St. Paul's Iberian wine list nobody's talking about
Macalester-Groveland · St. Paul · Mediterranean- and Iberian-inspired New American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed June 24, 2026
Wingman Metrics
You don't expect to find Txakolina and Frappato by the glass on St. Clair Avenue in St. Paul. The list is short — maybe 30 bottles — but whoever built it clearly had a point of view, and that point of view is the Iberian Peninsula with detours through southern Italy. It's a neighborhood restaurant wine list that's quietly doing more than it needs to.
The bottle list leans hard into Spain, Portugal, and Italy, with a clear preference for lighter, acid-driven wines that make sense alongside the food. You're not getting Napa Cab here, and that's the whole point. Grillo and Vermentino represent the Italian side; Albariño and Txakolina anchor the Iberian selections. The list won't impress anyone hunting for depth of vintage or vertical options, but every pick feels deliberate rather than filler — a real accomplishment for a 30-bottle list.
The by-the-glass program is where Estelle earns real points — roughly nine whites and nine reds, which is generous for a restaurant this size. Seeing Frappato and Txakolina as glass pours at $7–$12 is the kind of thing that makes you want to linger. Rotation doesn't appear to be aggressive, but the base selections are interesting enough that it doesn't matter much.
Txakolina — $12
Txakolina is a low-alcohol, bracingly tart Basque white that most wine lists don't touch. Getting it by the glass at this price point — especially next to piri piri chicken or anything pickled — is a genuine steal and a rare find outside a Spanish restaurant.
Frappato
Frappato is the overlooked sibling of Nero d'Avola — light-bodied, cherry-forward, and a little wild. Most people walk right past it for something more familiar, but it's one of the most food-friendly reds on the list and exactly the kind of pour that makes you feel like you're eating in Sicily.
Sangiovese
Sangiovese by the glass is the safe choice on a list like this, and safe choices rarely pay off. With Frappato and Montepulciano sitting right next to it, the Sangiovese feels like the option for someone who hasn't read the rest of the list yet. Skip it and go somewhere more interesting.
Albariño + Piri Piri Chicken Skewers
Albariño's citrus bite and saline edge cut right through the char and heat of the piri piri marinade. It's a classic Portuguese-Spanish flavor bridge — the kind of pairing that feels obvious in retrospect but lands like a revelation at the table.
🎲 The Bottom Line
Estelle is a cozy St. Paul neighborhood spot that's quietly running one of the more interesting by-the-glass programs in the Twin Cities — Iberian-leaning, fairly priced, and genuinely thoughtful. If you care about wine and you're in the area, the list alone is worth the stop.
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