Greek wines steal the show in Orlando
Winter Park · Orlando · Greek, Mediterranean · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 13, 2026
RagingWine reviewed AVA MediterrAegean’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
The wine list at AVA MediterrAegean hits differently than what you'd expect from Orlando. There's a real identity here — Greek producers front and center, not as a novelty section but as the backbone of the program. It signals immediately that someone with taste and conviction built this list.
AVA runs 150-250 bottles anchored in four regions that actually make sense for the food: Greece, California, France, and Italy. The Greek selection alone — Domaine Sigalas Assyrtiko from Santorini, Alpha Estate Xinomavro, Gaia Wines Agiorgitiko — is more serious than most dedicated wine bars manage. California and Italy fill in the familiar names (Kosta Browne, Stag's Leap, Antinori Tignanello, Planeta) for guests who need a comfort zone. Louis Jadot and Domaine Drouhin round out the French and Oregon corners without going deep. The gap is any real exploration of smaller Greek appellations beyond the usual suspects, but that's a minor gripe on an otherwise purposeful list.
Twenty to thirty-five options by the glass is genuinely strong for a restaurant of this size, and the range skews toward the Greek and Mediterranean selections rather than just defaulting to California Chardonnay and Cabernet. Prices sit in the $12–$18 range, which is honest for the quality level on offer. We'd like to see more rotation to keep regulars engaged, but what's here is well-chosen.
Boutari Moschofilero — $12
Moschofilero is criminally underrated — floral, crisp, lower alcohol — and at the entry price point here it massively over-delivers against anything comparable on the list. It's the move before your food even arrives.
Alpha Estate Xinomavro
Most tables in Orlando are never going to order this, which is a shame. Xinomavro is Greece's answer to Barolo — high acid, firm tannins, serious structure — and Alpha Estate is one of the best producers working with it. If you're a red Burgundy or Barolo drinker, this is the bottle that will make your night.
Kosta Browne Pinot Noir
Great wine, no argument there, but you're paying a significant premium for a California cult label you can find at a dozen spots in town. At a restaurant built around Greek and Mediterranean identity, leaning on Kosta Browne feels like ordering a burger at a sushi counter. Save the budget for something you can't get everywhere else.
Domaine Sigalas Assyrtiko + Bouillabaisse with scallop, bronzino, mussels, and clams
Assyrtiko from Santorini is basically built for this dish — volcanic minerality, razor-sharp acidity, saline edge. It cuts through the richness of the broth and echoes the brine of the shellfish in a way that feels less like a pairing and more like the wine was always supposed to be there.
🎲 The Bottom Line
AVA MediterrAegean earns its Wine Spectator recognition by doing something genuinely rare in Florida: building a Greek-forward wine program with real depth and the staff to back it up. If you're eating here and not exploring the Greek section, you're missing the whole point.
Downtown Orlando · Orlando · French, Regional
The Boheme is the best wine list in the kind of restaurant Downtown Orlando needs more of — it's not groundbreaking, but it's honest, properly focused, and worthy of its Wine Spectator recognition. Send your friends here for a date night, order the Chablis to start, and resist the urge to default to Caymus.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
International Drive · Orlando · Brazilian Churrascaria
Texas de Brazil isn't a wine destination, but it's a smarter wine program than the I-Drive zip code would suggest, and Wednesday's half-price bottles make it a legitimate value play. Come for the meat, stay for the Achaval Ferrer.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
Grande Lakes · Orlando · Italian, Mediterranean
Primo is a resort restaurant that takes its wine list seriously enough to back it up with a real sommelier and a WS credential — which puts it well ahead of most hotel dining rooms. Pricing is what it is in this zip code, but the Italian backbone and capable staff make it a genuinely good wine dinner if you pick smart.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Lake Nona · Orlando · Japanese
Nami is the kind of surprise that earns its Wine Spectator badge — a Japanese restaurant in Lake Nona that treats French wine with genuine seriousness, backed by a knowledgeable staff member who can actually guide you through it. Markups keep it from being a steal, but if you're eating omakase anyway, ordering from this list is the right call.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Orlando · Orlando · Brazilian Churrascaria
Chima's wine list does its job: it gives a celebratory crowd recognizable bottles that hold up to a carnivore's parade. If you're after discovery or value-hunting, look elsewhere — but if you want a solid Cab with your carved meats in a room that feels like a party, this delivers.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
International Drive · Orlando · Seafood, Steakhouse
Charley's is a dependable, well-stocked steakhouse list that earns its Wine Spectator badge without doing anything surprising — come on a Wednesday, avoid the Caymus, and aim for the Italian section. We'd send a friend here for a celebration dinner without hesitation, as long as they know to skip the obvious picks.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Proper
Miami River · Miami · Greek, Mediterranean
Kiki on the River is a genuinely surprising wine program tucked inside a party-forward waterfront scene — the kind of place where the list outperforms the expectation by a full tier. The markups sting and the Greek wine gap is a missed opportunity, but if you're eating grilled whole fish on the Miami River and drinking Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet, life is not going badly.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Santa Monica · Santa Monica · Greek, Mediterranean
Orla is one of the best places in Southern California to drink Greek wine, full stop — the list is deep where it counts, the staff knows what they're pouring, and the setting makes the whole thing feel like a genuine occasion. Yes, the markup will bite on the high end, but for a hotel restaurant with a legitimate Wine Spectator credential and sommeliers who actually care, we'd send you here without hesitation.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
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