Gulf Oysters Deserve Better Than Kim Crawford
Fern Avenue / Southeast Shreveport · Shreveport · Elevated Louisiana Seafood & Oyster Bar · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · June 30, 2026
RagingWine reviewed The Pearl Shreveport’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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Wingman Metrics
The Pearl is a genuinely good-looking oyster bar — the kind of place that makes you want to order a dozen on the half shell and settle in. The wine list, though, reads like it was assembled by someone who typed 'what wines do people like' into Google and called it a day. Recognizable names everywhere, no real surprises.
California and New Zealand do the heavy lifting here, with a Pacific Northwest cameo and a nod toward France — but don't expect anything that'll make you stop mid-sip. The list leans heavily on mass-market crowd-pleasers: Meiomi, Kim Crawford, Oyster Bay, La Marca. There's nothing wrong with any of these wines, but they're the same labels you'll find at every chain steakhouse from here to Houston. Duckhorn is the lone producer that signals someone, somewhere, cared a little more. The seafood-forward menu deserves brighter, more mineral-driven choices — a Muscadet, a proper Chablis, even a Vermentino would sing next to those Gulf oysters.
The glass program runs an estimated 10–16 options, which is a decent spread for Shreveport. Wine Wednesdays drop select house pours and sparkling to $5 all day, which is the most interesting thing happening on this list — show up on a Wednesday, order the La Marca Prosecco, and eat oysters until you lose track of time. Outside of that promo, pricing details are thin, but the format suggests approachable rather than ambitious.
La Marca Prosecco — $5
On Wine Wednesdays, this is a no-brainer. La Marca is clean, lightly toasty, and genuinely good with raw oysters. Five dollars for a glass of bubbles at an oyster bar is exactly the kind of deal worth building your week around.
Duckhorn Sauvignon Blanc
Most people at this table are reaching for the Kim Crawford out of habit. Don't. Duckhorn's Sauvignon Blanc is rounder, more textured, and holds up against chargrilled oysters in a way the New Zealand stuff doesn't. It's the only bottle on this list that suggests a wine buyer with actual opinions.
Meiomi Pinot Noir
A big, jammy, slightly sweet California Pinot at an oyster bar is a mismatch on every level. Meiomi is fine at a Super Bowl party. Here, it fights the brine and the butter and loses. Save yourself the confusion and stay in the white and sparkling lane.
Duckhorn Sauvignon Blanc + Chargrilled Oysters
The richness of chargrilled oysters — all that butter and garlic — needs a wine with enough body to stand up but enough acidity to cut through. Duckhorn's Sauvignon Blanc threads that needle. Kim Crawford goes too sharp; Meiomi is hopeless. This is the move.
The Bottom Line
The Pearl is a genuinely fun seafood spot with a wine list that's content to coast on familiar names — it won't let you down, but it won't surprise you either. Come for the oysters and the Wednesday bubbles deal; don't come expecting the wine program to match the kitchen's ambition.
East Shreveport / Fern Avenue · Shreveport · Louisiana / Cajun-Creole
Frank's isn't a destination wine list, but it's not trying to be — it's a solid neighborhood pour that gets the job done and occasionally surprises you with something like that Santenay. Send a friend here for dinner; just steer them toward the French side of the list.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown / Red River District · Shreveport · Upscale Steakhouse & Seafood
Jimmy's is a perfectly functional steakhouse wine list for a perfectly functional casino steakhouse — it'll get the job done on a business dinner or a special occasion, but don't come expecting to discover anything. Order the Jordan, skip the Caymus, and save the wine exploration for somewhere else.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Fern Avenue / Southern Hills · Shreveport · Neapolitan-style pizzeria and Italian restaurant
Frank's is a Wild Card in the best way — a casual Shreveport pizza spot that built an Italian-focused list with actual intention behind it. We'd send a friend here for wine without hesitation, with the standing instruction to order the Falanghina and stop second-guessing themselves.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Line Avenue / South Highlands · Shreveport · Tex-Mex
Superior Grill is the Wild Card precisely because nobody expects a Tex-Mex place on Line Avenue to stock Cakebread and Merry Edwards alongside a $6 house pour — but here we are. Tuesday half-price wine at the bar is one of the better deals in Shreveport, full stop.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
Line Avenue / East Shreveport · Shreveport · Mediterranean / New American
Bella Fresca is doing more with five bottles than most Shreveport spots do with fifty, but a wine program this thin can't fully carry a chef's table concept. Come for the food, order the Languedoc, and hope they expand the list soon.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
North Bossier · Shreveport · Steakhouse Bar
2Johns is the real deal for this corner of Louisiana — a wine list with actual ambition, fair glass prices, and staff who know what's on it. If you're eating steak in the Shreveport-Bossier area, this is where you want to be drinking.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Occasional
Proper
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