Nice Glassware Won't Save a Thin List
· Glendale · Modern American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · August 19, 2026
RagingWine reviewed The Lola’s wine list and gave it The Lazy List — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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Wingman Metrics
Seventeen labels. That's not a wine list — that's a wine paragraph. The Lola's program reads like someone handed a manager a distributor's starter pack and called it a day. There's nothing offensive here, but there's nothing interesting either.
The list splits cleanly into three buckets: Terrazas and Smoke Tree doing budget duty, Newton doing Napa prestige, and a sparkling section that somehow includes four labels, two of which are Moët variants. The reds are the weakest corner — a Malbec, a Cab, and a Pinot Noir, full stop. No Syrah, no Zinfandel, no Italian, no Spanish, nothing that suggests anyone with a palate made the call. Cape Mentelle shows up twice (a Sauvignon Blanc and a Semillon), which is the only moment the list hints at curiosity, but it's undercut by Canyon Road Moscato sitting two slots away. The geographic spread looks global on paper — Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, France, California — but it's wide and shallow, not deep.
Thirteen of seventeen bottles are available by the glass, which sounds generous until you realize the list is only seventeen bottles deep. At $8–$25 a glass, the pricing climbs fast on the better pours — the Newton Unfiltered Chardonnay and Cabernet both sit at $150 a bottle, which means you're likely paying a premium by the glass too. The sparkling by-the-glass option is Chandon at $12, which is the sanest price on the board.
Chandon Sparkling Wine — $12/glass
It's not a flex, but $12 for a Napa-made sparkling from Moët's American house is a fair pour when every other glass option trends steep. Easy crowd-pleaser and the most honest price on the menu.
Cape Mentelle Semillon
Nobody orders Semillon at a Modern American restaurant in Glendale, which makes it the most interesting thing on this list by default. Margaret River Semillon has real texture and longevity — it's a left-field choice that actually rewards curiosity, if the staff can even find it on the menu.
Moët Agave Nectar Champagne
At $180 a bottle, this is the most expensive wine on the list — and it's a sweetened Champagne novelty product. That's the kind of markup that exists purely because people recognize the Moët name. Pass.
Newton Unfiltered Cabernet Sauvignon + A hearty meat entrée
The Newton Unfiltered Cab is the one bottle on this list with actual weight and structure. It needs something rich to meet it — a steak, a braise, anything with fat and char. It's expensive for what it is here, but if you're going bottles, at least go all the way.
The Bottom Line
The Lola isn't trying to be a wine destination, and the list makes that perfectly clear. If you're eating here, order the Chandon to start, pick the Cape Mentelle Semillon if you want to feel something, and budget the rest of your enthusiasm for the food.
VAI Resort · Glendale · Rooftop Bar / Small Plates
Amara Rooftop is a place you go for the view and a cocktail — the wine list is an afterthought dressed up in a resort price tag. If wine is your thing, drink something fun downstairs and come up here for the sunset.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
VAI Resort · Glendale · Mediterranean / New American
Cala isn't where you go to have your wine mind blown, but it's a competent, Mediterranean-focused list with enough range to drink well through dinner — and the Tignanello alone is reason enough to look past the resort pricing tax. Send a friend here knowing they'll be fine; just steer them away from the Santa Margherita.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Westgate Entertainment District · Glendale · American gastropub / bar & grill
Bar Louie Westgate is a perfectly fine place to drink beer and watch a game — the wine list is an afterthought and everyone involved seems to know it. If wine is your thing, order a cocktail and come back to the wine conversation at a different restaurant.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Westgate Entertainment District · Glendale · Japanese & Sushi
Kabuki Westgate is a fun spot for sushi and cocktails on a Cardinals game night — just don't come for the wine list. Order a sake flight instead and save yourself the markup.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Glendale · Glendale · Pizza, American Gastropub
Desert Rose is a genuinely fun neighborhood spot with a patio worth sitting on — just don't come here for the wine list. Order a craft beer or a cocktail, enjoy the pizza, and save your wine curiosity for somewhere that earned it.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Arrowhead Ranch / Union Hills · Glendale · Wine Bar
Turquoise Wine Bar is the kind of place that earns its Wild Card badge honestly — not by being weird for weird's sake, but by curating a genuinely curious list in a zip code that didn't ask for one. Send your wine-curious friends here; they'll leave with something new to talk about.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Healdsburg · Sonoma · Modern American
Valette is the wine country restaurant experience done right — deeply local, properly staffed, and serious about what's in the glass, even if the markups ask you to pay for the zip code. Send your friends here if they're already in Healdsburg; just tell them to skip the Phelps.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Annapolis Towne Centre · Annapolis · Modern American
Cooper's Hawk Annapolis is exactly what it is — a well-run, corporate winery restaurant where the wine list exists entirely in-house and the experience is built for people who want wine to be easy, not educational. Send your parents here without hesitation; send your wine-obsessed friend somewhere else.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
Downtown / Penn Square · Lancaster · Modern American
Plough isn't a destination wine list, but it's a fair and functional one — honest pricing, decent glass selection, and just enough global range to keep things interesting. If you're in Lancaster for the food and the vibe, the wine program won't let you down; just don't come expecting to be surprised.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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