300 Bottles Deep in Small-Town Maryland
Havre de Grace · Baltimore · New American · Visit Website ↗
Updated March 2026
Reviewed March 23, 2026
Wingman Metrics
You walk into what looks like a cozy neighborhood wine bar and then the list lands on the table — 300-plus labels covering California, Italy, France, Spain, Germany, Australia, Argentina, and Oregon. That's not a wine list, that's a thesis. For a spot in Havre de Grace, Maryland, this thing has no business being this serious.
The list skews heavily toward California heavyweights — Opus One, Dominus, Insignia from Joseph Phelps, Turley Old Vines Zinfandel — which tells you someone here has strong Napa convictions and the buying relationships to back them up. Italy gets a real seat at the table too, with Sassicaia from Bolgheri showing up and signaling this isn't just a token Old World gesture. Australia earns its spot with Penfolds Bin 407, a reliable Cabernet that punches well above its price point. The breadth across eight-plus regions is genuinely impressive; the depth within each region is harder to verify, but the anchor bottles suggest the list was built with intent, not just populated to look full.
Eighty options by the six-ounce pour and seventy at three ounces — at $9 to $11 a glass, this is one of the better by-the-glass programs you'll find anywhere in Maryland, let alone outside a major city. The three-ounce format is smart: it lets you run through four or five wines across a dinner without committing to a bottle or blowing your budget. We'd love to know how often the selections rotate, but the sheer volume means there's almost always something interesting in the glass.
Turley Old Vines Zinfandel — $11
Turley's Old Vines Zin retails around $30-$35 a bottle, so catching it by the glass at $11 is a genuinely fair deal. It's a big, structured wine that holds up against the kitchen's heavier dishes without asking you to open a collector bottle.
Penfolds Bin 407 Cabernet Sauvignon
Most people walk right past Australian Cabernet on a list this loaded with Napa royalty, which is a mistake. Bin 407 is one of the most consistent, well-made Cabs at its price point anywhere in the world, and it rarely gets the credit it deserves when it's sitting next to Dominus on the same menu.
Opus One
Opus One is a great wine, but it's also the most marked-up trophy bottle on lists like this everywhere in America. You're paying for the name recognition as much as what's in the glass, and at a wine bar where the whole point is discovery, there are far more interesting ways to spend that money.
Sassicaia Bolgheri DOC + Duck Breast
Sassicaia's Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc blend has the structure and dark fruit to stand up to duck's richness while the wine's natural acidity cuts through the fat. It's a classic Tuscan-meets-protein move that earns its price on a plate like this.
🎲 The Bottom Line
The Vineyard Wine Bar is doing something genuinely unexpected in a small Maryland waterfront town — running a 300-bottle list with serious producers and keeping glass pours under $11. It's not flawless, but the ambition is real and the value is hard to argue with.
Clipper Mill · Baltimore · American, Farm to Table
True Chesapeake is a Wild Card in the best possible sense — a working waterfront oyster spot with a Wine Spectator-recognized list helmed by a sommelier who clearly cares. Go for the oysters, stay for the Weinbach, and don't skip the Muscadet.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Horseshoe Casino · Baltimore · Steak house, European
Gordon Ramsay Steak isn't going to surprise you, but it delivers a solid, award-backed California-and-France wine list in a setting where you'd half-expect to be handed a laminated card with three options. For a casino steakhouse in Baltimore, that's genuinely worth something.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Harbor East · Baltimore · Steak House
The Ruxton is the rare steakhouse where the wine list is a genuine reason to show up, not just a formality next to the beef. Send a friend here, tell them to skip the Caymus, and let Patrick Owens point them somewhere better.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Baltimore · Baltimore · American
Bygone is the kind of wine list that makes Baltimore dinner reservations worth planning around. The markups are real, but the depth, the sommelier, and the setting make this one of the better places to spend money on a serious bottle on the East Coast.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Little Italy · Baltimore · Italian
La Tavola isn't a wine destination, but it earns its keep as a solid neighborhood Italian with a list that at least respects where the kitchen is coming from. Order the Vermentino, enjoy the Shrimp & Calamari, and don't overthink it.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Mount Vernon · Baltimore · Afghan
The Helmand isn't a wine destination, but it's a Wild Card worth betting on — a 30-year-old Afghan institution that's put enough thought into its list to make the right bottle genuinely accessible. Go for the Cigare Volant, order the lamb, and enjoy the fact that this place still exists.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Broadway corridor · Fort Wayne · New American
Rune is doing something genuinely rare for its zip code: building a wine list with a real identity. Come on a Wednesday, order the Ovum, and feel good about finding a place like this.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
West Plano · Plano · New American
CraftWay Kitchen isn't trying to be a wine destination and doesn't pretend to be — but the markups are fair, the glass program is wide, and there's enough on the list to drink well with a solid meal. Send your friends here for dinner; just don't send them here for a wine education.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
Clemmons · Winston Salem · New American
Sixty Vines is a solid, reliable wine stop in Winston-Salem — the by-the-glass breadth is real and the staff knows their stuff, but the list reads like a greatest hits album rather than anything adventurous. Come for the volume, stay for the pizza, but don't expect to have your mind changed about wine.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
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