Bohemian café sneaks in a wine list
Downtown / 9th & Massachusetts · Lawrence · European-style café, coffee and cocktail bar · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 10, 2026
RagingWine reviewed The Bourgeois Pig’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
You walk into The Bourgeois Pig expecting espresso and maybe a craft cocktail, and then you notice there's a wine list. A real one. It's not long — 19 labels — but in a cozy, brick-walled café on 9th Street in Lawrence, that's already more than anyone was asking for.
The list leans French, which tracks with the café's whole European bohemian aesthetic. With 19 labels total, there's no room for sprawl, but the presence of something like the Château de Campuget Rosé Tradition from Costières de Nîmes suggests someone made deliberate choices here rather than just calling a Sysco rep. That said, the data only gives us a clear window into one producer, so we can't tell you whether the rest of the list holds up or quietly coasts on crowd-pleaser grocery-store fare. What we can say is the French anchor is a good sign in a college town where Kendall-Jackson often passes as fine dining.
Eight pours by the glass out of 19 labels is a solid ratio — nearly half the list is accessible without committing to a bottle. At $12 a glass, the entry point is reasonable for a downtown bar, though we'd love to see more rotation or a chalkboard special to keep things interesting. Right now it feels like the glass program was set once and hasn't been touched since.
Château de Campuget Rosé Tradition — $30
At $30 a bottle, this southern French rosé from Costières de Nîmes retails around $12, making the markup a genuinely fair 150% — respectable by restaurant standards. It's an easy-drinking, food-friendly pour that doesn't pretend to be something it's not, and at this price you can order a second bottle without wincing.
Château de Campuget Rosé Tradition
Most people coming to The Bourgeois Pig are ordering cocktails or coffee. The rosé gets overlooked, but it's actually the most honest value on the menu — a proper French rosé from a reliable southern Rhône producer, priced fairly, and perfectly suited to an afternoon on the patio.
Château de Campuget Rosé Tradition by the glass
At $12 a glass, you're paying the full retail price of the bottle for a single pour. The bottle at $30 is the smarter move if you're splitting it with anyone — the by-the-glass math just doesn't pencil out the way the bottle does.
Château de Campuget Rosé Tradition + House drink special on the patio
Okay, this one's more of a vibe than a food pairing — but sipping a chilled southern French rosé on The Bourgeois Pig's patio on a warm Lawrence evening is exactly the kind of simple pleasure this list was built for. It's casual, it's European, it works.
🎲 The Bottom Line
The Bourgeois Pig isn't a wine destination, but it's not trying to be — and that's what makes the wine list a pleasant surprise rather than an embarrassment. If you're in the neighborhood for coffee or cocktails and the mood strikes, the rosé is a legit pour at a fair price.
West Lawrence · Lawrence · American bar & grill
Set'em Up Jacks is a great sports bar that has absolutely no interest in being a wine destination, and that's fine — but don't come here thirsty for anything other than beer. Order the wings, grab a pint, and leave the wine list for the person who forgot to bring cash for a cocktail.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
MIA
Set & Forget
Acceptable
West Lawrence · Lawrence · Italian
Basil Leaf isn't a wine destination, but with half-price bottle nights on Thursdays and Sundays and markups that are genuinely fair, it's the rare neighborhood Italian where you won't resent your wine bill. Order the Chianti, get the pasta, come back on Sunday.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
University of Kansas Campus / The Oread · Lawrence · Rooftop Bar / American
Nest on Ninth is a view bar with a wine list that does its job without embarrassing itself — fair prices, recognizable pours, and nothing to get excited about. Come for the rooftop, order the AIX Rosé, and don't expect more than that.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
South Lawrence · Lawrence · Tex-Mex
Cactus Grill is genuinely fun for what it is — a casual Tex-Mex spot with solid food and good margaritas — but the wine list is purely ornamental. Come for the tacos, drink the cocktails, and don't overthink the wine.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown / Massachusetts Street · Lawrence · American Brewpub
Free State is a Kansas institution and one of the best craft beer experiences in the Midwest — come for the beer, stay for the burger, and leave the wine to someone else. The list is fine in the way a gas station sandwich is fine: it exists, it won't hurt you, but it's not why you're here.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown / Massachusetts Street · Lawrence · Wine Bar / New American Small Plates
Meadowlark is punching so far above its weight class for a college town wine bar that it almost feels unfair to the rest of Kansas. The list is small but the vision is sharp — if you're anywhere near Lawrence and care even a little about natural wine, you owe this place a visit.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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