Restaurant bar
Unclaimed profileMillwright's Restaurant
Simsbury, CT · $$$$
Inebrious
Beverage Program Score
The editorial take
Millwright’s wine list has the scale of a celebration restaurant but avoids becoming a trophy cabinet. Grower Champagne from Gaston Chiquet and Chartogne-Taillet leads into Chasselas from Valais, Timorasso from Piedmont, restrained California Chardonnay and savory Loire Cabernet Franc. The expensive end is genuinely deep—Armand Rousseau, several vintages of Catena White Bones and four Opus One releases—but the more revealing choices sit between $60 and $120, where unfamiliar grapes and thoughtful producers make exploration possible without buying the label everyone recognizes. The glass list is disciplined enough to carry dinner: Finger Lakes Riesling, Loire Sauvignon Blanc, Chilean Pinot Noir and Salta Malbec supply different shapes rather than nominal variety. Mixed drinks are culinary but less profound than the cellar; Rumor Mill's coconut-washed tequila, pandan and calamansi has a clear idea, while the spirits selection cannot be fully judged without a published neat-pour list. Two mocktails and an alcohol-removed Sauvignon Blanc prevent abstaining guests from being stranded, though greater breadth is warranted. The best way to use this program is through pairing and conversation, not prestige for its own sake.
- What should I order?
- Start with the Gaston Chiquet Champagne by the glass if the table is having oysters, or the Lahoma Vineyards Finger Lakes Riesling for anything spicy or sweet-edged. For a bottle, Thierry Constantin Chasselas at $100 is the list's most revealing detour; red-wine drinkers should look to Frédéric Mabileau Bourgueil or La Rioja Alta Viña Ardanza before defaulting to Napa Cabernet.
- Who will enjoy this place?
- Wine drinkers who like classical regions but still want an intelligent surprise will have the most fun. It also suits tasting-menu guests willing to let the staff build a progression; someone seeking a broad zero-proof list or a documented whiskey library will find less to work with.
- When should I go?
- Book dinner when the tasting menu and its beverage pairing are available, allowing enough time for the sequence to matter. A tavern visit can test the glass list cheaply, but the cellar makes its strongest case around a table sharing several courses.
- What should I expect to spend?
- Current glasses run about $14–28, cocktails $14–18 and alcohol-free choices $8–12. Bottles begin near $45–60, with a large working middle around $75–140 and collector selections climbing to $950.
- What makes the beverage program distinctive?
- The list bridges conservative luxury and genuine curiosity: Opus One and Bond share space with Swiss Chasselas, Piedmontese Timorasso, California Valdiguié and Bulgarian Mavrud pét-nat. That range is more meaningful than raw bottle count.
Beverage categories
We only score what a venue sets out to do. Categories a venue doesn't attempt are left unscored rather than penalized.
Wine
A five-page cellar balances grower Champagne, Burgundy and classic Italy with alpine grapes, restrained California producers and a compact natural-wine section; the glass list remains useful rather than merely introductory.
Menu strengths
- — Producer-specific depth in Champagne and Burgundy
- — Adventurous bottles below the luxury tier
- — Fourteen structurally varied wines by the glass
Standout selections
- — Gaston Chiquet Brut Grand Cru
- — Thierry Constantin Chasselas
- — Enfield Wine Co. Citrine Chardonnay
Pricing: Glasses approximately $14–28; bottles $45–950
Spirits
The current mixed-drink menu uses bourbon, rye, gin, rum and coconut-washed tequila with clear culinary intent, but a current standalone spirits inventory is not available for judging backbar depth.
Menu strengths
- — Coconut-washed tequila with pandan and calamansi
- — House Old Fashioned retains a direct whiskey frame
- — Modifiers chosen to complement seasonal flavors
Standout selections
- — Rumor Mill
- — Millwright’s Old Fashioned
- — Foam Party
Pricing: Spirits appear chiefly in $14–18 composed drinks; neat-pour pricing is unpublished
Nonalcoholic
A pomegranate-and-bergamot sour, a bitter Italian-style spritz and an alcohol-removed California Sauvignon Blanc cover three distinct drinking occasions, though the total selection remains narrow.
Menu strengths
- — Both sour and bitter profiles represented
- — Alcohol-removed wine supports food pairing
- — Prices remain below most alcoholic drinks
Standout selections
- — Millwright’s Cos-NO
- — NA Spritz
- — Seaglass Sauvignon Blanc
Pricing: Composed alcohol-free drinks cost $8–12
How it sits with the food
Use Riesling, Chasselas or the Outward Chenin with vegetables, crudo and chile; Burgundy or savory Bourgueil can follow into poultry and mushrooms. The richer Napa and northern Rhône bottles make sense only once the table reaches beef or another concentrated course.
Inebrious does not score kitchens, food or the restaurant overall. We review the beverage program only.
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