Wine List Reviews

Grapes is exactly what Annapolis needed — a wine bar that takes California and France seriously without taking itself too seriously. No fireworks, no surprises, but a reliably good bottle and a room worth lingering in.

Artisan is exactly the kind of restaurant that makes you feel good about going out to eat in a smaller city — a thoughtful, credentialed wine list run by someone who knows what they're doing, at prices that don't punish you for ordering well. Send a friend here. Tell them to skip the Meiomi.

Atwater's wine list is the restaurant equivalent of a reliable sedan — comfortable, well-maintained, gets you where you're going without drama. Send a friend here for a special occasion dinner and they'll be happy; just tell them to order the Jordan, not the Silver Oak.

Longleaf earns its Wine Spectator Award of Excellence — this is a real wine program inside one of Atlanta's more stunning dining rooms, anchored by a sommelier who clearly cares. The markup is the one thing holding it back from a full rager, but if you're looking for a special-occasion bottle in an unforgettable setting, this list delivers.

Boulon is a reliable wine stop in Tampa's growing Water Street corridor — the list is curated enough to respect, even if it rarely surprises. Send a friend here knowing they'll drink well; just don't send the friend who's hoping to find something they've never heard of.

Bresca is a Wild Card because it's doing something specific and doing it well — a lean, French-focused list built to complement serious tasting-menu cooking, in a city where most wine programs are an afterthought. If you're going for the food, lean into the Loire and Rhône and let the kitchen lead.

For a ranch in the Rockies that's more trail ride than tasting room, Latigo earns its Wine Spectator hardware honestly — the Madeira selection alone makes it worth exploring. We wouldn't drive here for the wine list, but if you're already there, you're in better hands than you'd expect.

Atria is the last restaurant you'd expect to find a credible French and California wine list in Flagstaff — and that's exactly what makes it worth seeking out. If you're driving through northern Arizona and want a real wine dinner, this is your stop.

The Ashby Inn has no business having a wine list this good for a 15-building hamlet in the Virginia hills — and that's exactly why you should go. A Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence in hunt country is a wild card situation in the best possible way, and the Virginia selection alone makes it worth the drive.

Café Central is doing something genuinely impressive for El Paso — a deeply stocked, properly stored, Wine Spectator-recognized list in a room that actually deserves it. The markups keep it from being a steal, but this is the best place to drink wine in the city and it isn't particularly close.

Jeffrey's is the kind of place that makes Austin punch above its weight class on the national fine dining scene, and the wine list is a big reason why. Send your most wine-obsessed friends here — just warn them not to skip the Monday half-price bottle situation.

a.kitchen+bar is the real deal — a deep, well-curated list run by sommeliers who actually know what's on it, earning that Wine Spectator badge honestly. The markups sting on the high end, but the depth and staff knowledge make this one of Philadelphia's best rooms to drink serious wine.

The Krebs is the rare upstate New York fine-dining destination where the wine list actually matches the ambition of the kitchen — deep, specific, and priced without obvious greed. If you're making the drive to Skaneateles, this is a legitimate reason to go.

Grand Salon earns its Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence — a deep, France-first cellar with enough California muscle to keep the table happy, inside one of Midtown's most polished dining rooms. The markup is real, but so is the list, and that's worth something on 53rd Street.

Four Twenty Five is the kind of list you send a serious wine-drinking friend to when they want to eat well and drink even better in Midtown — the room, the sommelier team, and the cellar are all firing at the same level. Just go in knowing the markups match the zip code, and plan accordingly.

The Brewster Inn is doing something genuinely impressive for Cazenovia — a 15-year Wine Spectator track record doesn't lie, and the list earns its reputation with smart picks across California, France, Italy, and Spain. Send a friend here if they want a proper wine dinner somewhere unexpected.

The River Café earns its Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence the hard way — with a list that's genuinely deep, a sommelier team that knows what they're selling, and a Madeira section that puts most wine bars to shame. Prices are steep across the board, but you're sitting under the Brooklyn Bridge with Manhattan lighting up the river, so you already knew this wasn't going to be cheap.

River Pointe Inn is doing something genuinely unexpected for the Jersey Shore — a serious French and California list in a retro-glam room that actually has the wine chops to back up the vibe. No sommelier on staff and some steep pricing hold it back from a full Rager, but if you want a proper bottle of Bordeaux with your oysters in Rumson, this is your spot.

The Perch earned its Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence and the list backs it up — California and France covered with genuine depth, a serious by-the-glass program, and a setting that makes the whole thing feel like an occasion. The markups on the prestige bottles will sting, but there's enough range to drink very well without springing for the trophies.

Salle à Manger earns its Wine Spectator credential — this is a genuinely considered list in a setting that could easily coast on ambiance alone. The markups sting and there's no sommelier pushing you toward the interesting stuff, but if you know what you're looking for, there's real wine to be found here at the top of Lake Huron.

Antrim 1844 is the rare countryside inn where the wine list is genuinely worth the drive — deep cellar, a real sommelier in Greg Watson, and a list that spans California to Rhône with conviction. Markups are hotel-restaurant steep, so pick your spots, but the bones here are excellent.

Lazy Betty is the rare Atlanta restaurant where the wine program matches the ambition of the kitchen — deep, serious, and staffed by people who actually know what's in the cellar. The markups are real, but so is everything else on the list.

Lafayette is a steakhouse wine list done right — deep in the regions that matter for big red meat meals, stocked with names that earn their reputations, and serious enough to land a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence in its first year. The markups are real and there's no sommelier to guide you through it, but if you know what you want, you'll find it here.

Restaurant Orsay is the kind of place that makes you embarrassed Jacksonville doesn't get more wine attention — a deep, well-curated, fairly priced list in a room that actually deserves it. Send your friends here, especially on a Tuesday.

Mélisse is what happens when a serious kitchen and a serious cellar grow up together — the Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence is well-earned and the list earns Rager status on depth and curation alone. Just know going in that 'value' here is relative: you're playing in a premium sandbox, and the house rules price accordingly.

Hawks is quietly running one of the better wine programs in the Sacramento suburbs — deep list, proper storage, and a Best of Award of Excellence that it actually earns. Markups trend steep and the staff leans more enthusiastic than expert, but if you're in Granite Bay and want a serious bottle with serious food, this is your spot.

The Inn at Little Washington is one of the few restaurants in America where the wine program is genuinely as serious as the food — 14,000 bottles, a staff that actually knows them, and a Virginia cellar that earns its Grand Award every single year. Yes, you'll spend money. No, you won't regret it.

Per Se is not where you go to find a deal — you go because nowhere else in New York can you access this depth of Burgundy, California, Bordeaux, and Champagne under one roof with a team of sommeliers who actually know every bottle on the list. If wine is the reason you're going out, this is the destination.

Gary Danko has held a Wine Spectator Grand Award since 2001 for good reason — this is one of the deepest, most seriously curated wine programs in California, staffed by people who actually know what's in the cellar. The markup runs steep, but when the list includes DRC and Henri Jayer, you're not here for bargains.

La Toque is the real thing — a Grand Award list with the staff and storage to back it up, in a room that takes wine as seriously as the food. Markups are steep because Napa is Napa, but the depth and curation here justify the trip on the wine program alone.

Eno Vino Downtown is a genuinely fun place to drink wine in Madison — the list is wide, the setting is hard to beat, and there are real finds if you look past the Campo Viejo and Whitehaven. Just go in knowing you're paying a view premium, and order accordingly.