Hawaii's Most Serious Wine List Shows Up
Honolulu · Honolulu · Wine Bar / New American Small Plates · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · August 15, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Amuse Wine Bar’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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Wingman Metrics
You don't expect to open a wine list in Honolulu and immediately spot Franciacorta, Galician Mencía, and Corsican rosé — but here we are. Amuse Wine Bar is playing a different game than the surrounding tourist corridor, and the list proves it from page one. This is a place that's actually thinking about wine.
Sixty-five labels covering serious ground: Loire Chenin Blanc from Clos Le Vigneau, a Gruner Veltliner from Hugl, Craggy Range 'Te Muna' Sauvignon Blanc out of New Zealand, and the Avancia Mencía from Galicia sitting next to a Cahors Malbec from Clos La Coutale. The geographic spread here is genuinely impressive — we're talking Austria, Corsica, Loire Valley, Hawke's Bay, and Napa all on one list. There are gaps on the red side (Pinot Noir options are thin, leaning on Firesteed, which is workmanlike at best), but the white and rosé game is strong enough to carry the room. For a wine bar in Hawaii, this is the kind of curation that takes real effort.
Twenty by-the-glass options is excellent, running $15 to $25.50 and actually representing the list's diversity rather than just defaulting to Malbec and Pinot Grigio. The Domaine de Marquiliani Rosé of Sciaccarellu and Syrah from Corsica at $22.50 is the kind of pour that makes you want to talk about it. Amuse also offers curated wine flights — including a 'Bubble Trouble' bubbles flight — which is a smart move for a wine bar crowd that wants to explore without committing to a bottle.
Familia Torres Altos Ibericos 'Crianza' Tempranillo 2018 — $16.5/glass
A Torres Rioja Crianza from 2018 — already showing some age and development — at $16.50 a glass is genuinely good value. Torres is a serious producer, the Crianza designation means real oak time, and you're not paying premium for the privilege. Order a second glass.
Avancia 'Cuvee de O' Mencía 2021
Most people at a Hawaii wine bar are reaching for Pinot Noir or Malbec. The Avancia Mencía from Galicia's Valdeorras region is the smarter order — earthy, red-fruited, lower alcohol, and from a producer doing thoughtful work in one of Spain's most underrated appellations. At $24 a glass it's not cheap, but it's the most interesting red on the list by a wide margin.
Firesteed Pinot Noir 2022
At $25.50 a glass, Firesteed is the most expensive by-the-glass red on the list and also the least interesting. It's a high-volume Oregon brand built for accessibility, not complexity, and it sticks out on an otherwise thoughtful list. The Domaine Chanson Pinot Noir at $21 is the better call if Pinot is what you're after.
Clos Le Vigneau Chenin Blanc 2023 + Small plates / charcuterie board
Loire Chenin Blanc has the acidity to cut through rich charcuterie fat and the texture to stand up to aged cheeses. The Clos Le Vigneau at $22.50 a glass is one of the list's strongest white pours and works as an all-night sipper through a grazing spread — which is exactly how you should be eating at a wine bar anyway.
The Bottom Line
Amuse Wine Bar is doing something genuinely unexpected in Honolulu: building a thoughtful, geographically diverse list with fair pricing in a city where most wine programs are an afterthought. If you're in Hawaii and care about what's in your glass, this is the room to be in.
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