Cedar Park's Surprisingly Deep Wine Rabbit Hole
Cedar Park · Round Rock · Wine Bar & New American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · August 27, 2026
RagingWine reviewed The Grove Wine Bar & Kitchen’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Walk in expecting a suburban wine bar with a Kendall-Jackson problem, and you'll be pleasantly surprised. The list skews international in ways that Cedar Park has no business pulling off — Sardinian Vermentino, Austrian Grüner, Galician Godello, French Crémant. This is someone's passion project, not a corporate checkbox.
Sixty-four labels with a heavy white-wine lean and genuine geographic curiosity. The Italian section alone hits Sardinia (Surrau), Piedmont (Enrico Serafino Gavi), and Sicily (Planeta Grillo) — not the usual Pinot Grigio-only Italian lazy list. The Loire Valley shows up twice with solid producers, Loire's Hubert Brochard representing Sancerre and the Gaspard Touraine offering an accessible entry point. On the red side, the selection thins out compared to whites, but a Julien Cecillon Rhône Syrah and a Surrau Cannonau from Sardinia keep things interesting. The Cab heavy-hitters are present but not dominant, which is a choice we respect.
Fifty-two by-the-glass options is a genuinely wild number for a restaurant this size — the BTG program is clearly the point. The list is organized into flights by style rather than region, which makes it approachable for anyone who doesn't spend their weekends reading wine maps. Prices run $6.50 to $26 a glass, which keeps experimentation low-risk.
Planeta Grillo 'La Segreta' 2023 — $39
Planeta is a household name in Sicilian wine, and this Grillo consistently overdelivers for the price. At $39 a bottle, you're getting a textured, food-friendly white from one of the island's best producers without paying the premium their top labels command.
Emilio Moro Godello 'Polvorete' 2024
Emilio Moro is best known for Ribera del Duero reds, so seeing their Galician Godello on a Cedar Park wine list is genuinely unexpected. Godello is one of Spain's most underrated white grapes — mineral, structured, nothing like the fruit-bomb whites most people order on autopilot. Worth every bit of the $49 ask.
Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon 2022
At $66 a bottle, you're paying a significant premium for a brand name that Costco moves by the pallet. The list has more interesting reds at lower prices — the Mondavi is here for guests who want a comfort label, not for anyone actually trying to drink well.
Julien Cecillon Syrah 'Les Graviers' 2024 + Charcuterie Board
A Northern Rhône-style Syrah with savory, peppery character is a natural with cured meats and aged cheeses. The Cecillon has the kind of earthy grip that makes a charcuterie spread sing — and at $50 a bottle it's the move if you're settling in for a long evening.
The Bottom Line
The Grove is doing something genuinely ambitious for the suburbs — a BTG program this wide and a selection this international deserves your attention. Send a curious friend here and tell them to skip the Mondavi.
The Domain · Round Rock · Steakhouse
Fleming's The Domain is a reliable, polished corporate wine program — the 43-glass pour options and some quietly interesting whites (Loosen Bros., Abadía de San Campio, Lucien Albrecht) give it more range than the steakhouse chain label implies. Markups run steep, especially on the sparkling side, so go in with eyes open and steer toward the underordered stuff. Send a friend here if they want a safe, well-executed wine experience with their ribeye — just don't expect any real surprises.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Avery Ranch · Round Rock · Italian / Pizza
Tony C's Avery Ranch earns its place as a reliable neighborhood wine option with a thoughtful Italian core and fair pricing that won't make you regret ordering a bottle. It's not a wine destination, but it's genuinely better than it has to be, and that counts for something.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Round Rock · Round Rock · Italian
North Italia Round Rock doesn't break any new ground, but the Italian-leaning selection, fair bottle pricing, and massive by-the-glass count make it a reliable dinner option for anyone who wants a real wine alongside their pasta. Send your friends here — just steer them away from the Duckhorn.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Round Rock · Modern American
Grey Orchard isn't trying to be a wine destination, but the list punches above its 18-label weight class — fair prices, smart glass pour access, and the RARA bottles keeping things interesting. If you're in Round Rock and want a thoughtful glass over dinner without a lot of drama, this works.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown/North Round Rock · Round Rock · Mexican
La Margarita is a perfectly good Mexican restaurant that has simply decided wine is not its problem. Order a margarita, enjoy your chips, and leave the wine list alone.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
La Frontera · Round Rock · Italian
Macaroni Grill's wine list is functional in the same way a vending machine is functional — it'll get you a drink, but nobody's excited about it. If wine matters to you even a little, you're better off at almost any independent Italian spot in the area.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Evanston · Evanston · Wine Bar & New American
Lush is doing something genuinely unusual in the Chicago suburbs: stocking a 382-label list heavy on oxidative wines, meads, and fortified pours that you won't find at 95% of restaurants in any city. The pricing is honest and the by-the-glass program is serious. If your dinner companion is game to let you order something they've never heard of, this is exactly the right room for it.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· San Francisco · Wine Bar & New American
Ungrafted is not for the indecisive or the wine-by-committee crowd — it's for people who want someone to just tell them what's good and trust that they've thought about it. Six bottles, confidently chosen, is a flex when it works, and here it mostly does.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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