Pretty Good Anytime: The PGA Championship, Quail Hollow Club, Charlotte, May 15-18, 2025
Click on image for location details
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. If the restaurants are as good as they look on (virtual) paper, fans attending the PGA are in for a real treat. With that said, I found two truly classic wine lists in the City, but plenty of fun, smaller, carefully chosen lists that match the eclectic cuisine.
Unfortunately, retail lags considerably. The market seems to favor trendy, small boutiques with limited inventory and almost an aversion to higher priced wines, which might be an advantage based on your budget but won’t help if you are in the mood for something special. It’s also possible that some stores don’t want to put their entire selections online, but the eCommerce shopping experience suffers as a result.
Restaurants:
Normally we’ve come to expect that you can find a steakhouse with a passable list at almost any PGA Tour stop. In Charlotte, the genre is totally dominated by Big Steak, like all the national chains collaborated to make it a test market. Go there if you must, but we support local and at most regional stores, so you’re on your own if that’s your game.
Counter- is awesome in all regards, even if the prices for their many world-class wines are a tad steep. The organization of the list makes it clear they (appropriately) think the focus of a great list should be on producers. It is very strong in Burgundy (red and white), Rhone, Spain, Italy and California and offers representative, high quality options almost anywhere else you can think of. There are quite a few well-curated, less-traveled appellations and wines that are priced under $75 if you don’t want to splurge. This is a must visit in Charlotte. Wine List.
Fig Tree can go toe-to-toe with Counter- in all classic regions, Old and New, and I’d say there’s no point trying to say one is better than the other. Ultimately the choice might come down to carefully comparing and deciding if there’s a specific producer you favor. Terrific options abound, and the list is organized regionally by price in ascending order so you can quickly scan to meet your budget. There’s an intriguing suggestion that you can take anything home at some other “retail” price, so I’m guessing this is a place where collectors can have their cake and eat it, so to speak. Wine List.
The Bohemian wine bar’s list is sufficiently broad, is full of quirky surprises, and you’ll have to work hard to spend more than $150. Find me somewhere else in the Southeast with eight tannats.
Ok, Barcelona wine bar has seven tannats if I counted them right, along with a very fine Spanish list conveniently breaking out a broad array of traditional vs. modern Rioja styles. Good if small representation from around the world.
Dean’s Italian Steakhouse would be a decent option in a market that wasn’t already stacked. The list is big enough but features far too many brands and lacks the verve and imagination of the better spots. Still you’re likely to find something appealing in California or Italy if your tastes run to the predictable.
Finally, I read that Peppervine has a fine list with nearly 500 wines, but they don’t post anything but a slightly odd by-the-glass list. It has the virtue of being close to Quail Hollow if you’re heading north towards Charlotte. Might be worth taking a peek on your way downtown.
At retail:
Petit Philippe gets a nod for boiling it down to the essence. The inventory isn’t super-high end (except for a few white Burgs) or going to overwhelm you with choices, but most everything seems carefully curated to provide authenticity and quality. It’s unfortunately weak in Piedmont.
You can try Bond Street and Assorted Table if you have enough time to walk in and look around. Assorted Table doesn’t reveal a single bottle in stock but says “we may not be the biggest but we’re the coolest.” That seems to be the general vibe of all these places. It appears that many Charlotte wine bars have substantial retail operations and often you can buy a bottle at retail and drink it on premise for a small corkage charge. Several are mentioned below.
