Victorian Charm With a Serious Cellar Beneath
Downtown Fort Myers · Fort Myers · Southern · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 14, 2026
RagingWine reviewed The Veranda’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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Wingman Metrics
Walking into The Veranda — two connected Victorian homes dripping with old Florida character — the wine list lands like a serious statement. It's long, it's organized, and it actually has a separate vintage cellar section, which you don't see at most restaurants in a beach-adjacent market like Fort Myers. This place clearly cares.
The list stretches across Napa, Sonoma, Alexander Valley, Oregon's Willamette Valley, Italy, New Zealand, and Bordeaux, which is more geographic range than you'd expect from a Southern-leaning steakhouse in Southwest Florida. California Cabs anchor the cellar — Caymus, Silver Oak, Cakebread, Stag's Leap — and while those are crowd-pleaser names, they're present in force and priced within reason relative to market. The Château La Gaffelière St. Emilion at $225 is a genuine nod to old-world Bordeaux fans who know what they're looking for. Gaps exist on the natural wine front and there's little presence from Spain or the Southern Hemisphere beyond New Zealand, but for a historic fine-dining room in Fort Myers, the depth is genuinely impressive.
Twelve-plus options by the glass is a solid count, spanning from the $11 house pours up to the Stag's Leap ARTEMIS Cab at $38 a glass — which is a bold but fair ceiling for a list like this. The bang-for-buck standouts are in the $15 range, where Meiomi Pinot Noir and Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio are actually priced at or below retail, a quietly generous move. Rotation is unclear and the program reads more like a fixed menu than a dynamic glass list, but what's there is consistent.
Meiomi Pinot Noir — $15
Retails around $20 and they're pouring it for $15 a glass — that's below retail, which almost never happens. It's an easy-drinking crowd-pleaser that works across the menu, and at this price it's hard to argue with.
Château La Gaffelière St. Emilion
Most tables at The Veranda are going straight for the Caymus or Silver Oak, and that's a shame because this Right Bank Bordeaux — Saint-Émilion, Merlot-dominant — is a more interesting bottle at $225. It rewards anyone willing to stray from the California Cab comfort zone.
Cakebread Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon
At $600 a bottle, Cakebread is doing a lot of heavy lifting on name recognition alone. It's a fine wine, but $600 is a significant premium for a label that retails in the $80-$90 range — the math doesn't hold up when the Silver Oak and Caymus are sitting right next to it at far more defensible prices.
Stag's Leap ARTEMIS Cabernet Sauvignon + Rack of Lamb
ARTEMIS is a structured, dark-fruited Napa Cab with enough grip to stand up to lamb without bulldozing it. At $38 a glass it's a splurge pour, but matched with the rack of lamb it becomes the move — two things the kitchen and cellar are clearly proud of, working together.
The Bottom Line
The Veranda isn't trying to be a wine bar — it's a landmark Southern dining room that happens to have a real cellar worth exploring. The pricing is fairer than you'd expect for the market, the depth is legitimate, and if you're willing to look past the Caymus-and-friends lineup, there are genuinely rewarding bottles hiding in there.
Downtown River District · Fort Myers · Japanese, Sushi
Blu Sushi Downtown isn't a wine destination, but it's a perfectly functional place to have a decent glass while eating good rolls in a fun room. Send your friend here for a night out — just tell them to skip the Rombauer.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
South Fort Myers / Daniels Parkway · Fort Myers · Japanese, Sushi
Mori Sushi & Grill isn't the place you go for a wine adventure, but the list is priced fairly and the Sauvignon Blancs do real work alongside the food. Grab a glass of Nobilo, order the sashimi, and don't overthink it.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
South Fort Myers / Daniels Parkway · Fort Myers · Italian-American, family-style
Two Meatballs isn't a wine destination, but the Italian backbone of the list is honest and the pricing is fair enough that you won't feel robbed. Order the Barbera, get the baked ziti, and let the chaos of the dining room do the rest.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
South Fort Myers / US-41 · Fort Myers · Wine Bar, New American
Non Chalance has all the right intentions — a chill wine bar vibe with small plates in a neighborhood that needed it — but the list leans hard on low-cost, high-markup retail staples that don't hold up under scrutiny. Come for the atmosphere, but go easy on the bottle orders.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Occasional
Acceptable
Downtown Fort Myers River District · Fort Myers · Rooftop Bar / Tapas & Small Plates
Beacon Social Drinkery is a genuinely fun place to watch the sun go down — just don't come here expecting the wine list to match the altitude. Order a cocktail, enjoy the view, and if you must have wine, the Crios Rosé is your move.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Fort Myers River District · Fort Myers · Upscale Contemporary Seafood and American
The Silver King won't blow your mind, but it won't embarrass you either — and for a hotel restaurant in Fort Myers, that's a genuine win. Take the Leflaive, skip the Rombauer, and enjoy the river view.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
· Atlanta · Southern
SouthernNational is doing something genuinely unusual — running a tight, Europe-forward wine list inside a Southern kitchen, and mostly pulling it off. If you're tired of the same Sonoma Pinot and overpriced Malbec at every restaurant in town, this list is worth your attention.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
North Lakeland · Lakeland · Southern
Cracker Barrel's wine program exists in the same way the decorative horseshoes on the wall exist — for atmosphere, not function. Order the biscuits, order the sweet tea, and save the wine drinking for a restaurant that's actually trying.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
MIA
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Atlanta · Southern
The Southern Gentleman isn't here to win wine awards, and it doesn't pretend to be. But fair prices, a full glass pour program, and a couple of genuinely smart picks buried in a short list make it more than serviceable — come for the food, order a glass, and don't overthink it.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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