Downtown Little Rock's Most Honest Wine List
Downtown · Little Rock · New American / Contemporary American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed June 20, 2026
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Allsopp & Chapple lands like the restaurant itself — put-together, confident, and not trying too hard. Forty to sixty bottles organized around California, France, and the Pacific Northwest, which tells you exactly who their customer is. No grand ambitions here, but no embarrassments either.
The list leans heavily on reliable California and Willamette Valley producers, with France showing up for the crowd that wants a Bordeaux with their steak frites. Oregon gets a real seat at the table — the Lingua Franca 'Avni' Pinot Noir is a genuine nod to the serious end of the Pacific Northwest, and not every downtown restaurant in Little Rock bothers. Sicily sneaks in with the Terrazze dell'Etna Sparkling Brut Rosé, which suggests whoever builds this list has at least one adventurous instinct. Gaps exist — South America and Spain are largely absent — but for a 40-60 bottle list at this price point, the curation holds up.
Ten to sixteen options by the glass is a healthy pour program for this market, and the range mirrors the bottle list without feeling like leftover afterthoughts. We'd like to see more rotation — the glass list reads like it gets updated seasonally at best, not weekly. Still, having something like the Lingua Franca accessible by the glass would be a genuine win; confirm with your server what's currently pouring.
Lingua Franca 'Avni' Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 2021 — $55
At $55 on a restaurant list, this is a legitimate steal. Lingua Franca is Larry Stone's Willamette project and the 'Avni' retails around $35 — so yes, the markup exists, but 57% on a wine this good in downtown Little Rock is fair play. Drinks well above its price and outclasses most bottles around it on the list.
Terrazze dell'Etna Sparkling Brut Rosé NV
A Sicilian sparkling rosé from Etna on a downtown Arkansas wine list is the last thing you'd expect, and most tables will walk right past it. Don't. Volcanic-soil bubbles with grip and character — it's the kind of wine that starts conversations.
Cakebread Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2020
At $95 with a retail around $70, the markup is actually tame — but Cakebread Cab is the wine equivalent of ordering the well bourbon at a craft cocktail bar. You're paying for a name that peaked in cultural relevance sometime around 2009. The money spends better elsewhere on this list.
Mer Soleil Reserve Pinot Noir 2019 + Seared Duck Breast
This combo already passed a real-world test — Allsopp & Chapple served exactly this pairing at their wine dinner. Mer Soleil's Reserve Pinot brings enough dark fruit and structure to stand up to duck without stomping on it. When a restaurant shows you the answer, trust it.
✔️ The Bottom Line
Allsopp & Chapple isn't trying to be a wine destination, but it's doing the work — fair markups, a few genuinely interesting bottles, and a list that respects the food it's sitting next to. Send your friends here for dinner; just steer them toward the Lingua Franca and away from the Cakebread.
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.