Wine Director-Led Tastings, Monthly Wine Club, and a Sunday Chef's Tasting Menu
Travelers Rest · Greenville · Farm-to-Table · Visit Website ↗
Updated March 2026
Reviewed February 11, 2026
Wingman Metrics
Just 15 minutes from downtown (or a bike ride via the Swamp Rabbit Trail), Topsoil's wine director Lisa Simons runs one of the Upstate's most dedicated wine education programs. The monthly Wine Club (first Saturdays, $35) features four dueling wines with curated small bites exploring a different global wine region each month. A new Friday Night Flights series launched in 2026 with five wines plus discussion. Lisa's 2026 theme is "regional exploration," tying culture, history, and taste in every glass.
The Sunday chef's tasting menu ($95 with $35 wine pairing option) is a Greenville insider favorite. This is where the kitchen and wine program fully collaborate: courses designed for specific wines, not the other way around. The market component means you can take bottles home.
A restaurant with a dedicated wine director, monthly wine club, weekly flight series, and a chef's tasting menu with wine pairings is operating at a level most cities five times Greenville's size don't offer. Lisa Simons is the wine professional this scene needed.
🎲 The Bottom Line
Topsoil has a dedicated wine director running monthly clubs, weekly flights, and chef's tasting pairings. The most active wine education program in the Greenville area. Worth the short trip to Travelers Rest.
Downtown Greenville · Greenville · Greek and Mediterranean
Kouzina is a counter-service gyro spot with a Greek wine list that would embarrass a lot of full-service restaurants — that's the Wild Card situation right there. If you're anywhere near Greenville and curious about what Greece actually tastes like in a glass, this is a weirdly perfect place to find out.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Greenville · Greenville · New England–style oyster bar and coastal seafood
The Jones Oyster Co. is doing something genuinely thoughtful with wine in a market that doesn't always demand it, and the Loire-forward approach earns real respect. It's not a destination wine list, but if you're eating oysters in downtown Greenville, you're in good hands.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Greenville · Greenville · Steakhouse
Ruth's Chris Greenville is a reliable machine — the wine list won't challenge you, staff won't geek out with you, and you'll probably pay more than you should. But if you want a well-stored Napa Cab with a perfect ribeye and zero surprises, it delivers every time.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
Woodruff Road area · Greenville · American Steakhouse & Grill
Firebirds is a reliable wine stop if you're already there for dinner and want something familiar done reasonably well — just don't expect the list to challenge or surprise you. Send a friend here for the filet; warn them to skip the Chardonnay markup.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Greenville · Greenville · Steakhouse & Seafood
Larkin's on the River is a reliable spot if you want a crowd-pleasing California Cab with your steak and don't mind paying a premium for the Falls Park backdrop. Don't come expecting the wine list to surprise you — come for the river view and order the Jordan.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Greenville · Greenville · Southern / New American
Soby's has one of the most legitimately impressive wine programs in the entire Southeast, and the fact that it's anchored in Greenville rather than a major metro makes it worth a detour on its own. If you're anywhere near South Carolina and you care about wine, you owe yourself a seat at this table.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Seasonal Rotation
Proper
Outskirts / Semi-Rural · Brownsville · Farm-to-Table
This is a one-winery list that somehow avoids feeling like a gift shop menu — the variety selection is genuinely adventurous and the price ceiling stays sane. If you're curious about what Texas wine can actually do, this is a low-risk place to find out.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
East Manchester · Manchester · Farm-to-Table
The Farmhouse Kitchen is clearly a restaurant that cares about its food, which makes the wine list feel like an afterthought — stocked with safe, heavily marked-up California labels that could've been chosen by anyone with a distributor catalog and no particular curiosity. Order the scallops, enjoy the atmosphere, and save your wine enthusiasm for a restaurant that returns the favor.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Hotel Saint George · Marfa · Farm-to-Table
St. George Restaurant isn't trying to be a wine destination — but it's trying harder than most places twice its size in cities ten times larger. If you're in Marfa, drink the Gamay, consider the Hobo, and appreciate that someone here actually thought about this list.
Small but Thoughtful
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.