Austin

Siena's wine list is a genuine Italian-focused program with some serious names and a half-price Monday that should be on every Austin wine drinker's calendar. Markups run steep at the high end, but the bones are good enough that we'd send a friend — especially on a Monday.

A neighborhood Italian spot with a better wine list than it has any obligation to have — and Wednesday half-price wine night is one of the better deals in Austin. Come for the pasta, stay for the Barolo.

Garrison is a reliable hotel wine program done right — California-focused, professionally executed, and holding a well-earned Wine Spectator credential. Just know you're paying Fairmont prices, and order accordingly.

Emmer & Rye is doing something genuinely rare in Austin: running an adventurous, well-sourced wine program inside a restaurant that leads with food, not hype. Send your wine-curious friends here and tell them to ask the staff what's interesting right now.