Caprice Bistro
Downtown Wilmington's Most Dependably French Wine List
Downtown · Wilmington · French Bistro · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 11, 2026
Wingman Metrics
First Impression
The wine list at Caprice Bistro does exactly what you'd expect from a cozy French bistro on Market Street — it leans hard into the classics and doesn't apologize for it. Sancerre, Burgundy, Bordeaux, Champagne by the glass: the hits are all here. It's not trying to surprise you, and at a candlelit table with a bowl of mussels in front of you, that's mostly fine.
Selection Deep Dive
The list runs 80-130 bottles deep with a clear allegiance to France — Côtes du Rhône, Burgundy Pinot Noir, Bordeaux cab blends, and Loire whites anchor the program. There's not much adventurousness here; you won't find natural wine or anything from an obscure appellation that makes you feel like you discovered something. What you will find is a solid, coherent collection that mirrors the food menu in ambition — approachable, French, reassuring. The gaps are real though: minimal New World representation and almost no depth in lesser-known French regions like Beaujolais or Jura.
By the Glass
Twelve to eighteen pours by the glass is genuinely solid for a restaurant this size, and the fact that Champagne is available by the glass earns immediate goodwill. The range tracks the bottle list — French-forward, classic-leaning — which means you can sip Sancerre or a Côtes du Rhône without committing to a full bottle. Rotation appears limited, so don't expect a lot of seasonal shake-ups.
Côtes du Rhône — $42
Côtes du Rhône is consistently one of the best value regions in French wine, and at a bistro with markups tilting steep, it's your best shot at drinking well without feeling the burn on the credit card.
Champagne by the glass
Most people skip Champagne at dinner unless it's a special occasion, but ordering a glass here at a French bistro while you wait on mussels is one of the better low-key moves on the menu. Few restaurants in Wilmington pour it by the glass at all.
Bordeaux Cabernet blends
Bordeaux at restaurant markup in this price tier rarely makes sense — you're paying a premium for the name recognition, and the bottles landing on these lists are seldom the ones worth the surcharge. Spend that money on a second glass of Sancerre instead.
Burgundy Pinot Noir + Coq au Vin
This is the most classically correct pairing on the menu and it works because it's supposed to — Coq au Vin is literally cooked in wine from this region. The earthy, lighter-bodied Pinot echoes the braised chicken without stomping on it.
✔️ The Bottom Line
Caprice Bistro is the kind of wine list that never embarrasses you and never thrills you — it's a reliable partner for a French dinner in downtown Wilmington, priced a touch high but with enough quality pours by the glass to make a night of it. Send a friend here if they want France without a flight.
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