Smoke and Smash, Skip the Glass
West Downtown / Riverside · Spokane · Barbecue / American Tavern · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed June 17, 2026
Wingman Metrics
The Blackbird is doing exactly what it wants to be — a smoky, comfortable barbecue tavern where beer reigns and wine is an afterthought. The wine list reads like it was assembled in an afternoon: a handful of Pacific Northwest and South American bottles, nothing that required any real curation. If you came here hoping to find a thoughtful glass to go alongside your brisket, temper those expectations fast.
The list leans on approachable, widely distributed labels — Milbrandt Vineyards Merlot from Columbia Valley, Pendulum Red Blend, a house Syrah under the Nathan Gray label — which is fine for a tavern, but there's no ambition here. Washington State gets some representation, which makes sense given the location, but the depth stops well short of interesting. No single-vineyard bottles, no local Spokane-area producers, nothing to make a wine drinker lean forward. Oregon and California round out the edges but don't add any real character.
Six to ten pours by the glass, which is a reasonable count for a spot like this, but the selection mirrors the broader list — safe, predictable, nothing adventurous. The Nathan Gray house Syrah is your default workhorse pour at $27 a bottle equivalent, and the Pendulum Red Blend is around the same neighborhood. Rotation appears nonexistent; this looks like a set-it-and-forget-it program.
Milbrandt Vineyards Merlot Columbia Valley — $28
A 100% markup is still on the steeper side, but Milbrandt is a reliable Columbia Valley producer and $28 is the least painful option on a list that doesn't do itself any favors. It's a soft, food-friendly red that won't fight with smoked meat.
Pendulum Red Blend Columbia Valley
Most people at a barbecue joint are going to default to beer, which means this bottle often sits untouched. Pendulum is a Charlie Smith project with solid Columbia Valley fruit behind it — it's a genuinely drinkable red blend at $30, and it actually holds up against bold, smoky flavors better than the lighter options on this list.
House Red (HH Red)
At $24 a bottle for what is essentially a basic domestic blend retailing around $8, this is a 200% markup on something that was never impressive to begin with. There is no version of this that ends well. Order a local craft beer instead.
Pendulum Red Blend Columbia Valley + Barbecue smoked meats
A fruit-forward, medium-bodied red blend can actually cut through the fat and char on smoked meats without getting steamrolled — and Pendulum has enough structure to stand up to the bold flavors coming off the pit. It's not a sophisticated pairing, but it works.
❌ The Bottom Line
The Blackbird is a genuinely good barbecue tavern that simply doesn't care about wine, and the steep markups on uninspired bottles make that indifference expensive. Come for the smoked meats and a cold beer — if you insist on wine, grab the Milbrandt and move on.
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