Southern Charm With a Napa Name-Drop Problem
Downtown Franklin · Franklin · New American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 12, 2026
RagingWine reviewed The Honeysuckle House’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The Honeysuckle House comes out swinging with 65 labels and names like Opus One and Pol Roger on the list, which sounds impressive until you realize this is a mall-adjacent New American spot where the real star is the cocktail program. The wine list feels curated by someone who Googled 'famous wines' and ordered accordingly — recognizable, safe, and priced for people who won't question it.
There's a predictable scaffolding here: a Champagne section anchored by Pol Roger and Taittinger, a white wine lineup that checks the expected boxes (Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc, Ch. Ste. Michelle Riesling, Pascal Jolivet Sancerre), and a red section that leans hard on big California names — Caymus, Silver Oak, Opus One, and their second label Overture. The bright spots are a Speri Amarone Classico 2009 from Veneto and d'Arenberg's Dead Arm Shiraz from McLaren Vale, which suggest someone on staff has at least wandered outside Napa Valley once. What's missing: anything from Spain, anything under $40 that actually excites, and any real exploration of Oregon or the Pacific Northwest beyond a token appearance.
By-the-glass specifics are thin — we know the happy hour program runs $4 select pours on weekdays from 3 to 5pm, but the full glass menu isn't published. That $4 house wine during happy hour is a deal by any measure in Franklin, Tennessee, even if the pours are almost certainly entry-level. Outside of that window, expect standard restaurant glass pricing that doesn't do you any favors.
Dr. L Riesling, Mosel, Germany 2016 — $4 (happy hour)
If the Dr. L lands in the happy hour rotation, it's a no-brainer — Loosen's entry-level Riesling punches well above its price point with that signature Mosel tension between sweet and tart. Even at full price it tends to be fairly marked up in this context, but catching it at $4 is genuinely worth showing up at 3pm for.
Speri Amarone Classico, Veneto, Italy 2009
Everyone at the table is ordering Caymus or Silver Oak on autopilot, and almost nobody is looking at the Speri. That's a mistake. Speri is one of Valpolicella's most serious old-school producers, and a 2009 Amarone with this much bottle age is genuinely rare to find on a Franklin, Tennessee wine list. If the price isn't completely absurd, this is the move.
Opus One, Napa Valley 2012
Opus One on a restaurant list is almost always a trap, and this is no exception. The markup on a prestige Napa Cabernet blend in a casual galleria restaurant is going to be punishing — you're paying for the label, not the experience. Save Opus One for a venue that stores it properly, serves it in the right glass, and has staff who can actually talk you through it.
Molly Dooker Shiraz Blue Eyed Boy, McLaren Vale 2016 + Shrimp and Grits
Molly Dooker's Blue Eyed Boy is a big, fruit-forward McLaren Vale Shiraz with enough body and spice to stand up to a rich, buttery shrimp and grits without bulldozing the dish. The wine's jammy dark fruit plays against the smoky, savory notes you'd expect from a Southern preparation — it's a bigger pairing than most would reach for here, and that's exactly why it works.
Monday-Friday — Happy hour runs 3pm-5pm with $4 select wines, $5 well drinks, 2-for-1 drafts, and $6 martinis.
✔️ The Bottom Line
The Honeysuckle House is a fine enough place to drink wine with dinner in Franklin, but the list exists to impress at a glance rather than to reward anyone actually thinking about what they're drinking. Show up during happy hour, grab the Dr. L if it's available, and don't let anyone talk you into the Opus One.
Cool Springs · Franklin · Steakhouse
Perry's Cool Springs is a reliable night out if someone else is paying, but the wine list is doing the bare minimum — crowd-pleasing producers, steep markups, and a noticeable lack of anything that earns its price on merit alone. Stick to Social Hour if you want to drink well without the sticker shock.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Proper
Cool Springs · Franklin · Upscale Steakhouse
Ruth's Chris Franklin is a reliable wine execution at a chain price point — nobody's going home unhappy, but nobody's going home with a story either. Go on a Wednesday, hit the half-price bottle promotion, and drink better than the menu's markup would otherwise allow.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Proper
Cool Springs · Franklin · Italian Chain
The wine list at Olive Garden Franklin is a corporate checklist, not a wine program — the markups are steep for what you're getting, the selection hasn't taken a risk in its life, and the best move is honestly to order a cocktail or just lean hard into the breadsticks. If you're committed to wine, grab the Chianti and don't look back.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Cool Springs · Franklin · Steakhouse Chain
Outback Franklin's wine list is competent in the way a rental car is competent — it gets you where you're going, but you're not going to talk about it later. Order the steak, consider a cocktail, and save the serious bottle for somewhere that actually cares.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Cool Springs · Franklin · Steakhouse, Classic American
Sperry's Cool Springs is a dependable steakhouse wine list that doesn't ask much of you — and doesn't ask much of itself either. Come on a Monday, grab a bottle at half price, order the ribeye, and you'll have a genuinely good night without overthinking it.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
Cool Springs · Franklin · Asian fusion / Chinese-inspired chain restaurant
P.F. Chang's Cool Springs is here to feed a crowd, not to impress a wine drinker. The list is fine the way an airport moving walkway is fine — it gets you somewhere, but nobody's excited about it. If you're eating here, pick something by the glass, keep it simple, and save the serious wine for a different night.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Columbia Center · Kennewick · New American
Twigs is a martini bar that happens to have two wines on the menu — send your wine-loving friends here only if they're on a cocktail kick or showing up on a Wednesday with low expectations. The Columbia Valley deserves better representation in its own backyard.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Occasional
Acceptable
Canal Park · Duluth · New American
Lake Avenue is exactly what a neighborhood-adjacent Canal Park restaurant should be on wine — fair, thoughtful enough, and with a Wednesday half-price program that makes it genuinely worth planning around. It's not a wine destination, but it's a reliable companion to a solid meal.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
Funk Zone · Santa Barbara · New American
The Lark is a reliable, locally-minded wine program that plays to its strengths without overreaching. If you're eating in the Funk Zone and want to drink something that actually comes from the county you're sitting in, this is a solid call.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
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