Best Wine Lists in Minnesota

Chianti Grill – Roseville

Roseville · St. Paul · Italian / Steakhouse Hybrid

The Reliable

Chianti Grill is not here to challenge you — it's here to give you a familiar Italian-American night out with wine that won't embarrass anyone. Watch the markups on the California pours, lean into the Italian section, and order the Chianti flight at least once.

Cafe Lurcat

· St. Paul · New American

The Reliable

Cafe Lurcat is a reliable anchor for a Minneapolis date night, and the wine list won't embarrass you — but at these prices, you'd want it to thrill you a little more than it does. Go for the atmosphere and the food; treat the wine list as a solid supporting cast, not the headline act.

Ruth's Chris Steak House – Rochester

· Rochester · Steakhouse

The Reliable

Ruth's Chris Rochester is a reliable if uninspired choice for wine with your steak — the Trimbach and Belle Glos are worth seeking out, but the pricing is corporate-tier steep and the list doesn't reward curiosity. Order the wine you know, enjoy the steak, and don't expect any surprises.

Salem Glen Winery & Vineyard Tasting Room

· Rochester · Winery Tasting Room

The Wild Card

Salem Glen is the Wild Card because almost nobody expects to find a legit wine experience in a barn outside Rochester — and yet here we are. If you're open to cold-climate grapes and a laid-back afternoon, it earns the trip.

Bleu Duck Kitchen

· Rochester · New American

The Wild Card

Bleu Duck Kitchen isn't a wine destination, but it's doing more with its list than most restaurants in its zip code — and that Tuesday dinner-plus-bottle deal is legitimately one of the better mid-week moves in Rochester. Send a friend here if they want a real meal with real wine without a bill that requires a deep breath.

Our Paladar

· Rochester · Latin/Global Small Plates

The Wild Card

Our Paladar's wine list is a small, well-edited card that takes its cues from the food and doesn't overstay its welcome. For Rochester, this is legitimately exciting — come for the small plates, stay because the Nebbiolo is actually on the menu.

Forager Brewery

· Rochester · Brewpub/New American

The Wild Card

Forager Brewery has no business having a wine list this interesting, and that's meant as a compliment. It's not deep enough to be a wine destination, but for Rochester, it's a legitimate wild card worth knowing about.

Sorellina's Italian by Victoria's

· Rochester · Italian and wine bar

The Wild Card

Sorellina's is doing something genuinely interesting for Rochester — a by-the-glass-forward Italian list with actual producers worth caring about at prices that won't make you wince. Send your wine-curious friends here and let them graze.

Sunfish Cellars Wine Bar & Bistro

St. Paul · St. Paul · Wine Bar / Bottle Shop Bistro

The Wild Card

Sunfish Cellars is punching several weight classes above its size — a 19-bottle list with three Sadie Family wines and an Elvio Cogno Nascetta at $15 is not something you stumble across. If you care about wine and you're in St. Paul, you need to know this place exists.

Luci Ancora

Randolph · St. Paul · Italian

The Reliable

Luci Ancora isn't here to dazzle wine geeks, but it earns its keep as a thoughtful neighborhood Italian with a list that respects the kitchen. If you're after a quiet dinner and a well-chosen Italian bottle, you're in the right place.

Lela

· St. Paul · Steak / Seafood / Italian

The Reliable

Lela's wine list is competent hotel work — nothing that'll surprise you, but enough to get through a steak dinner without regret. Lean into the Sancerre or Riesling, avoid the Caymus markup, and you'll be fine.

Lake Elmo Inn

· St. Paul · Fine Dining American

The Reliable

Lake Elmo Inn has a wine list that earns genuine respect — fair prices, a real by-the-glass program, and a Coravin setup that shows they're thinking beyond the ordinary. It's not destination wine territory, but if you're already going for dinner, you're in good hands.