Old Town charm with a grown-up wine list
Eaton Street / Old Town North · Key West · Mediterranean-influenced contemporary American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 23, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Azur Restaurant’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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Wingman Metrics
Forty-eight labels isn't a lot, but Azur isn't trying to be a wine bar — it's a cozy Old Town neighborhood spot, and the list reads like someone actually thought about it. The range hits the right notes for the room: approachable enough for vacation drinkers, serious enough for people who know what Vieux Télégraphe means. First scan tells you a sommelier touched this.
The list leans comfortably on Napa and Bordeaux for the reds, with Chateau Batailley's Lions de Batailley Pauillac and Stag's Leap Cab holding down the prestige slots, and Merry Edwards Russian River Pinot for the Burgundy crowd who won't admit they're a Pinot crowd. Italy shows up respectably with Tommasi Amarone and Val Di Suga Brunello — two wines that take real commitment to stock in a small restaurant. Whites are anchored by a Henri Bourgeois Sancerre and a Flowers Sonoma Coast Chardonnay, which is exactly what you want on a warm Key West evening. The gap is the southern hemisphere — zero Southern Hemisphere representation, and natural or skin-contact wine drinkers will need to look elsewhere.
Twenty-one pours by the glass on a 48-bottle list is an unusually high ratio, and that's a real win for the table that can't agree on a bottle. Prices run $12–$22 per glass, which is honest for the market and the quality on offer. We'd love to see more rotation or a chalkboard special, but what's there is reliable.
Drappier Brut Champagne Carte d'Or — $45
Drappier is a serious Champagne house that flies under the radar next to the big names, and the Carte d'Or is a proper grower-style Pinot Noir-dominant fizz. If this bottle is sitting at the low end of the price range, it's the smartest order on the list — especially when you're eating charred octopus and watching the Key West crowd drift by.
Vieux Télégraphe Télégramme Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Most people at a table like this will reach for The Prisoner or the Stag's Leap because those labels are familiar. Don't. The Télégramme is Vieux Télégraphe's second label, which means it's drawing from one of the most respected estates in the Southern Rhône — Grenache-driven, garrigue-scented, and built to handle the kitchen's bolder Mediterranean flavors. It's the wine the sommelier probably wants you to order.
The Prisoner Napa Valley
Nothing wrong with The Prisoner as a wine — it's crowd-pleasing by design. But you're paying a restaurant markup on a bottle that's everywhere, and with Merry Edwards and Vieux Télégraphe sitting on the same list, there's no reason to default to the most algorithmically popular red wine in America. Save The Prisoner for your hotel room.
Merry Edwards Pinot Noir Russian River Valley + Braised beef gnocchi
Merry Edwards RRV Pinot brings that classic Russian River combination of dark cherry and earth with just enough acidity to cut through a rich braise. Slow-cooked beef and pillowy gnocchi want a wine with weight but not tannin that clubs the dish into submission — this one walks that line perfectly.
The Bottom Line
Azur punches above its size in a tourist-heavy town that could easily coast on mojitos and house pours. The markups aren't shy, but there's a real list here with a sommelier behind it — send a friend, order the Télégramme, and let Key West happen around you.
Historic Seaport · Key West · American / Seafood
Schooner Wharf is a legitimately great bar — just not a wine bar. Order a beer, get the shrimp, watch the sunset, and if you must have wine, grab the Sterling Sauv Blanc and call it a day.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
MIA
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Duval Street / Old Town · Key West · Seafood / New American
Bagatelle is doing more with wine than most restaurants in the Keys bother to attempt, and for a tourist-heavy Duval Street address, that matters. The markups are real and the list skews safe-prestige, but if you're in Key West and want a proper bottle with your lobster, this is where you go.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Fleming Street / Old Town · Key West · Seafood / Raw Bar
Thirsty Mermaid is a Wild Card in the best sense — a no-frills raw bar that somehow sourced a wine list worthy of a much fancier room. The markups on the high-end bottles are steep and there's no wine program energy to speak of, but the Cava-and-oysters combination alone is worth the stop.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Stock Island / Oceans Edge Resort · Key West · Seafood / Elevated American
Matt's is the wine list equivalent of a reliable vacation — it won't blow your mind, but it won't ruin your evening either. Order the Albariño, watch the boats, and save the wine exploration for somewhere that's actually trying.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
North Roosevelt Boulevard / Waterfront · Key West · Hotel Bar / American
The Roost is a hotel bar doing more than the minimum — there's real range here and a few genuinely good picks if you know where to look. Just go in expecting to pay for the waterfront zip code, and you'll have a fine time.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Simonton Street / Old Town · Key West · Cafe & Bakery
Moondog isn't a wine destination, and it doesn't pretend to be — but it offers a surprisingly considered little list at prices that don't insult your intelligence, which puts it well ahead of the tourist-trap cafes clustered around it. If you're in Old Town and want a glass with your morning or a light lunch, there are worse decisions you'll make in Key West.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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