Mexican Wine Gets Its Houston Moment
Downtown Houston · Houston · Mexican (Oaxacan) · Visit Website ↗
Updated June 2026
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 28, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Xochi’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Xochi does something most upscale Mexican restaurants won't — it leads with Mexico. You're not hunting through token Baja bottles buried under a wall of California Cabs; the Mexican wine program here is front and center, curated, and clearly championed by someone who actually cares. That alone earns our attention.
With 150-200 bottles covering Mexico, France, and California, this list has real bones. The Mexican section pulls from Valle de Guadalupe heavyweights like L.A. Cetto and Vena Cava, plus the undersung Bichi out of Sonora — a producer making genuinely weird, genuinely good natural wines that almost nobody outside wine circles knows. France isn't an afterthought either: Domaine Weinbach from Alsace and the legendary Chateau Musar from Lebanon (yes, Lebanon) tucked in shows a curator who thinks in flavors, not just geography. California rounds it out with Raen's Royal St. Robert Cuvée Pinot Noir, a serious Sonoma Coast bottle that holds its own next to the rest. The gaps are minor — we'd love to see more depth in sparkling and South America — but overall this is a list that rewards exploration.
Twenty to thirty by-the-glass options is an ambitious pour program, and at Xochi it means you can actually work your way through Mexican wine without committing to a full bottle — which is exactly how discovery should work. The range appears to span whites, reds, and presumably some mezcal-adjacent territory on the spirits side, though we'd push the staff to rotate the BTG list more aggressively to keep regulars engaged.
Casa Madero — $12
Casa Madero is Mexico's oldest winery — founded in 1597 — and still cranks out bottles that massively overdeliver for the price. If they're pouring this by the glass anywhere near the low end of the range, it's the move for anyone curious about Mexican wine without wanting to gamble a full bottle.
Bichi Sonora
Bichi is a natural wine cult producer operating out of the Sonoran desert, making low-intervention wines from old-vine Mission grapes that taste like nothing else on the planet. Most diners will scroll right past it. Don't. It's the most interesting bottle on this list and a direct conversation with Mexican wine history.
Raen Royal St. Robert Cuvée California Pinot Noir
Raen makes beautiful wine — no argument there — but ordering a California Pinot at an Oaxacan restaurant with this much Mexican wine on the list is a waste of the room you're sitting in. It's not a bad bottle, just the wrong call when Bichi and Vena Cava are right there.
Monte Xanic Cru Blanc + Ceviche
Monte Xanic's Cru Blanc from Valle de Guadalupe is a textured, mineral-driven white with enough acidity to cut through citrus and enough weight to stand up to the seafood. It mirrors the brightness of the ceviche without competing with it — and keeping both the wine and the dish in Mexico is a satisfying full-circle moment.
🎲 The Bottom Line
Xochi is doing something genuinely rare: running a serious Mexican wine program inside a serious restaurant, with a sommelier who knows the material and a list that earns its Wine Spectator credential. Send your adventurous friends here and tell them to skip the Cab.
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The Marigold Club is Houston's most interesting new wine room for anyone who thinks Champagne is a food group and France is the only country that matters — in the best possible way. Go on a Sunday, order the Delamotte, eat the Duck Wellington, and tip generously.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Proper
Houston · Houston · American, Italian
Milton's is the kind of neighborhood trattoria that surprises you — the room says casual pasta night, the wine list quietly whispers Biondi-Santi. If you care about Italian wine and you're in Houston, it's worth a reservation just to explore the bottle list.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Montrose · Houston · Italian
Marmo is hiding a legitimately serious Italian wine program behind a piano bar and a plate of hand-rolled pasta — and that's exactly what makes it worth seeking out. Send a friend here if they think Houston Italian restaurants don't take wine seriously; this list will change their mind.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Houston · Houston · Steak house
Taste of Texas is a Houston institution that takes its California Cabernet seriously — 30 years of Wine Spectator recognition backs that up. It's not a destination wine list, but if you're here for a steak and want a proper bottle to go with it, you won't leave disappointed.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Houston · Houston · American
State of Grace is a reliable, well-run wine program anchored by a knowledgeable sommelier and a list that respects both the food and the guest's wallet. If you want a neighborhood spot in Houston where the wine won't let you down, this is a safe and satisfying call.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Montrose · Houston · European
Rosie Cannonball is punching well above its bistro weight class — the Wine Spectator nod since 2020 is deserved, and the Beaujolais and natural Italian depth make it the kind of list that rewards the curious. Send your friends here and tell them to skip the Cab.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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