Rootstock Wine & Beer Bar

Chicago, IL · $$$

Inebrious

Beverage Program Score

Editorial review: 2026-09-20

Editor: Micah Rousey

How we score

The editorial take

A neighborhood wine bar operating since 2009, Rootstock organizes its bottle list into sparkling, whites, orange, rosé, and red sections with producer and vintage detail. The sparkling range alone moves through méthode ancestrale, pét-nat, Lambrusco, Sekt, Crémant, Champagne, and Spanish sparkling. Whites cover Jura, Burgundy, Loire, Rhône, Rioja, Rías Baixas, Italy, Germany, and California, while the orange section draws skin-contact bottlings from Roussillon, Emilia-Romagna, Lazio, Friuli, Tuscany, and Spain. Natural, biodynamic, and low-intervention producers are strongly represented. Bottles run $54 to $220, with whites $60 to $155.

What should I order?: The 2018 Radikon "Oslavje" from Friuli, a 500ml amber blend of Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc with three months maceration, at $80. For sparkling, the 2020 Costadilà "280 slm," an undisgorged natural Prosecco bottling, at $72. The 2021 Weiser-Künstler "Enkircher Ellergrub" Riesling Kabinett from the Mosel is $82.
Who will enjoy this place?: Drinkers who read producer and vintage before region, and who want natural, biodynamic, and low-intervention bottles across sparkling, white, orange, rosé, and red rather than a single-style list.
When should I go?: A bottle-focused occasion where the list itself is the point; the sparkling and orange sections reward a deliberate pass through the by-the-bottle options.
What should I expect to spend?: Bottles range from $54 to $220 across the sparkling, white, orange, rosé, and red sections, with white bottles from $60 to $155. Named selections sit at $70 to $148.
What makes the beverage program distinctive?: The sparkling section spans méthode ancestrale, pét-nat, Lambrusco, Sekt, Crémant, Champagne, and Spanish sparkling, and the orange section covers Roussillon, Emilia-Romagna, Lazio, Friuli, Tuscany, and Spain. Producer- and vintage-specific detail runs throughout the list.

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

Bottle list split into sparkling, whites, orange, rosé, and red with producer and vintage detail. Sparkling covers méthode ancestrale, pét-nat, Lambrusco, Sekt, Crémant, Champagne, and Spanish sparkling; whites reach Jura, Burgundy, Loire, Rhône, Rioja, Rías Baixas, Italy, Germany, and California; orange spans Roussillon, Emilia-Romagna, Lazio, Friuli, Tuscany, and Spain. Natural, biodynamic, and low-intervention producers are strongly represented.

Menu strengths

— Producer- and vintage-specific detail across sparkling, white, orange, rosé, and red sections.
— Sparkling range crosses méthode ancestrale, pét-nat, Lambrusco, Sekt, Crémant, Champagne, and Spanish sparkling.
— Strong representation of natural, biodynamic, and low-intervention producers.

Standout selections

— 2018 Radikon "Oslavje" Friuli, Italy — Amber Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc with three months maceration; 500ml, $80.
— 2021 Weiser-Künstler "Enkircher Ellergrub" Riesling Kabinett, Mosel, Germany — Riesling Kabinett from steep Mosel terraces, $82.
— 2020 Costadilà "280 slm" Vino da Tavola, Italy — Undisgorged natural Prosecco bottling, $72.
— 2023 Matassa "Cuvée Alexandria" Vin de France — Macerated Muscat d'Alexandria from Tom Lubbe in Roussillon; 1.5L, $148.

Pricing: Bottles $54–$220; whites $60–$155

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