8 Wines for Pennsylvania's Fall 2026 Restaurant Table

Fifty-nine restaurants are opening in Philadelphia between now and late December. Not fifty-nine over the year, fifty-nine in one season, plus expansions at Lovat Square in Chestnut Hill and Palm Vintage in Center City. Every one of them has to build a wine list inside the most tightly regulated wine market in America.

That is the Pennsylvania paradox. The state moves more wine than any other control state in the country, yet a buyer here cannot phone an importer and order a pallet the way a buyer in New Jersey can. Pennsylvania rewards preparation instead: knowing what is listed, what ships fast, and what earns its slot next to live fire, kimchi, and pork and sauerkraut.

Key Takeaways

• Roughly 59 restaurants open in Philadelphia this fall, with Italian concepts, live-fire cooking, Korean barbecue, all-day service and omakase named as the defining trends.
• Pennsylvania's wine and spirits system turned over $3.16 billion in the last reported fiscal year across more than 560 Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores.
• Licensees buy through the PLCB, not from importers directly, so the 10% licensee case discount and the Licensee Delivery Program shape every margin decision.
• Fall in Pennsylvania means two tables at once: Philadelphia's new-restaurant wave and Lancaster County's harvest cooking. One wine list can serve both.
• Acid and structure beat power here. Pork, sauerkraut, apples and char all want a red with freshness, not weight.

What Philadelphia Is Actually Opening This Fall

The pipeline is not random. Four patterns repeat across the fall 2026 openings, and each one points at a different bottle.

• Italian, everywhere. Alessandro's Enoteca in Bryn Mawr, Martini & Roz in Wayne, and Vintner's Table in Ardmore, an Italian-inspired wine bar and salumeria, all land in the suburbs this season.
• Live fire. Wood, smoke and char as the center of the menu rather than a garnish.
• Korean barbecue and omakase. Heat, fermentation, and raw fish, three things that break a heavy red instantly.
• Wine-first rooms. Divers Club, a neighborhood wine bar in Queen Village. Santé Social on East Passyunk, where sommelier Daniel Solway is giving his roving dinner series a permanent address. Lovat Square in Chestnut Hill, opened by former Four Seasons sommelier Damien Graef and journalist Robyn Semien, adding full dinner service.

That last group matters most to importers. When sommeliers open their own rooms they buy on story and specificity, not shelf recognition, so a Graciano from Rioja or a Nebbiolo d'Alba sells far more easily there than in a chain steakhouse.

How Pennsylvania Restaurants Actually Buy Wine

Pennsylvania is a control state, and the mechanics decide what is realistic to list. Restaurants cannot buy imported wine directly from an importer. Licensees purchase through the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board using the Licensee Online Order Portal, which shows current and upcoming product sales plus price-per-ounce comparisons so buyers can time purchases. Once a licensee registers for the Licensee Delivery Program, the PLCB assigns a wholesale account manager.

Three practical consequences for a fall list:

• The 10% licensee discount on case purchases is the volume lever. There is no negotiated pricing on top of it, so buying by the case on listed products is where the margin lives.
• Special Order products are not eligible for the wholesale discount. A beautiful special order can still be the right call for a tasting menu, but it will not carry a by-the-glass program economically.
• Listed and in-stock beats theoretical. In a control state, a wine you can reorder in a week is worth more than a wine you love and cannot replace.

This is exactly why we hold inventory stateside. Our wines are in stock in the U.S. and ready to ship to all 50 states, which shortens the gap between a list decision and a case on the floor.

8 Wines for the Pennsylvania Fall Table

Eight pours, mapped to the food Pennsylvania is actually cooking this autumn. Five generations of the Fernández de Manzanos family have farmed in Rioja and Navarra since 1890, and the range below reaches beyond Spain into Piedmont, Maule and the Cape.

1. Manzanos Gran Reserva Rioja, for live fire and long braises

Rated 95 points by Wine Enthusiast in the 2015 vintage, this is the bottle for the wood-fired room. Aged Tempranillo brings leather, dried fruit and cedar, and its acidity cuts straight through fat, which is why sommeliers reach for Gran Reserva with lamb, short rib and anything that spent hours over coals. Serve at 61-64°F, not room temperature.

2. Manzanos Reserva Rioja, the by-the-glass workhorse

93 points, Wine Enthusiast. More fruit and less tertiary complexity than the Gran Reserva, which makes it the more flexible glass pour across a mixed menu. This is the one that handles a table ordering steak, roast chicken and mushroom pasta at once.

3. Siglo Sack Tempranillo, for the cheesesteak and the tavern menu

Search interest in cheesesteak pairings runs year round, and the honest answer is a fruity, medium-bodied red with real acidity, not a blockbuster. Rib eye, melted provolone and a soft roll need a wine that refreshes between bites. Tempranillo in its younger, juicier form does this better than Cabernet, and Siglo Sack earned 92 points from Decanter in its jute-wrapped bottle, which is the rare list addition that sells itself off the table.

4. Las Campanas or Navarra Garnacha, for pork and sauerkraut

Sauerkraut is the hardest thing on the Pennsylvania Dutch table to pair, because vinegar flattens tannin. Garnacha from Navarra works because its red-fruit sweetness and moderate tannin meet the sourness halfway instead of fighting it. This is the sleeper pick of the season.

5. Duchessa Lia Nebbiolo d'Alba, for the Italian wave

With Italian openings dominating the fall calendar, an authentic Piedmont red that is not Barolo is the smartest listing on the page. Nebbiolo d'Alba gives the rose petal, tar and grippy acidity that defines the region, in a frame that works by the glass. For the flagship slot, Duchessa Lia Barolo anchors the reserve list.

6. Duchessa Lia Moscato d'Asti, for all-day service and dessert

All-day dining was named as a defining trend this fall, and all-day rooms need a low-alcohol, lightly sparkling option that works at 3 p.m. as easily as at 10 p.m. Moscato d'Asti is also the classic partner for apple desserts, which puts it directly alongside Lancaster County's apple butter and schnitz un knepp.

7. Cremaschi Furlotti Carmenere, for Korean barbecue

Korean barbecue is the pairing puzzle of the season: sweet marinade, chili heat, fermentation and char in one bite. Carmenere from Chile's Maule Valley answers it with a savory, herbal, gently smoky profile and softer tannins than Cabernet, so the heat does not turn bitter. Serve it slightly cool.

8. Bruce Jack Reserve Sauvignon Blanc, for omakase and raw bar

With underground omakase and oyster programs in the pipeline, the list needs a white with cut. South African Sauvignon Blanc splits the difference between Loire restraint and New World fruit, which makes it more food-flexible than either. For the red-drinker at the same table, Bruce Jack Reserve Pinotage handles smoke and grilled fish without overwhelming it.

Lancaster County and the Harvest Table

Two hours west of Philadelphia, the fall menu is a different language. Pennsylvania Dutch cooking is built on pork, root vegetables, soured and sweetened fruit, and the ingenuity required to put up a year of food before the first frost.

• Schnitz un knepp, dried apples, ham and dumplings, sweet and savory at once. Take the Navarra Garnacha or, for the sweet side, Moscato d'Asti.
• Pork and sauerkraut. Garnacha or a young Tempranillo. Avoid heavily oaked reds.
• Scrapple, often served with applesauce or syrup. Its salt and spice want acidity and bubbles more than tannin.
• Apple butter, cinnamon and clove against crisp fruit. Moscato d'Asti is the natural match.

The sommelier shorthand applies in reverse here. Rioja's own tradition of roast pork, chorizo and aged sheep's cheese is a remarkably close cousin to what Lancaster has been cooking for three centuries.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can Pennsylvania restaurants buy wine directly from an importer?

Generally no. Pennsylvania operates a three-tier system in which licensees buy wine and spirits through the PLCB. The main exception is Pennsylvania-licensed limited wineries, which may sell directly to restaurants and retail licensees. For imported wine, the purchase runs through the state system, which is why an importer's job here is getting the wine listed and keeping it in stock.

What wine goes with a Philly cheesesteak?

A fruity, medium-bodied red with good acidity. The sandwich combines fatty rib eye with melted cheese, so the wine needs to refresh rather than add weight. Young Tempranillo, Garnacha and Carmenere all work well. Skip high-tannin, heavily oaked reds, which turn drying against the cheese.

How do Pennsylvania restaurants order wine from the PLCB?

Through the Licensee Online Order Portal, which displays current and upcoming sales plus price-per-ounce comparisons, and shows the savings on each order. Licensees who register for the Licensee Delivery Program are assigned a wholesale account manager. Listed products qualify for the 10% licensee case discount; Special Order products do not.

Is Pennsylvania still a control state?

Yes. Pennsylvania remains one of the country's control states, with the PLCB running wholesale and operating more than 560 Fine Wine & Good Spirits retail stores. In the most recently reported fiscal year the system recorded $3.16 billion in sales and contributed $876.6 million to state and local governments and other beneficiaries.

What wine pairs with pork and sauerkraut?

Garnacha from Navarra or a young, unoaked Tempranillo. Sauerkraut's acidity clashes with firm tannin, so the goal is red fruit and softness. A dry sparkling wine is the other reliable answer if the table wants white.

Building Your Pennsylvania Fall List

The wines above cover live fire, Italian, Korean barbecue, raw bar, all-day service and the harvest table, which is close to a complete map of what Pennsylvania is cooking between now and the holidays. Our portfolio spans Spain's Rioja DOCa and Navarra DO, Piedmont, Chile's Maule Valley and South Africa's Cape, with more than 600 wines scoring 90+ points, including a Decanter Platinum 97 for Manzanos 125 Aniversario.

For diners: use Find Our Wines to locate bottles near you. Our wines appear at retailers including Total Wine & More, Costco, Albertsons and Binny's, and you can browse the full range at our wines.

For the trade: if you are a distributor, retailer or restaurant group building a Pennsylvania program for Q4, start at become a distributor. For the Spanish reds side of the list in more depth, see our guide to Spanish reds for Pennsylvania wine lists.

Manzanos Wines USA is the premier importer of premium wines from Spain, Italy, Chile, South Africa, and France, serving all 50 US states through our nationwide distributor network. Learn more at manzanoswinesusa.com.

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