Wine List Reviews

It's Greek To Me won't win any wine awards, but it's doing something quietly right: serving Greek wine with Greek food at prices that don't sting. Send your friends here if they're curious about Hellenic grapes — just steer them away from the Pinot Grigio.

Mediterraneo is a solid rooftop spot where the vibe does a lot of heavy lifting and the wine list mostly keeps pace — just don't come looking for discovery or deals. Order the Assyrtiko, enjoy the view, and leave Whispering Angel for the table next to you.

Greca is worth a visit for the food, but the wine list is running on autopilot — five generic pours and a single Greek varietal keeping the whole thing from total irrelevance. Come for the dolmades, drink the Xinomavro, and don't expect much else from the glass.

Glasshalfull earns its name — the list is small but the thinking behind it is larger than most full-service restaurants manage. Go on a Monday, order the Furmint, and let the half-price policy do the rest.

Piaf is a genuine wine bar doing real things in a town that doesn't expect it — the markups are a little aggressive and the by-the-glass program plays it safe, but the bottle list has enough depth and surprise to make a dedicated wine stop worthwhile. If you're passing through Grapevine, this is absolutely where you drink.

Come here for the food — seriously, the shawarma and falafel earn their reputation — but don't come here for the wine. Order a sparkling water and save the bottle for somewhere that actually cares.

Fandango is the kind of wine program that makes you wonder why you haven't been going here for years. Fair pricing, serious range, and enough depth to reward multiple visits — yes, send your friends, and tell them to skip the cocktail menu.

Zooroona isn't a wine destination, but it's doing something smarter than most casual spots in its category — leaning into Lebanese producers to match its food. If you're here for shawarma and mezze, order the Massaya or the Musar Jeune and don't overthink it.

WL Social House is the kind of place that surprises you in the best way — a thoughtful, Michigan-forward wine program in a city that doesn't get enough credit for this stuff. It's not a deep cellar, but it's a genuinely good reason to skip the beer list for once.

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.

Apollo Grill won't earn a wine destination reputation, but for downtown Bethlehem, it's doing the job honestly — fair prices, more glass options than you'd expect, and a few genuinely good bottles hiding in plain sight. Send a friend here without hesitation; just steer them past the Meiomi.

The CIA at Copia is the rare Napa restaurant where the wine list isn't trying to take your wallet hostage. If you're in downtown Napa and want serious producers at prices that don't require a second mortgage, this is the move.

Ayse is the kind of place that surprises you — a Frederick meze lounge with a genuinely considered Italian-leaning wine list that punches above its weight class, even if markups and a static program hold it back from true greatness. Send a friend here, but tell them to skip the Amarone and ask for the Moschofilero.

It's a counter-service Greek grill in a strip mall that serves Xinomavro and Assyrtiko at fair prices — that's either a minor miracle or a Wild Card, and we're calling it the latter. Don't sleep on the wine list just because you're eating off a paper tray.

Demitri's isn't a destination wine bar, but it's doing something genuine — pairing Greek imports with award-winning local Livermore producers in a setting that actually makes the wine feel connected to what's on your plate. Send a friend here if they think Livermore is just suburban sprawl; the wine list will surprise them.

Pita Jungle isn't a wine destination, but Wine Wednesday turns a modest, play-it-safe list into a genuinely good deal — $9 bottles with a plate of hummus and pita is hard to argue with. Come for the food, drink opportunistically, and set a calendar reminder for Wednesdays.

Taverna isn't a destination for wine, but Wednesday half-price pours at a festive Mediterranean spot make it a genuinely good neighborhood move. Show up for the food, order the Sangria or the Tribute Cab, and don't expect the list to surprise you.

Tydes is the right wine in the right setting — local producers, a knowledgeable team, and glassware that takes itself seriously. The resort markup is real and unavoidable, but if you stay in the Santa Barbara County section of the list, you'll drink well and feel good about it.

Convivo isn't trying to be a wine destination — it's a coastal Italian restaurant with a smart, locally-rooted list and prices that don't embarrass anyone. Show up at 2 PM on a weekday for $9 rosé and ocean views and tell us we're wrong.

Toma is a genuinely good wine program let down by markups that assume you're too distracted by the harbor to notice. Go for the Tablas rosé, stay for the Margerum, and maybe don't do the bottle math out loud at the table.

Zesta Cucina isn't a wine destination, but it's doing more with 15 glasses than plenty of restaurants do with 50. If you're eating in West Yakima and want a solid, honest pour without getting gouged, this is your spot.

Anatolia is a Wild Card not because the list is adventurous top to bottom — it's mostly not — but because a Turkish restaurant in a college town with 27 glass pours, a Gigondas, a Jadot Pouilly Fuissé, and an actual Turkish wine from Kavaklidere is doing something more interesting than the Caymus-heavy lineup suggests. Come for the food, skip the safe American blockbusters, and let the Kavaklidere or Gigondas do the heavy lifting.

The Elm is the best wine list in downtown Bloomington without much competition, and it earns that spot honestly — the Old World picks, the German Riesling, the Sardinian Vermentino all point to real intention. Just be selective when the prices climb, because the markup at the top end doesn't match the setting.

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.

River City Grill is a genuinely good restaurant with a wine list that hasn't quite caught up to its kitchen. The pricing is steeper than it should be for these labels, but the all-glass availability and reasonable per-pour prices make it a comfortable enough spot to drink well if you know what to order.

Market Grill isn't trying to reinvent wine in the desert, and it doesn't need to — it's a clean, fairly priced list that does its job for a steak-and-seafood night out in Yuma. Send your friends here for dinner, but tell them to leave their expectations for discovery at the door.

Bernard is a legit Wild Card — nobody expects a casual Mediterranean spot in East Texas to be hiding Gaja and Oregon Pinot Noir between the gyro plates, but here we are. If you're in Tyler and want a real wine list with a meal that costs less than the corkage fee at a white-tablecloth spot, this is the move.

This is the best wine program you're likely to find within walking distance of Clearwater Beach, and that's not faint praise — it's a genuine destination for the wine-curious crowd that usually has to settle for whatever's on draft. Wednesday's half-price U.S. bottle deal seals it: show up, order spaghetti, drink better than you planned.

Seaguini is a restaurant that decided the view would do the selling, and priced its wine list accordingly. If you're here for the Gulf sunset, order a glass and enjoy it — but anyone looking for an honest wine program at a fair price should temper expectations or order a cocktail instead.

Leila is the Wild Card call of the year in West Palm Beach — a casual Middle Eastern restaurant quietly running one of the only Lebanese wine programs in South Florida. If you're here and you order a Chardonnay, we can't help you.