Wine List Reviews

Brasserie Bar has the atmosphere and the food concept to support a genuinely interesting wine list, but what's here is a phoned-in collection of supermarket names at steep markups. Come for the steak frites and the scene — just don't come expecting anyone to have thought hard about what's in your glass.

C'est La Vie isn't trying to be a destination wine bar, and it doesn't need to be — for Lancaster, a fully by-the-glass list with Alsatian Riesling and Crémant at fair prices is genuinely worth a detour to the bar. Send your wine-curious friends here on a Tuesday.

Passerine is doing something genuinely different for Lancaster — a tight, thoughtful natural wine list attached to a kitchen that's equally serious about where its food comes from. It's not a deep cellar, but it's an honest one, and at these prices, that's worth the trip.

Z Bistro isn't trying to be a wine destination, but it's clearly trying — and in a market where most restaurants phone it in, that effort shows. If you're eating here anyway, you're in good hands with a bottle.

The Cellar is one of Florida's most surprising wine lists — serious depth, marquee producers, and a genuine commitment to Italian and classic French selections that punches way above Daytona's weight class. Markup is aggressive across the board, but if you navigate toward the mid-tier Italian bottles, you'll drink very well.

One Twenty Six is an anomaly — a downtown Iowa City gastropub with a wine list that would hold its own in a Chicago neighborhood restaurant. The markups on trophy bottles get steep fast, but there's real depth here if you know where to look, and the French selections alone are worth the reservation.

Apollon is doing something legitimately unusual — building a real Greek wine program in a mid-size Midwestern city — and the list deserves more credit than it'll probably get. Markups on the French bottles are hard to justify, but if you stay in the Greek section and keep your spending focused, you'll drink better and more interestingly than almost anywhere else in Appleton.

The Pearl Café is doing something genuinely unusual — running a thoughtful, fairly priced wine program in a mountain city where most restaurants would coast on a generic list and nobody would complain. Send your wine-curious friends here without apology; just steer them away from the Ste. Michelle.

Brasserie Porte Rouge is doing something genuinely surprising in Missoula: a tight, well-chosen wine list where everything is available by the glass at fair prices. It's not a deep cellar, but it's a smart one, and in this town that counts for a lot.

Brasserie Porte Rouge is genuinely the best wine program in Missoula, which is worth something — but steep markups across the board mean you're paying for the atmosphere as much as the wine. Come for the oysters, order the Domaine Serene, and try not to do the retail math.

Le Tour is quietly doing something better than most of its suburban peers — a focused, French-leaning list with genuine producers that rewards the curious diner. Markups keep it from a higher badge, but this is absolutely worth ordering wine at.

Mon Ami Gabi Evanston is a reliable wine stop for what it is — a polished French bistro chain that cares enough to stock Trimbach and Jadot. The markups sting a little and there's nothing adventurous here, but if you want a glass of solid French wine with your steak frites on a Friday night, you won't leave disappointed.

This is one of the most serious wine programs in Napa Valley, full stop — the depth, the storage, and the staff to guide you through it all earn the Rager without argument. Just go in knowing the markup is real, order strategically, and let the cellar do the rest.

Sam's Social Club isn't a destination wine list, but it's a genuinely competent one for a resort setting — fair markups on the French bottles, a few interesting picks hiding in plain sight, and enough variety that you won't feel like you're drinking whatever was left on the loading dock. If you're spending a weekend in Calistoga, you could do a lot worse than a glass of Resonance Pinot by the fire.

Angele is a genuinely good neighborhood anchor in one of the world's most wine-saturated zip codes — fair pricing, familiar producers, and a waterfront setting that earns its keep. It won't challenge you, but it won't disappoint you either, and that's not nothing.

Bistro Jeanty isn't your typical Napa wine list — and that's exactly the point. The fortified and dessert program alone is worth the visit, with markups that are shockingly fair for this zip code. Come for the duck confit, stay for the Madeira.

Bouchon is a reliable, well-run wine program backed by real sommelier expertise and a genuinely solid French-leaning list — but the markups on some bottles are hard to ignore, and the lack of any rotating specials or deals means you're paying full freight every time. Go for the Domaine Tempier and the roast chicken, skip the Beaujolais, and you'll leave happy.

The French Laundry's wine program is one of the greatest in the country — genuinely encyclopedic, impeccably stored, and guided by a sommelier team that earns its keep. The markups are steep across the board, and there's no getting around that, but if you're spending $425 a head on food, you already made peace with that before you arrived.

Scout's Pub is a reliable neighborhood wine stop — nothing revolutionary, but well-curated enough that you won't feel stuck drinking something forgettable. Lean into the French and Portuguese picks, dodge the brand-name markups, and you'll leave satisfied.

Café Margaux is doing something legitimately weird for its zip code, and we mean that as the highest compliment. If you're anywhere near Cocoa Village and you care about wine, this list is worth the trip just for the Greek selections alone.

Weller's Bistro is a genuinely pleasant neighborhood spot that deserves a wine list half as interesting as its food concept. Right now, the wine program is an afterthought — stick to cocktails or ask if they'll let you bring your own bottle.

Cottage Place isn't going to reinvent your relationship with wine, but it will give you a reliable, well-priced bottle in one of Flagstaff's most genuinely lovely dining rooms. If you're celebrating something, this is where you go — and you won't feel burned when the check arrives.

Bouchon has been doing this for over 25 years and it shows — the wine list isn't a flex, it's a philosophy. If you're eating anywhere near Santa Barbara and you care about drinking well, this is the room.

The Oyster Bar on Chuckanut Drive is the rare Pacific Northwest restaurant where the wine list is as much of a destination as the view — just go in knowing the markups are real and the bottle prices climb fast. If you're picking glasses wisely or splurging on something from the cellar that actually deserves it, this earns every bit of the Rager badge.

La Ferme isn't a wine destination, but it's a genuinely solid French bistro wine program that respects the cuisine and doesn't gouge you for the privilege. If Tuesday's half-price bottle promotion is still running, it's one of the better midweek wine deals in Boca.

Six Tables is a Wild Card because it shouldn't work on paper — a tiny fixed-menu room in Boca with a safe, name-brand wine list — but the intentionality of the experience pulls it together. Send a friend here for a special occasion, not a spontaneous wine deep-dive.

The Pine Room is a great spot for a drink and a burger in a handsome historic room, but the wine list is an afterthought in a state with a legitimate wine culture worth showcasing. Order a cocktail or ask for whatever's on tap, and don't make a trip here specifically for the wine.

River is doing the right things with wine for a city that doesn't always demand it — fair prices, a few genuinely interesting French picks, and enough variety to reward someone who's paying attention. Send your friends here with confidence, just steer them toward the Limoux end of the list.

Brasserie 23 is the kind of place that makes you do a double-take when you remember you're in South Bend, Indiana. Come on a Wednesday for 23% off bottles, order the lamb, and let someone talk you into the Brunello.

Feast is a reliable, well-intentioned wine list that serves the room without embarrassing itself — just don't come expecting discovery. Send a friend here for a solid French brasserie night out; tell them to ask about the Riesling.