The Commoner

The wine list at The Commoner fits the room — approachable, not trying too hard, with enough range to keep things interesting past the first glass. It's not a destination list, but for a warm gastropub tucked into a hotel on William Penn Place, it holds its own. Flip through and you'll find familiar names next to some legitimately interesting picks you wouldn't expect.

The list spans Italy, California, France, Oregon, and New Zealand across 40-60 bottles, which is respectable for a gastropub setting. Italy shows up well — Ca'del Baio's Dolcetto d'Alba and Cantina Mesa's Cannonau from Sardinia are the kinds of regional picks that signal someone actually thought about this list. California leans on the expected anchors (Duckhorn, Siduri), and France gets a nod via Louis Jadot and Laurent-Perrier. The gaps are real — no German whites, no Spanish reds to speak of, and the Southern Hemisphere is basically just Mohua holding down the fort — but what's here works.

Ten-plus options by the glass is solid, with prices ranging from $13 to $40, which is a wide enough spread to meet most budgets at the table. The glass list pulls from the best parts of the bottle list — Siduri Willamette Pinot, Marotti Campi Verdicchio, Cantina Mesa Cannonau — so you're not stuck with generic pours. No obvious rotation program in place, which is a missed opportunity, but the standing lineup is better than most gastropubs in its tier.