Serious Wine Hiding Inside a Brewpub
Inman Park · Atlanta · American Brewpub · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 1, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Wrecking Bar Brewpub’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
You walk into a brewpub famous for its craft beer program and find Carl Loewen 1896 Mosel Riesling and DuMol Russian River Chardonnay on the wine list. That's not an accident — someone here actually cares. The beer menu may be the headline act, but the wine list is a quiet overachiever that deserves its own spotlight.
At 37 labels, this isn't trying to be a wine bar, but the curation is sharp where it counts. The white wine section punches well above its weight with a run of German Rieslings — Dönnhoff, Koehler-Ruprecht, Robert Weil, and Carl Loewen all represented — plus a Kelley Fox Grüner Veltliner from Oregon that shows genuine range. Burgundy and Loire get nods via Jean-Luc Joillot Crémant and Laporte Sancerre Silex. The red side of the list (we only see Domaine du Pegau A Tempo Châteauneuf-du-Pape peeking through the data) feels lighter on depth, but what's here suggests real intentionality. The Archery Summit Pinot Gris and Gönc Pinot Blanc round out a whites-forward program that clearly reflects someone's personal palate.
Twelve pours by the glass in the $8–$14 range is a solid commitment for a brewpub — most places in this category phone it in with four forgettable options. We'd expect the glass program to lean on the more accessible labels like the Yllera blend and Casa Rojo Sauvignon Blanc, but there's enough intrigue in the range to reward exploration. Rotation doesn't appear to be a priority, but the baseline selection is genuinely above average for the format.
Dönnhoff Oberhauser Leistenberg Nahe Kabinett Riesling 2018 — $29–$49 (bottle est.)
A six-year-old Dönnhoff Kabinett at a brewpub price point is almost unfair in a good way. This is one of the Nahe's benchmark producers and that wine has been quietly developing in bottle — you're getting mature, complex Riesling for what most places charge for a basic Pinot Grigio.
Koehler-Ruprecht Kallstadter Saumagen Kabinett Trocken Riesling 2021
Most tables here are ordering beer or reaching for something safe. But Koehler-Ruprecht is a fiercely traditional Pfalz producer making wines that age for decades — their Saumagen site is a Grand Cru equivalent. This bottle will be invisible to 95% of the room, which means more for you.
Bishop's Peak SLO Coast Chardonnay 2023
Nothing wrong with Bishop's Peak — it's a perfectly decent Tolosa-adjacent Chardonnay — but it's also the most grocery-store-visible bottle on this otherwise interesting list. In a lineup that includes DuMol and Koehler-Ruprecht Chardonnay, this one is the filler. Spend a little more and drink better.
Laporte Sancerre Silex Les Boursicottes 2023 + Brewpub Burger
A flint-driven Sancerre with a properly built pub burger sounds like a provocation but it works — the high acid and citrus cut of the Silex handles fatty beef better than most people expect, and ordering Sancerre at a brewpub is exactly the kind of chaotic good energy this list was built for.
The Bottom Line
Wrecking Bar is proof that a serious beer program and a thoughtful wine list aren't mutually exclusive — this is one of the more interesting 37-bottle lists in Atlanta, full stop. If you're eating here, skip the obvious and dig into the Riesling section.
· Atlanta · Italian bakery and cafe
Rosetta Bakery has no business having a wine list this considered. Eight labels, nearly all pourable by the glass, priced so fairly it almost seems like a mistake — and anchored by producers like Monchiero Carbone and Antica Fratta that would look at home on a dedicated wine bar menu. If you're nearby and want a glass of something genuinely Italian and genuinely good without paying downtown wine bar prices, this is your spot.
Small but Thoughtful
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Smyrna · Atlanta · New American
Muss & Turner's isn't a wine destination, but it's not trying to be — and that honesty is oddly refreshing. If you're in Smyrna on a Tuesday, the reported wine-focused night is reason enough to show up early, grab a seat, and let the shrimp and grits do the heavy lifting while you figure out what's on the list.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
· Atlanta · New American
Soho's wine list is built for people who already know what they like — California reds, recognizable labels, no curveballs. The markup is real (Faust at $132/bottle and Moët at $138 are tough to justify), but the by-the-glass depth gives you flexibility to stay in a reasonable range. If you're here for the food and want a no-drama pour, you'll find it — just don't come expecting discovery.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Atlanta · French
St. John's is running a lean, all-by-the-glass program that's more considered than it looks at first glance — a Vouvray, a Barolo, and an aged Languedoc Syrah on a 14-bottle list isn't an accident. The lack of bottle service is a real limitation for a French dinner, but if you're grazing through courses and glasses, the pricing stays honest. Worth a visit if you want something beyond the usual steakhouse pour.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Buckhead · Atlanta · French-American
St. John has the bones of a place worth drinking well at — a thoughtful regional spread, a dining room that takes itself seriously, and a menu built for wine-friendly food. But without confirmed list details or pricing, we can't promise the experience lives up to the setup. Go for the Welsh Rarebit and the mood, and ask your server what they're excited about on the list — that answer alone will tell you what kind of night you're in for.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Atlanta · Southern breakfast and lunch
Bantam + Biddy is a perfectly decent brunch spot that simply has no interest in wine — and that's fine, but you should know going in. If your table is splitting Mimosas and splitting biscuits, great. If you want an actual glass of wine with your eggs, eat somewhere else.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
MIA
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Old Steese Highway North · Fairbanks · American Brewpub
The Banks Alehouse isn't trying to be a wine destination, and it doesn't need to be — it's a dependable neighborhood alehouse where the wine list exists as a honest backup plan. If you're eating here and skipping the craft beer entirely, the Pouilly-Fuissé and Kung Fu Girl give you more to work with than you'd expect.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown / Massachusetts Street · Lawrence · American Brewpub
Free State is a Kansas institution and one of the best craft beer experiences in the Midwest — come for the beer, stay for the burger, and leave the wine to someone else. The list is fine in the way a gas station sandwich is fine: it exists, it won't hurt you, but it's not why you're here.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Newberry Road / Oaks Mall · Gainesville · American Brewpub
BJ's is a brewhouse, full stop — the wine program is an afterthought wearing a price tag. Come for the beer, stay for the Pizookie, and save your wine curiosity for literally anywhere else.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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