Church Pews, 250 Labels, Zero Apologies
Bentonville · Fayetteville · New American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 13, 2026
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 →
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Wingman Metrics
You walk into a converted church in northwest Arkansas and get handed a 250-label wine list — that's the whole premise, and it works. The setting alone earns a double-take, but the list backs it up with Sassicaia, Egon Müller, and Pahlmeyer sitting alongside approachable crowd pleasers. This is not the wine program you expect to find between Walmart HQ and a Cracker Barrel.
The list leans hard into Tuscany, Napa, and the Mosel, and it does all three with genuine conviction — Sassicaia 2019 and Pahlmeyer's Proprietary Red are legitimate trophy bottles, not just name-drops. The Egon Müller Scharzhofberger Riesling Kabinett showing up in Bentonville is quietly remarkable; that wine barely makes it to major city restaurant lists. Gaps exist — if you want natural wine, Burgundy depth, or South American options, you'll be hunting — but the anchor regions are handled with real seriousness. A sommelier is on staff, and you can tell: this list has a point of view.
Twenty-two by-the-glass options is a generous pour program, ranging from $13 to $25 a glass, with enough spread across white, red, and presumably sparkling to keep a table happy without committing to a bottle. The program feels curated rather than just default Chardonnay-and-Cab territory, though we'd love to see more rotation to keep regulars on their toes. At the top end of the glass pour range, you're getting into genuinely interesting territory.
Rombauer Chardonnay 2022 — $72
A 60% markup is the most restrained pricing on the list — everything else runs 85% to 133% over retail. Rombauer is a known quantity that overdelivers for the crowd that loves big, buttery Chardonnay, and at $72 versus the $85-$110 alternatives, it's where the math makes the most sense.
Egon Müller Scharzhofberger Riesling Kabinett
Most tables here are ordering Napa Cab and Chardonnay, which means this bottle sits quietly on the list waiting for someone to notice it. Egon Müller is one of the most revered Riesling producers on the planet, and the Kabinett is the entry point into that world — electric acidity, orchard fruit, and a weight that makes it one of the most food-friendly wines you'll drink all year.
Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc 2023
A 127% markup on a $15 retail bottle puts this at $34 — the worst value math on the list. Kim Crawford is a perfectly fine grocery store Sauvignon Blanc, but paying $34 for it in a restaurant with an Egon Müller on the same list is a miss. Order literally anything else.
Flowers Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2021 + Smoked Pork Belly
Flowers Sonoma Coast Pinot brings enough red fruit and earthy lift to cut through the fat in the pork belly without fighting the smoke. It's a classically structured California Pinot that actually earns its place at the table here rather than just riding the label.
The Bottom Line
The Preacher's Son is the most surprising wine program in Arkansas — full stop — and the converted church setting makes it one of the more memorable places to drink in the South. The markups will sting on the mid-tier bottles, but a sommelier-driven list of 250 labels with Egon Müller and Sassicaia in Bentonville is worth the trip.
Uptown / Steele Crossing · Fayetteville · Upscale casual seafood and American grill
Bonefish Grill in Fayetteville is a perfectly competent chain wine experience — you won't be offended, but you won't be excited either. If you're here for the seafood and just want something cold and reasonable in your glass, it gets the job done; just don't expect the wine list to be the reason you come back.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
North College Avenue · Fayetteville · Steakhouse / American
Texas Roadhouse is a perfectly fine place to eat a steak and drink a beer or a frozen margarita — that is what it was built for. The wine list is an afterthought bolted onto a concept that does not need it, and you should treat it accordingly.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
MIA
Set & Forget
Acceptable
North College Avenue · Fayetteville · Italian / Pizzeria
Bocca isn't trying to be a wine destination, and the list makes no pretense otherwise — but it's priced fairly, it's Italian through and through, and it does exactly what a neighborhood pizzeria wine list should do. Send your friends here for dinner, not for a wine education.
Plays It Safe
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown / Dickson Street · Fayetteville · Lounge / Wine & Cocktail Bar
Theo's is the rare Fayetteville spot where you can order wine without second-guessing yourself — the list is small, honest, and fairly priced for what it is. Send your friends here for a date night; just don't expect them to come back with a wine education.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
North College Avenue · Fayetteville · Modern Ozark / Contemporary American
Mockingbird Kitchen is a reliable neighborhood dinner spot where the wine list does its job without embarrassing anyone. Come for the food, drink what's in front of you, and don't expect a revelation in the glass.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
East of Fayetteville · Fayetteville · Winery / Event Venue
Sassafras Springs is not a destination for serious wine hunters, but it's absolutely a destination — a genuinely pleasant Arkansas vineyard making real wines at real prices in a setting that earns its reputation. Send your friends out on a Wednesday and tell them to order the Syrah.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
7th Ave / Dolores · Carmel By The Sea · New American
Seventh & Dolores isn't a destination wine list, but it's a respectable one that at least knows where it is geographically. Come for the steak, order the Wrath, and don't expect to go down any rabbit holes.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Vail · Vail · New American
Vin48 is a genuinely surprising wine program hiding inside a Colorado ski resort, and if you're a wine-first diner passing through Vail, it absolutely warrants a stop. The markups reflect the zip code more than we'd like, but the depth and curation of the list are the real deal.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
Downtown Solvang · Solvang · New American
Root 246 is the rare hotel restaurant that actually earns your wine attention — a focused Santa Barbara County list with real producers, a sommelier who knows the material, and pricing that doesn't punish you for being curious. If you're passing through Solvang wine country, this is where you eat.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
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