Holy ground for wine in Arkansas
Downtown / A Street · Bentonville · Contemporary American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed July 18, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed The Preacher's Son’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Walking into a converted church to find a 40-plus bottle wine list is not something you expect in Bentonville, Arkansas — and yet here we are. The space does most of the heavy lifting atmospherically, and the wine list holds up its end of the deal better than most restaurants in a three-state radius. This is a serious-ish wine program wearing a very charming costume.
The list pulls from all the right addresses — Willamette Valley, Rhône, Rioja, Piedmont, Médoc — without going so deep that the average table gets lost. Grochau Cellars Pinot Noir sitting next to La Rioja Alta Viña Alberdi Reserva is exactly the kind of pairing that signals someone actually thought this through. The Italian contingent is solid: Alois Lageder Pinot Grigio from Trentino-Alto Adige is a quality producer, and Indigenous Nebbiolo from Piedmont earns its spot. Where the list stumbles slightly is in depth — there are no real deep cuts, no grower Champagne, and the California presence leans toward the safe and approachable rather than exciting.
Eleven options by the glass is genuinely generous for a restaurant at this price point in this market. The spread runs from La Gioiosa Prosecco Superiore to Fossil Point Cabernet Sauvignon, which covers most bases a table will need. Glass prices running $14–$25 are on the steeper end without a dedicated sommelier to justify the premium, but the quality of producers on that list keeps it defensible.
La Rioja Alta Viña Alberdi Reserva, Rioja, Spain 2020 — Not publicly listed
Viña Alberdi is one of the most reliably over-delivering Riojas on the market — structured, age-worthy, and priced below its weight class at most restaurants. If the markup here is in line with the rest of the list, it's the smartest bottle you can order.
Paul Jaboulet Grenache Blanc/Viognier, Rhône, France 2023
White Rhône blends get ignored at almost every American restaurant table, and that's a shame. Grenache Blanc and Viognier together bring texture and aromatics that Chardonnay lovers will actually enjoy — and most people will walk right past it without a second look.
Fossil Point Cabernet Sauvignon, Paso Robles, California 2022
Fossil Point is a volume brand — fine wine, nothing offensive, but it's the kind of Cabernet that shows up on every mid-tier restaurant list in America. In a room this beautiful, with this many more interesting options available, ordering it feels like a missed opportunity.
Grochau Cellars Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon 2023 + Beef Ribeye
Oregon Pinot with a ribeye is a slightly unconventional call, but Grochau's version has enough structure and dark fruit to stand up to the fat in the beef while keeping things lighter than a big Cab would. It's the move for anyone who wants to be interesting without being difficult.
The Bottom Line
The Preacher's Son is the best wine list in Northwest Arkansas by a comfortable margin, and it would be a respectable list in most major cities. The markup keeps it from sainthood, but if you're eating here, you're already spending money — lean into the Rioja or the Rhône blanc and don't look back.
· Bentonville · Brazilian steakhouse
If you're coming to Texas de Brazil Bentonville for wine, recalibrate your expectations before you walk in. Three labels — two of which are bubbles — is not a wine program, it's a placeholder. Order the Cristal if you're celebrating something and don't mind the price, otherwise stick to whatever cocktails they're pouring and save your wine night for somewhere that's actually thought about it.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Bentonville · Champagne & wine bar
Muselet is a genuine anomaly — a focused, knowledgeable Champagne bar in northwest Arkansas with grower producers, subregion organization, and pricing that doesn't punish you for caring about wine. If you're anywhere near Bentonville, this is the stop. If you're not near Bentonville, it might be worth reconsidering your route.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Bentonville · Cafe & Wine Bar
The Meteor is exactly the kind of wine-forward wild card that Bentonville didn't know it needed — it's not trying to be a serious wine destination, but it's trying harder than most places its size, and that counts for something. Send a friend here for a casual glass before dinner, not for a deep-dive cellar experience.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Bentonville · New American / Seasonal
Conifer is doing something genuinely unusual for Arkansas: a tightly curated, white-wine-forward list with real range and fair pricing. If you're used to restaurants treating wine as an afterthought, this one will catch you off guard in the best way.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Bentonville · New American / Wine Bar
Bar Cleeta is the kind of wine bar that shouldn't exist in Bentonville, Arkansas — and yet here it is, pouring Silvaner and Catarratto by the glass at prices that don't insult you. Send your adventurous friends here without hesitation.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Bentonville · New American
The Hive is doing more with a wine list than most restaurants in markets twice the size of Bentonville — fair prices, genuine range, and a Champagne section that earns respect. If you're in NW Arkansas and care about what's in your glass, this is your spot.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Toledo · Contemporary American
Sabira has built something genuinely worth noticing for Toledo: a compact, mostly European list that takes real swings with appellations like Grasparossa di Castelvetro and Vernaccia di San Gimignano. Pricing data isn't available to us, and the BTG program is unclear — so call ahead or ask on arrival. If the staff knows this list as well as whoever curated it seems to, this is an easy recommendation for anyone tired of the same regional Chardonnay-and-Cab circuit.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Sarasota · Sarasota · Contemporary American
A one-page list that mixes Greek, Italian and French bottles with Cristal, Taittinger and Laurent-Perrier Champagnes, and posts many prices as two unlabeled numbers. Start with the Gai'a Assyrtiko (70 / 17) alongside the wood-fired octopus, or take the Les Girelles Picpoul (48 / 12) on a Tuesday, when the list says bottles at $99 and less are half off (bubbles and Champagne excluded). This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups, and the list carries no printed date, so confirm current availability and ask which number is the glass.
Unknown · Salt Lake City · Contemporary American
A bottle-only list that runs from $57 to $1,988, with no by-the-glass section posted. Start with the 2020 CVNE Crianza at $57/bottle or the 2013 López de Heredia at $145/bottle, and confirm today's list because it carries no print date. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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