Nebraska's Most Surprising Wine List, Full Stop
South Lincoln · Lincoln · Modern Asian (Thai-focused with pan-Asian influences) · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed June 25, 2026
Wingman Metrics
You're sitting in a strip mall in Lincoln, Nebraska, about to order Drunken Noodles — and then the wine list lands and you do a double take. Grower Champagne. Markus Molitor Riesling. A Sancerre rouge. This is not what you expected, and that's exactly the point.
At 34 labels, Issara isn't trying to bury you in options — it's trying to make every slot count. The list leans hard into wines that actually make sense with spicy, aromatic, umami-forward food: Grüner Veltliner from Stadt Krems, a Kabinett Riesling from Zeltinger Sonnenuhr, a Côtes de Provence rosé from Château Pradeaux. The Champagne section is genuinely impressive for a Thai restaurant anywhere, let alone the Midwest — A. Margaine, Marc Hebrart, and Pierre Gimonnet represent three solid grower houses most guests won't recognize but absolutely should. Where it thins out is on the red side, where bold reds like the Orin Swift 'Abstract' feel slightly out of place next to the green curry.
Seven pours by the glass, running $7–$11, and the selection is punching well above its weight. The Markus Molitor Riesling Kabinett at $9 a glass is a minor miracle, and the Paul Prieur Sancerre Pinot Noir at $9.50 is the kind of thing you'd expect to see at a dedicated wine bar. Rotation appears limited — this reads like a set list rather than something that changes seasonally.
2008 Markus Molitor Riesling Kabinett Zeltinger Sonnenuhr — $9.00/glass, $29.00/bottle
A premier-cru-level Mosel Riesling from one of the region's top producers at $29 a bottle is a steal by any standard. The slight residual sweetness and laser acidity make it the single best wine on this list for navigating a spicy Thai menu.
NV Marc Hebrart 1er Cru Brut Rosé Champagne
Most tables will skip past this at $68 and grab the Chandon. That's a mistake. Hebrart is a respected grower-producer from Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, and his rosé has a depth and precision that the Chandon can't touch. If you're splitting a bottle to start, this is the move.
2011 Orin Swift 'Abstract' California
At $49 a bottle, you're paying full freight for a Rhône-style red blend that's big, oaky, and completely at odds with everything the kitchen is sending out. It's not a bad wine — it's just the wrong wine for this menu, and the markup doesn't justify the mismatch.
2011 Stadt Krems GrĂĽner Veltliner + Green Curry
GrĂĽner's signature white pepper snap and citrus-driven acidity cut right through the coconut richness in the green curry without getting steamrolled by the heat. It's a textbook food-wine match hiding in plain sight on this list.
🎲 The Bottom Line
Issara has no business having a wine list this considered — and we mean that as the highest compliment. If you care about drinking well with your food, this is the most interesting wine list in Lincoln and it's not particularly close.
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