The Angus Barn
25,000 Bottles Deep and Still Swinging
North Raleigh · Raleigh · Steakhouse · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed March 20, 2026
Wingman Metrics
First Impression
You walk into a barnwood steakhouse off Glenwood Avenue and expect a safe Cabernet list with maybe a token Chardonnay. What you find instead is a Wine Spectator Grand Award winner with 25,000 bottles and a dedicated wine cellar that takes itself very seriously. The gap between the exterior expectations and the interior wine program is genuinely startling.
Selection Deep Dive
The list spans 1,200 labels pulling from California's heavy hitters — Napa, Sonoma, Paso Robles, Central Coast — but doesn't stop there. You'll find a Sicilian Mount Etna red from Emiliano Falsini sitting next to a Tannat from Shelton Vineyards in the Yadkin Valley, which says a lot about whoever is curating this thing. The North Carolina representation feels intentional rather than obligatory: Jones von Drehle Cabernet Franc and that Shelton Tannat give the list local credibility without leaning on regional pride as a crutch. Portugal shows up via a Borba Marcolino Sebo Reserva from Alentejo, Argentina checks in with Catena, and Washington and Ribera del Duero round out a list that earns the word 'eclectic' without stretching for it.
By the Glass
Glass pours run $10 to $26 in 6oz pours, which is a reasonable spread for a program this size. The entry points — Wente Chardonnay and Wente Merlot at $10 a glass — are approachable without being embarrassing, and the ceiling lands at that Falsini Mount Etna Sicilian at $26, which is an unusual and confident choice to feature prominently by the glass. We'd like a firm count on how many options rotate through, but what's visible suggests more range than a typical steakhouse pour list.
Catena High Mountain Vines Malbec 2022 — $12/glass, $41/bottle
Catena's High Mountain Vines Malbec consistently overdelivers for the price at retail, and $41 a bottle in a restaurant of this caliber is as close to fair as you're likely to find here. Order the bottle.
Jones von Drehle Vineyards Cabernet Franc 2019, Yadkin Valley NC
Most people skip past the local section and head straight for Napa, which is exactly why you shouldn't. Yadkin Valley Cab Franc has real potential and almost nobody at the table will have tried it — which makes it the most interesting conversation starter on the list.
2019 Emiliano Falsini, Fuedo Pignatone 'Davanti Casa', Mount Etna Sicily
We love that this wine exists on the list and we love that it's available by the glass, but at $102 a bottle on a wine that retails around $50, you're paying a 104% markup. The glass pour at $26 is the smarter move if you want to try it — buying the bottle is just donating to the cellar renovation fund.
Martinelli Vigneto di Evo Zinfandel 2023 + Dry-aged ribeye
Martinelli's Zinfandel brings enough fruit weight and structure to stand up to a dry-aged ribeye without the tannin aggression of a big Cab. The richness matches, the fruit plays off the char, and at $16 a glass it doesn't require a commitment to a full bottle before you've taken a bite.
🔥 The Bottom Line
The Angus Barn is the rare steakhouse where the wine list is genuinely worth your attention — 25,000 bottles, a real sommelier, and selections running from Yadkin Valley to Sicily make this one of the most serious wine programs in the Southeast. Markups on some bottles will sting, but there are enough smart plays here to justify sending any wine-curious friend directly.
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