Bismarck's Self-Pour Secret Nobody Talks About
Downtown · Bismarck · Wine Bar, Contemporary American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 15, 2026
RagingWine reviewed The Jousting Lemur’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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Wingman Metrics
Walk into a wine bar in Bismarck, North Dakota and find 28 wines on tap — yeah, we did a double take too. The self-pour model means you're in full control, which is either liberating or terrifying depending on your self-restraint. Either way, the setup is modern, the vibe is relaxed, and the list is doing things we didn't expect from a landlocked Great Plains city.
Twenty-eight rotating taps covering Mosel Riesling Spätlese, Austrian Grüner Veltliner, Provençal rosé, Vouvray, and a Vermentino from Bolgheri is not what you expect when you roll into downtown Bismarck — and that's entirely the point. The Old World game is quietly solid: Bollig-Lehnert Goldtröpfchen, Allegrini Valpolicella, Marc Brédif Vouvray, and Poggio al Tesoro's Solosole Vermentino are genuinely interesting pours that most wine bars in much larger cities skip entirely. The New World side is a little more mainstream — Benziger Cab, Prophecy Pinot, 19 Crimes Rosé — but those crowd-pleasers help balance a list that still punches well above its zip code. The gaps are real: no sparkling, no bubbly at all, and the red selection skews toward accessible rather than ambitious.
The entire program is by the glass, self-poured by the ounce, which means you can taste three wines in the time it takes your server to bring a bottle somewhere else. Pricing runs $8–$18 per glass depending on what you're pouring, and the rotating nature of the taps keeps things fresh enough that repeat visits stay interesting. It's a smart model for a curious drinker who wants to explore without committing.
Biokult Grüner Veltliner, Austria — $8-$10/glass
Austrian Grüner on tap in North Dakota at self-pour prices is genuinely absurd in the best way. Peppery, crisp, and food-friendly — this is the kind of wine that costs twice this at a proper wine bar in a coastal city.
Bollig-Lehnert Goldtröpfchen Riesling Spätlese, Germany
Most people walk past the Riesling and grab a Cab. That's a mistake. Goldtröpfchen is one of the Mosel's great vineyards and Bollig-Lehnert is a serious producer — this is a legitimately special pour that almost no one at this price point is offering by the ounce.
Tisdale Sweet Red, California
It's the one wine on this list that feels like it wandered in from a grocery store endcap. With 27 other options available, there's zero reason to fill your card with this one.
Poggio al Tesoro 'Solosole' Vermentino, Italy + Charcuterie Board
Solosole is bright, saline, and slightly herbaceous — it cuts through fatty cured meats and plays off the acid in pickled accompaniments without overwhelming anything. It's the wine the charcuterie board was waiting for.
🎲 The Bottom Line
The Jousting Lemur is the wine bar that has no business being this interesting in Bismarck, and we mean that as the highest possible compliment. If you're passing through or lucky enough to live nearby, this self-pour setup with a rotating cast of legitimate Old World producers is worth your time and your ounces.
North Bismarck · Bismarck · Japanese Steakhouse & Sushi
Kobe's is a fun night out for the hibachi show and the sushi — just don't expect the wine list to be part of that fun. Order a Japanese beer, grab the house pour if you need wine, and save the serious drinking for somewhere else.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
North Bismarck · Bismarck · Seafood
The wine list is exactly what you'd expect from a national chain — minimal effort, minimal reward. The $5 pours keep it from being a total write-off, but you're not coming to Red Lobster Bismarck for the wine, and nobody expects you to.
Crowd Pleasers
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown · Bismarck · Fine Dining Bar
For Bismarck, Pirogue Grille is doing respectable work — familiar producers, reasonable variety, and a glass program that won't leave you stranded. Just go in knowing the markups are steep, pick your battles, and let the 'J' Pinot or Sokol Blosser do the heavy lifting.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Northwest Bismarck · Bismarck · Pub / Bar Food
Old Town Tavern is a solid neighborhood pub that happens to have wine on the menu — emphasis on 'happens to.' Come for the steak dinner and the patio, order a beer or a cocktail, and treat the $5 Coastal Vines as a convenience, not a destination.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
North Bismarck · Bismarck · Italian Chain
Olive Garden Bismarck is a fine place to eat breadsticks and catch up with family. It is not a fine place to drink wine — the list is predictable, the markups are punishing, and nobody here is losing sleep over the cellar. Order the Riesling or the Chianti Classico, skip everything else, and save the serious bottle for a different night.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
North Bismarck · Bismarck · Steakhouse & Seafood
40 Steak + Seafood is doing exactly what a North Bismarck steakhouse should do with wine — safe, recognizable, and reasonably well-stocked — but don't come here looking for adventure or value. Come for the ribeye, pick Jordan or Goldeneye, and call it a win.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.