tasso Vermentino if you are starting with seafood, and confirm availability since the page is undated and Morton's says pricing may vary. This unrated guide covers the posted glass list, not service, storage or markups.
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