Drinking and driving in the Motor City: The Rocket Mortgage Classic, Detroit Golf Club, June 26-29, 2025
I wouldn’t guess from afar that Detroit would be a strong wine town. A lot of potentially good places don’t list their inventory online, but we’re confident in the choices here.
Good things come in threes: The Travelers, TPC River Highlands, June 19-22, 2025
Hartford has at least three attractive restaurant lists to offer. If the collective golf world is leaking oil after watching the carnage of last week’s US Open, it can patch itself up nicely here.
Great golf, wine not so much. US Open, Oakmont, June 12-15, 2025
While there’s no disputing the greatness of Oakmont or its difficulty, you’ll also have difficulty finding a great wine list in Pittsburgh. Steel yourself and see what’s out there…
A wine pot of gold in Dublin, OH: The Memorial, Muirfield Village Golf Club, May 29-June 1, 2025
I don’t know that any golf course on earth looks lusher and more beautiful on TV than Muirfield Village. Unfortunately, I didn’t see the same feast for the senses when I began looking for good restaurant wine lists and retail stores in Dublin, OH. I scouted dozens of websites and was almost at the point of despair until…
Belly up to the wine bar in Ft. Worth: Charles Schwab Challenge, Colonial Country Club, May 22-25, 2025
I’ve never been to Ft. Worth and have a vague idea that it’s a rustic, cow-friendly exurb about 30 miles west of Dallas. Them’s probably fighting words, so I apologize in advance to the wine-loving citizens of Ft. Worth and hope to visit one day.
Pretty Good Anytime: The PGA Championship, Quail Hollow Club, Charlotte, May 15-18, 2025
I have to say I was more excited by what I saw in Charlotte’s restaurant scene than many larger markets. There’s a palpable energy evident, with a real sense of possibility and adventure. And wine options? For us the PGA at Quail Hollow spells Pretty Good Anytime.
What wine with my cheese steak? Truist Championship, Philadelphia Cricket Club, May 8-11, 2025
The Swig Coach makes his first visit to Philly with the 2025 Truist Championship. The wine scene boasts a lot more excitement than the City’s general reputation for cheese steaks and hoagies would suggest.
Dolcetto does Dallas. CJ Cup Byron Nelson, TPC Craig Ranch, May 1-4, 2025
As diehard Giant fans we find it difficult to say anything nice about Dallas, but there’s plenty to like about the wine scene if not that execrable football team and its equally obnoxious owner (he who should not be named).
Let the golf teams roll! Zurich Classic, New Orleans, April 24-27, 2025
The Zurich Classic is the only event on the PGA Tour played in two-man teams, where partners “ham and egg” their way to victory. Speaking of getting your grub on, New Orleans needs no introduction on the food front, but the wine scene is a little less visible.
To The Lighthouse: RBC Heritage, April 17-20, 2025
I haven’t been to Hilton Head in over 20 years so this is a shot in the dark. If you want to offer a strong wine program in a destination with significant seasonal peaks you need the financial strength to “weather” the off-season, hopefully through a dedicated core of locals.
A wine destination like no other? The Masters, April 10-13, 2025
I spent about two hours researching the wine scene in and around Augusta National for Masters Week. While I’ve heard that the Club itself has a fabulous wine program that I hope to profile one day (got about as much chance of that as I do playing there), the rest of the area seems to be devoid of good wine with two noteworthy exceptions.
San Antonio rolls out the “red” carpet: Valero Texas Open, Oaks Course, TPC San Antonio, April 3-April 6, 2025
San Antonio finds itself at the center of the sporting universe this weekend, hosting both The Final Four and The Valero Texas Open. We know a lot of alcohol will be consumed but “steer” yourself to our selections if you care about wine.
Houston, we have no problem: Texas Children's Houston Open, Memorial Park Golf Course March 27-30, 2025
I wouldn’t have necessarily guessed but turns out Houston has the best restaurant wine scene of anyplace in the entire South. But it’s Texas after all, so first you gotta wade through the herd of national and regional steakhouse chains.
Paint the town at the Valspar Championship, March 20-23, 2025
You can paint the town red, white, and rose at the Valspar with these recommendations.
Now that’s a 19th hole: The Players Championship, TPC Sawgrass, March 13-16, 2025
The 17th gets all the love on the golf course, but the 19th at Sawgrass is pretty, pretty good as well…
Not much magic in Orlando: The Arnold Palmer, Bay Hill Resort, March 6-9, 2025
Wine is not the first thing that springs to mind when considering a trip to Orlando. A recent article I read suggested it’s the home of “fighting varietals:” inexpensive wines prominently labeled cab or chardonnay. Our own research came to a similar conclusion.
Trompe L’Oeil in Palm Beach: The (Honda)/Cognizant Classic, PGA Resort Champions Course, February 27-March 2, 2025
With a few exceptions, the big name restaurants in the Palm Beach area tend not to post their wine lists online. The glittering exception is La Sirena, so kudos to them…
Pining for wine in San Diego: The Genesis Invitational, Torrey Pines, February 13-16, 2025
San Diego is a fabulous destination for wine as is the case with just about everything else you can do there. Within a half-hour of Torrey Pines, not accounting for any tournament-related traffic, you have an overload of great-sounding options.
Laying Waste to Phoenix: The WM Phoenix Open, TPC Scottsdale, February 6-9, 2025
It feels somewhat sacrilegious to be writing about wine at the WM Phoenix Open, the PGA Tour’s homage to Oktoberfest. After all, I never see anyone showering the pros on 16 with pinot grigio.
GOAT Roping in Carmel: The AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Pebble Beach Golf Links, February 1-4, 2024
After writing about wine lists in 40+ cities near PGA Tour stops, I’ve stumbled into Wine Nirvana, namely the compact area between Carmel and Monterey.