Nebraska's Most Unexpected Wine Cellar, Full Stop
Downtown · Lincoln · Northern Indian with wine-focused fine dining · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed June 25, 2026
Wingman Metrics
You walk into a Northern Indian restaurant in downtown Lincoln, Nebraska and the wine list has over 2,200 bottles, a Wine Spectator award, and multiple vintages of Lopez de Heredia. That's not a typo. Whatever you thought this place was going to be, reset immediately.
The cellar punches at a level you'd expect from a major coastal city restaurant group, not a Midwestern Indian spot — and that's meant as the highest compliment. Bordeaux, Burgundy, Rhône, Rioja, Piedmont, Tuscany, California Zinfandel, Champagne, Sauternes, Vintage Port, and even Chateau Musar from Lebanon across multiple vintages all have a seat at the table. Ridge Geyserville and Lytton Springs Zinfandel alongside Domaine Huet Vouvray and Krug is a combination that tells you someone genuinely loves wine and built this list with intention. The back-vintage depth is real — this isn't a list padded with bulk producers to hit a bottle count.
Twenty-nine by-the-glass options is serious for any restaurant, let alone one attached to a tandoor kitchen in Nebraska. The pours span styles well, from the A.A. Tintero Moscato d'Asti to the Mayacamas Mt. Veeder Chardonnay, so you're not stuck choosing between two grocery-store Chardonnays. A sommelier on staff means someone can actually talk you through the options without guessing.
2022 Domaine de Fontsainte 'Gris de Gris' Rosé — $40/bottle
Fontsainte makes some of the most serious rosé coming out of Corbières and this is a food-driven wine that can actually handle the complexity of spiced Indian cooking. At $40 a bottle it's a straightforward yes.
Chateau Musar (Lebanon, multiple vintages)
Most people see Musar on a list and walk right past it toward something familiar. That's a mistake. It's one of the most singular wines on the planet — part Bordeaux blend, part oxidative wild card, totally its own thing — and it handles bold spice in a way that Napa Cab simply doesn't.
2020 Lot No. 9 Adamant Cellars 'Philips Vineyard' Tempranillo
At $125 a bottle with no retail data to anchor the value, this feels like the list's one soft spot — an unfamiliar producer at a premium price point where there are far more compelling options at half the cost sitting right next to it.
Ridge Vineyards Geyserville Zinfandel + Tandoori specials
Geyserville's brambly fruit and spice-forward structure were practically made for the char and heat coming out of a tandoor oven. The wine's natural acidity cuts through the richness while the fruit matches the kitchen's intensity without getting steamrolled.
🎲 The Bottom Line
The Oven Cellar is the kind of wine program that makes you feel slightly embarrassed about every assumption you walked in with — a 2,200-bottle cellar built with genuine knowledge and curiosity, attached to an Indian restaurant in Lincoln, Nebraska. Yes, you should go out of your way for this.
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