McGuire's Irish Pub
Great Bar, Forgettable Wine List
Historic Downtown · Pensacola · Irish Pub Fare · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 5, 2026
Wingman Metrics
First Impression
Walking into McGuire's is a genuinely great time — dollar bills on the ceiling, a historic firehouse vibe, and enough energy to keep a table going all night. But crack open the wine list and the magic fades fast. It reads like someone photocopied the shelf at a mid-tier grocery store and called it a program.
Selection Deep Dive
The list clocks in at 20-40 bottles pulling from California, France, and Italy — which sounds reasonable until you realize it's almost entirely grocery-store staples: Josh Cellars, Kim Crawford, Meiomi, La Crema. There's no real regional depth here, no interesting producers, no sense that anyone put thought into what goes beyond the obvious. France and Italy get a token nod, but California crowd-pleasers clearly run the show. If you're hoping to find something to talk about beyond the dollar bills on the ceiling, the wine list won't help you.
By the Glass
Six to ten pours by the glass, which is a reasonable count, but the selection mirrors the bottle list — expect the usual suspects like Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc and Meiomi Pinot Noir. There's no visible rotation or program behind the glass pours, and nothing here suggests anyone's tasting through options to curate something worth your attention.
Duckhorn Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 — $85
Relative to the rest of this list, Duckhorn is the only bottle where the markup doesn't feel like a shakedown — 55% over retail is still steep, but it's the closest thing to fair pricing here, and the wine itself is actually worth ordering if you're having the filet.
La Crema Sonoma Coast Chardonnay 2022
Nobody comes to an Irish pub for Sonoma Coast Chardonnay, which means the table next to you isn't ordering it — and honestly, it's the most food-friendly white on the list if you're eating anything rich. Still overpriced, but at least the wine has something to say.
Josh Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon 2021
A $15 retail bottle at $36 on the menu is a 140% markup on one of the most mass-produced Cabs in America. There is absolutely no world in which this is the right call. Order a Guinness and move on.
Duckhorn Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 + Bacon Wrapped Filet Mignon
A big Napa Cab with a bacon-wrapped filet is not a creative choice, but it's a correct one — the wine's dark fruit and structure hold up to the beef, and if you're already spending on the filet, splurging on the one bottle that's actually worth it makes sense.
Tuesday — Half-price bottles of wine every Tuesday night — the one legitimate reason to engage with this wine list. Even at full price the markup is hard to justify; at half price, you're suddenly in reasonable territory.
❌ The Bottom Line
McGuire's is a legitimately fun night out, and we'd send a friend here without hesitation — just not for the wine. Drink the beer, skip most of the list, and if it's Tuesday, the half-price bottle deal is the only reason to think about wine at all.
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