The Pit
Whole-Hog BBQ With Surprisingly Honest Wine Prices
Downtown · Raleigh · Barbecue · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed March 21, 2026
Wingman Metrics
First Impression
You're standing in a converted meatpacking plant about to eat some of the best whole-hog barbecue in North Carolina — the last thing you expect is a wine list that doesn't rip you off. And yet, here we are. The Pit's wine program is short, approachable, and priced like they actually want you to order a bottle.
Selection Deep Dive
Nineteen labels isn't deep, and nobody's mistaking this for a wine bar — the list leans heavily California with a few Italian and French cameos to keep things honest. You've got your Pinot Grigios, your Cabs, your obligatory Malbec; nothing adventurous, but nothing embarrassing either. The Allegrini Palazzo Della Torre and La Maialina 'Gertrude' Toscana are the two bottles that suggest someone, somewhere, put a little thought into this. The rest is comfort-food wine for a comfort-food restaurant, and that's not necessarily a knock.
By the Glass
Fifteen of the nineteen bottles are available by the glass, which is a genuinely generous pour program for a barbecue joint. Prices run $9–$14, which is practically a civic service in 2024. There's no rotation or curation worth mentioning — what's on the list is what's on the list — but at these prices, experimentation costs you nothing.
Walnut Block Sauvignon Blanc — $12
This New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc retails for $15 and they're pouring it for $12 a glass. You're paying less than retail at a restaurant. That almost never happens. Crisp, grassy, cuts right through the fat of pulled pork.
Crémant du Jura Brut Comté
Most people at a BBQ spot are reaching for red or a beer, and that's exactly why you should order the Crémant. Jura sparkling wine at $10 a glass is a genuinely interesting pour — earthy, textured, not your average Prosecco — and it's criminally underordered here.
Purple Cowboy Red Blend
The name tells you everything you need to know. It's a marketing-first, liquid-second kind of wine that has no business sharing a list with the Allegrini. Skip it and spend one dollar more on something that tastes like it was made by someone who cares.
Cora Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo Rosé + Whole-hog pulled pork
A dry Italian rosé with enough acid and red-fruit backbone to stand up to smoky, fatty pork without getting lost in it. The Cerasuolo has more structure than your average pink wine and handles the vinegar-forward Eastern NC sauce like a champ.
🎲 The Bottom Line
The Pit isn't a wine destination, but it's playing a fairer game than most restaurants twice its price point — and the Crémant du Jura at a whole-hog BBQ joint is exactly the kind of absurd, delicious surprise we live for. Order the rosé, eat the pork, don't overthink it.
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