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.
· Franklin · Steakhouse
Char is a genuinely enjoyable steakhouse with a wine list that does the job without doing much more. The room earns its keep; the wine program is still a passenger rather than a co-pilot. If you're coming here for the Prime beef and the atmosphere, you'll eat well — just don't expect the list to take you anywhere the food isn't already going. Worth a visit, but bring your own expectations in check at the wine menu.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Franklin · Asian Street Food
Hawkers Franklin is doing more with twelve bottles than most casual chains do with thirty. The white-heavy, aromatic-leaning list is clearly built with the food in mind — even if it was done at the corporate level rather than by someone in this specific kitchen. If you're eating here, lean into the Gamay or Vinho Verde and skip the impulse to order Cab. It won't change your life, but it'll make dinner better.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Franklin · Seafood
If you're here for wine, you're at the wrong restaurant — but the pricing is honest and the Sauvignon Blanc won't ruin your dinner. Order a cocktail and save your wine energy for somewhere that cares.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Franklin · Italian
This is a chain wine list doing exactly what chain wine lists do — keeping it safe, keeping it recognizable, and marking it up just enough to pad margins. Drink here because you're having dinner, not because you're having wine.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Franklin · Franklin · Hotel Restaurant / Southern
1799 is a solid option when you're already staying at The Harpeth or dining for the atmosphere — the Southern food looks genuinely good and the room earns its upscale-casual reputation. But if wine is your reason for going out, Franklin has better options; this list is there to serve the food, not the other way around.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Franklin · Italian
Pelato Franklin isn't going to make wine pilgrims drive down from Nashville, but it's doing more than the Italian-suburban average — an orange wine, some solid regional Italian whites, and a few California names that earn their spot. Come for the food, stay curious about the list.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· San Jose · New American
The Lexington House is doing more with its wine list than it gets credit for — that Italian section alone beats most comparable spots in the South Bay. The near-total absence of by-the-glass options is a frustrating structural gap, and the familiar crowd-pleasers in the New World section drag the overall ambition down a notch. But if you're ordering a bottle and you know to head straight for the Italian reds or the Director Picks, you'll drink well here.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
McGregor Boulevard · Fort Myers · New American
A wine list that tells you what is in the glass but not what it costs. For a steak, start with the Chappellet Signature Cabernet or the Gigondas, and ask the server for prices and by-the-glass availability since the list posts none. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Atlanta · Atlanta · New American
Trade Root plays it safe and charges for the privilege — markups lean steep and the list won't surprise anyone who's eaten at a mid-to-upscale American restaurant in the last decade. That said, 24 by-the-glass options anchored by a Coravin program gives you genuine flexibility, and the August Kesseler Riesling and Louis Latour Mâcon-Lugny are legit finds in an otherwise predictable lineup. If you need wine that won't cause a debate at the table, Trade Root delivers — just don't come looking for discovery.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
List Variety
Markup
Glassware
Staff
Specials & Deals
Storage & Temp
