Seven Wines and a Prayer
Elliot Road · Tempe · Sports Bar / American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · August 22, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Vine Tavern & Eatery’s wine list and gave it The Lazy List — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Take Vibe Match and we’ll tell you what to order here.
Wingman Metrics
You flip open the drink menu at Vine Tavern and the wine section is over before it starts — seven labels, most of them nameless 'house' pours, and a lone bottle of Champagne standing in the corner like it wandered in from a different party. This is a sports bar that tolerates wine drinkers rather than courting them. The list communicates exactly one thing: we have wine because we have to.
Six of the seven options are either house whites or house reds, which tells you everything about the ambition level here. The lone branded bottle — Sonoma-Cutrer Chardonnay — is a perfectly fine Russian River Ranches-style Chardonnay that's widely distributed and shows up on lists everywhere from airport lounges to chain steakhouses. Beyond that, there's no regional identity, no interesting producers, and no attempt to surprise anyone. The Champagne listing without a producer name or vintage is either a true sparkling wine or a marketing placeholder — we'd want to ask before ordering.
No confirmed by-the-glass breakdown is available from the sourced menu, though with only seven labels and a sports bar format, it's reasonable to assume most or all are poured by the glass. Don't expect a curated rotation or a regularly updated selection — this list has 'set and forget' written all over it.
The Bottom Line
Vine Tavern is a sports bar first and a wine destination never — the seven-bottle list exists as a checkbox, not a commitment. Order a beer, order a cocktail, or bring your wine expectations somewhere else entirely.
South Tempe · Tempe · American / Neighborhood Bistro
The Hudson is a fine place to eat a burger and drink a beer, but the wine list is on autopilot — familiar labels, steep markups outside of Wednesday's deal, and no evidence that anyone on staff is losing sleep over it. Send a friend here for the food, tell them to drink a cocktail.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
Novus / ASU Campus District · Tempe · American Burger & Craft Bar
Eureka! Tempe is a craft beer bar first, a burger spot second, and a wine destination never. Order a local draft, enjoy your Truffle Cheese Fries, and save the wine for a place that's actually trying.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Tempe / Tempe Marketplace · Tempe · Modern Mexican
Blanco is a tequila bar that serves wine as a courtesy, and the list reflects exactly that level of commitment. Come for the cocktails and the Short Rib Machaca Enchiladas — if you want wine, order the bottle with the lowest markup and don't overthink it.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
The Buttes / West Tempe · Tempe · Steakhouse-Lean New American
Top of the Rock is a safe, predictable wine list dressed up in a genuinely spectacular setting — you're paying a resort premium for Napa's greatest hits, and the view is doing a lot of the heavy lifting. Send a friend here for the scenery and the steak, but tell them to pick their bottle carefully.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
The Buttes / West Tempe · Tempe · Lounge / New American
Top of the Rock is a perfectly acceptable place to drink wine if the sunset and the occasion are doing the work — just don't expect the list to surprise you or the prices to be anything but hotel-steep. Order the Brunello or the Penner-Ash, enjoy the view, and let it be what it is.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown / Mill Avenue · Tempe · Cocktail Bar
Filthy Animal is the last place you'd expect to find a real wine list, which is precisely what makes it a Wild Card — the selection punches above the bar's party-school energy, and if you know what to order, you can drink well while everyone else is doing kamikazes. Just don't come here for the value; come for the vibe and the pleasant surprise.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Atlanta · Atlanta · Sports Bar / American
Stats is a brewpub — drink the beer. But if you need a glass of wine while watching the game, the Whitehaven or the rosé will get you through the night without embarrassing anyone. Just don't come here expecting the wine list to be the point.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
East Idaho Falls / Hitt Road · Idaho Falls · Sports Bar / American
Buffalo Wild Wings Idaho Falls is a perfectly fine place to watch a game and eat wings — just don't let the wine list anywhere near your evening. Order a beer, order a cocktail, order a second order of wings. The wine program is an afterthought and it shows in every bottle markup and unbranded house pour.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
MIA
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Bethlehem Township · Bethlehem · Sports Bar / American
Copperhead Grille is a perfectly fine sports bar where you should order a beer. If it has to be wine, show up on a Monday when the by-the-glass options are half price — that's the only math here that makes sense.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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