Franco-Californian fire hiding in Bernal Heights
Bernal Heights · San Francisco · American, Japanese · Visit Website ↗
Updated September 2026
Reviewed April 16, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed 3rd Cousin’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
You're on Cortland Ave in Bernal Heights — not exactly where you expect to find Arnoux-Lachaux and Ridge Monte Bello on the same list. But here we are, and the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence hanging over this place is quietly earned. The list is compact enough to read without a flashlight but edited with real conviction.
The 120-180 bottle list runs a tight Franco-Californian axis and makes no apologies for it. On the French side, you've got Domaine Weinbach covering Alsace with authority, Domaine Dujac in Morey-St-Denis, and Arnoux-Lachaux for anyone who wants to drop serious money on Burgundy. California holds its own with Kistler Chardonnay, Bedrock Wine Co. pulling Sonoma's old-vine thread, and Ridge Monte Bello representing the serious end of the Cabernet conversation. There are gaps — this isn't a globe-trotting list — but every bottle feels like someone actually thought about it rather than copy-pasting from a distributor catalog.
Twelve to eighteen pours by the glass at $12–$22 is a solid range for a neighborhood spot operating at this level. The glass program appears to track the bottle list's Franco-Californian identity, which means you're not choosing between Malbec and Pinot Grigio — you're choosing between things worth drinking. Rotation details are limited, but with sommelier talent like Marian Bamba and Sarah Ruben on staff, expect the list to stay relevant.
Bedrock Wine Co. Sonoma — $45–$65
Bedrock's old-vine Sonoma bottlings consistently punch well above their price point, and at the low end of the bottle range here, you're getting serious California history in a glass without the Napa markup.
Domaine Weinbach Alsace
Most people at an American-Japanese spot are scanning for Burgundy or Cali Cab and walk right past Weinbach. That's a mistake. Alsace Riesling or Pinot Gris from this producer has the texture and aromatic range to handle the whole menu from crudo to charcuterie.
Arnoux-Lachaux Burgundy
The wine is extraordinary — no argument there. But Arnoux-Lachaux commands serious secondary-market money, and unless the markup here is genuinely restrained, you're probably better saving this producer for a restaurant with a deeper Burgundy context around it.
Domaine Dujac Morey-St-Denis + Roasted Chicken
Dujac's Morey-St-Denis has enough red fruit and earthy lift to complement a properly roasted bird without competing with it. It's the kind of pairing that makes you put your phone down.
The Bottom Line
3rd Cousin is the Wild Card in full effect — a neighborhood restaurant on a quiet San Francisco street that has quietly built a Franco-Californian list serious enough to earn national recognition. Send your wine-curious friends here and watch them figure out this city has more going on than Divisadero.
West Portal · San Francisco · Italian wine bar and small plates
A wine-bar list built around Italian bottles, with prices from $41 to $600 on the Wine List page. Start with the Firmino Miotti Breganze Cabernet 2015 at $18/64 from the glass section, or take the Raina Le Campette Montefalco Rosso 2020 at $42 if you want a bottle, and confirm prices since neither page is dated. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Fillmore · San Francisco · Indian, Regional
A South Indian dinner menu with two wine PDFs behind it: 17 pours on the glass PDF from 15 to 32, then a bottle PDF that starts with grower Champagne. Start with the chilled Florèz God's Own at 15 or the Aldo Viola Moretto at 17, and confirm both lists, since the PDFs are undated and the website Wines tab names some different producers. This unrated guide covers the posted wine lists, not service, storage or markups.
Hayes Valley · San Francisco · Wine bar with California/Italian-leaning small plates
A wine-bar list that ranges from Lebanese sparkling and orange wine to Jura bottles and sherry by the 3 or 4 oz. Start with the Pardusco 2024 chilled red at $14 / $56 or the Apátsági 2022 juhfark at $17, and confirm prices, since the page itself points you to the wine wall for more. This unrated guide covers the posted drinks and bottle lists, not service, storage or markups.
North Beach · San Francisco · Italian
A pizzeria wine list with real range: 24 wines under the Glasses heading, Italian reds sorted by region, and New World reds that include Napa and Paso Robles Cabernet. Start with the $10/$40 house Chianti Superiore, or try the $13/$52 Planeta Ceresuolo with a Margherita, and confirm vintages and prices before you order. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Union Square · San Francisco · French
A 66-page list that starts with a 20-pour glass page and moves quickly into Burgundy, Rhône and Bordeaux bottles priced in the hundreds and thousands, so decide early whether you are drinking by the glass or committing to a bottle. Start with the $20 Chablis or the $23 Corsican red, and confirm today's list because it carries no print date. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Potrero Hill · San Francisco · Italian
A list with two speeds: 29 glass pours from $13 to $45, and a bottle book that runs from $44 to $2,100. Start with the $13 Il Frappato or the $18 Vietti Perbacco Nebbiolo, then look at the Etna Rosso bottles (Tenuta delle Terre Nere 2023 is $82) if you want a bottle. This unrated guide covers the posted drinks list, not service, storage or markups.
Ossining · Ossining · American, Japanese
3 Westerly won't challenge your wine assumptions, but it'll take care of you — and Wednesday half-price wine night is genuinely one of the better deals in Westchester. Send a friend if they want a reliable, crowd-pleasing bottle with a waterfront view; tell them to skip the Margaux.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
Weehawken · Weehawken · American, Japanese
Drift is a reliable California wine list bolted onto a genuinely great view — it'll satisfy most tables without challenging anyone. Send a friend if they want a safe, well-executed bottle with their steak and a killer skyline; just don't send them expecting to discover something new.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Jersey City · Jersey City · American, Japanese
Hudson & Co is a well-run California list with a credentialed sommelier, a knockout view, and enough serious bottles to make dinner feel like an occasion. The markups and the lack of range outside Napa and Sonoma keep it from being a destination wine experience, but if you love California reds and want to drink well in Jersey City with the skyline as your backdrop, this works.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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