Washington's backyard, bottled and poured right
Woodinville · Seattle · New American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 9, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Barking Frog’s wine list and gave it The Rager — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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Wingman Metrics
You're in Woodinville wine country, and Barking Frog knows exactly where it lives. The list opens with a confident parade of Washington heavyweights — Leonetti, Quilceda Creek, DeLille — and doesn't apologize for the flex. This isn't a list that wandered in from a generic hotel restaurant; someone who actually cares about Washington wine built this thing.
The 200-400 bottle range gives the list real depth, and the regional focus is tight and deliberate: Columbia Valley, Walla Walla, and Willamette Valley anchor the selections with a few well-placed Oregon nods. You'll find blue-chip names like Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon and Andrew Will Sorella sitting alongside more approachable pours like Chateau Ste. Michelle Cold Creek Riesling — proof that the list isn't just trophy hunting. Long Shadows Pirouette shows up as a nod to the collaborative, blended side of Washington wine, and it earns its spot. The gaps are minor: if you're hunting Old World depth, you'll be searching; this list has a clear Pacific Northwest identity and leans into it hard.
Fifteen to twenty-five options by the glass is a serious commitment, and the price range of $14–$30 keeps it accessible without feeling cheap. With a sommelier on staff, the BTG list rotates with intention — expect the pours to reflect what's drinking well right now rather than whatever's been open since Tuesday. This is one of the stronger by-the-glass programs in the Seattle metro area for Washington-focused wines.
Chateau Ste. Michelle Cold Creek Riesling, Columbia Valley — $14
Cold Creek Riesling punches well above its price point — one of Washington's most consistent vineyard-designate Rieslings, with real tension and longevity. At the low end of the BTG range in a room full of $60+ Cabs, it's the smartest pour on the list.
Long Shadows Pirouette, Columbia Valley
Most tables in this room are gunning for the Leonetti or Quilceda Creek, and rightfully so. But Pirouette — the Bordeaux-style blend from Long Shadows — is the sleeper. It's structured, age-worthy, and made with fruit from some of the best Columbia Valley sites. Most diners walk right past it.
Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley
Quilceda Creek is genuinely one of the best Cabs in America — no argument there. But in a restaurant setting with lodge-level pricing on top of an already stratospheric bottle price, you're paying a significant premium to drink something you could allocate directly from the winery. Save this one for home.
DeLille Cellars Chaleur Estate, Columbia Valley + Prix Fixe Dinner
Chaleur Estate is DeLille's flagship Bordeaux-style white — crisp, textured, and complex enough to hold its own across multiple courses. It bridges the gap between the richer protein-forward plates and any lighter first-course fare in a prix fixe format without overwhelming anything on the table.
The Bottom Line
Barking Frog is the best argument for making the 30-minute drive from Seattle to Woodinville that doesn't involve a tasting room. If you care about Washington wine, this list is the real thing — deep, fairly priced, and staffed by people who actually know what's in the cellar.
Eastlake · Seattle · Italian
Serafina is a reliable Italian neighborhood spot with a wine list that matches its ambitions — cozy, competent, and a little expensive for what it is. Send a friend here for the pasta and Nebbiolo, but warn them to steer clear of the Prosecco markups.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Capitol Hill · Seattle · French / Northwest Seafood and Wine Bar
Bar Melusine is what Capitol Hill needed more of: a focused, France-forward wine program that actually earns its place next to the food. If you're eating oysters in Seattle, this should be in your regular rotation.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Magnolia · Seattle · Italian
Picolinos is the kind of neighborhood Italian where the wine list genuinely backs up the food, and that's rarer than it should be. Send your friends here if they want a proper Barolo with their osso buco without flying to Turin.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Pike Place Market · Seattle · Italian-American with Northwest influence
The Pink Door is a reliable wine list in a genuinely great room — the atmosphere does a lot of heavy lifting, and the wine program is good enough not to get in the way of a memorable evening. Just watch the markups, stick to the Italian bottles, and let the trapeze act do the rest.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Capitol Hill · Seattle · Modern steakhouse with French-influenced Pacific Northwest cuisine
Bateau is the rare steakhouse where the wine list earns as much attention as what's on the butcher board. Markups keep it from being a total steal, but the depth, the staff, and the Pacific Northwest-first perspective make this one worth the splurge.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Belltown · Seattle · Italian
Tavolàta's wine list is exactly what a good Italian pasta spot should have — focused, fairly priced, and honest about what it is. If you're looking for a list to geek out over, keep walking; if you're looking for something that drinks well with great pasta, pull up a chair.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
7th Ave / Dolores · Carmel By The Sea · New American
Seventh & Dolores isn't a destination wine list, but it's a respectable one that at least knows where it is geographically. Come for the steak, order the Wrath, and don't expect to go down any rabbit holes.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Vail · Vail · New American
Vin48 is a genuinely surprising wine program hiding inside a Colorado ski resort, and if you're a wine-first diner passing through Vail, it absolutely warrants a stop. The markups reflect the zip code more than we'd like, but the depth and curation of the list are the real deal.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
Downtown Solvang · Solvang · New American
Root 246 is the rare hotel restaurant that actually earns your wine attention — a focused Santa Barbara County list with real producers, a sommelier who knows the material, and pricing that doesn't punish you for being curious. If you're passing through Solvang wine country, this is where you eat.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
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