Cold Beer Town With A Decent Wine Backup
South Wedge · Rochester · New American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 22, 2026
Wingman Metrics
Lovin' Cup is a music venue and burger spot first, wine program second — and it doesn't pretend otherwise. The list is short and approachable, aimed squarely at the RIT crowd and neighborhood regulars who want something in a glass while a local band sets up. Don't come here expecting a Burgundy deep cut; do come expecting to drink without getting gouged.
The wine list leans on recognizable, crowd-pleasing labels — Austin Hope, Coppola Diamond, Portillo Malbec — spread across California and Argentina with a nod toward local and international producers. There's nothing adventurous here, no natural wine tangent, no obscure Finger Lakes Riesling to reward the curious. The range covers the bases: a big Cab for the red drinkers, a Malbec for the 'I don't know, just red' crowd, and a few whites and rosés to round it out. It's a grocery-store-circuit list, but it's priced honestly enough that complaining feels petty.
Glass pours run $8–$13, which in 2024 Rochester is actually decent value. The Austin Hope Reserve Cab at $13 a glass is the ceiling, and it's a legitimate wine for the price. We'd like to see more rotation and a by-the-glass count north of a handful, but what's here works for the context.
Austin Hope Winery Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon — $13/glass
A $30 retail bottle poured by the glass at $13 is real math that works in your favor. It's a ripe, full-bodied Paso Robles Cab that drinks well above its price point, and Lovin' Cup isn't marking it into oblivion. Order it.
Bodegas Salentein Portillo Malbec
It gets dismissed as the default 'house Malbec' by people scanning past it, but Portillo is a solid, dependable pour from one of Mendoza's better producers. At $10 a glass in a casual bistro setting, it's doing its job and then some.
Francis Ford Coppola Diamond
The Coppola Diamond label trades almost entirely on brand recognition — the bottle is everywhere, the wine is fine, and at $12 a glass you're mostly paying for the name. The Austin Hope next to it on the list is a better wine at a dollar more. Skip the celebrity bottle.
Bodegas Salentein Portillo Malbec + Burgers
A juicy, fruit-forward Malbec and a well-built bistro burger is the kind of pairing that doesn't need explanation. The wine's dark fruit stands up to the beef, and at $10 a glass you're not precious about it — which is exactly the energy a burger deserves.
✔️ The Bottom Line
Lovin' Cup is not a wine destination, and it knows that. But the pricing is honest, a couple of the pours are genuinely worth ordering, and sometimes you just need something decent in a glass while the band warms up — this place delivers that.
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.