Menlo Park

An Indian restaurant with a Wine Spectator award, a real sommelier, and a Wednesday half-price wine night is exactly the kind of place Raging Wine exists to find. The markups skew steep on the headline bottles, but the program has genuine intention behind it — and that makes all the difference.

Madera is the real deal — a hotel restaurant wine list that earns its reputation rather than coasting on the address. The markups will sting, but the depth, the curation, and the staff knowledge make this one of the better wine experiences on the Peninsula.

Che Fico in Menlo Park is the rare Peninsula restaurant where you could spend an entire evening working through the wine list and never feel the urge to leave. Send your friends, especially the ones who think they know Italian wine — this list has something to teach everyone.