Pretty Setting, Safe Pours, Resort Prices Apply
Hualalai Resort / Kaupulehu · Kailua-Kona · Italian-inspired coastal cuisine with Hawaiian and Mediterranean influences · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 24, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Beach Tree Restaurant at Four Seasons Resort Hualalai’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Take Vibe Match and we’ll tell you what to order here.
Wingman Metrics
The wine list arrives and it reads exactly like the ocean view looks — impressive, polished, and designed to make you feel like splurging is the only reasonable option. Napa, Burgundy, Champagne, Tuscany: the usual luxury suspects are all present and accounted for. It's a confident list that knows its audience is already on vacation and probably won't balk at resort pricing.
The 80-to-150-bottle list leans hard into Napa Valley Cabernet and California Chardonnay, with a respectable nod to Burgundy and what appears to be a Tuscany section that pairs nicely with the Italian-leaning menu. Producers like Kistler and Domaine Leflaive signal that someone with actual taste built this list — these aren't Sysco-catalog picks. That said, the range feels curated for comfort over adventure: you won't find anything that challenges the palate or the narrative. No natural wine, no interesting outliers, no under-the-radar Sicilian that would actually sing with the wood-fired pizza.
The by-the-glass program runs 12 to 20 options, which is solid for a resort restaurant. Rombauer Chardonnay almost certainly anchors the white side — it's the crowd-pleaser workhorse of every luxury California list. We'd expect Caymus Cabernet to hold down the red end, which tells you all you need to know: this is a glass program built for guest satisfaction, not wine discovery.
Kistler Chardonnay — null
Exact pricing wasn't confirmed, but Kistler is consistently one of the most fairly-priced prestige Chardonnays on high-end restaurant lists — and it's genuinely earned its reputation. In a lineup that includes Rombauer (fine, but ubiquitous) and Domaine Leflaive (transcendent but eye-watering), Kistler hits a sweet spot of quality and relative value in this tier. Order it without apology.
Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet
Most guests at a beachside resort in Hawaii are reaching for the Rombauer or whatever Chardonnay they recognize. Leflaive's Puligny-Montrachet is the one that actually deserves the oceanfront setting — minerally, precise, with enough richness to handle fresh local fish without steamrolling it. The price will hurt, but this is the bottle you'll actually remember.
Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon
Caymus is everywhere, and Four Seasons resort pricing on a wine you can buy at Costco for $80 is exactly as painful as it sounds. A big jammy Napa Cab is also a strange match for a coastal Italian menu with fresh seafood and wood-fired pizza. Skip it here and save the Caymus craving for somewhere the markup isn't compounded by an ocean view premium.
Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet + Seasonal Seafood Pasta
Leflaive's Puligny has the acidity to cut through a buttery pasta sauce and the texture to hold up to whatever fresh local fish or shellfish lands in that bowl. White Burgundy and coastal Italian seafood pasta is one of the great pairings in the world — doing it with your feet in the sand on the Big Island is just showing off.
The Bottom Line
Beach Tree is a reliably well-run resort wine program with real producers and a sommelier who knows the list — just come in clear-eyed that you're paying Four Seasons Hawaii prices for the privilege. If someone else is expensing it, order the Leflaive and don't look back.
Waikoloa · Kailua-Kona · Hawaii Regional Cuisine / Asian Fusion Seafood Grill
Roy's Waikoloa is a reliable night out with food that outpaces the wine list by a full length. Drink the Sonoma-Cutrer with the butterfish, skip the markups on the obvious stuff, and let the view do the heavy lifting.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Waikoloa · Kailua-Kona · Italian osteria with locally sourced Hawaiian ingredients
Pueo's isn't building a destination wine program, but it's doing something harder — keeping prices honest in a market that rarely does. Send your friends here for dinner; just know the list is a supporting character, not the headliner.
Plays It Safe
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Waikoloa · Kailua-Kona · Beachside Hawaiian and Pacific Rim
Come for the sand, the sunset, and the Huli Huli chicken — just don't come expecting the wine list to match the view. Order the best white they have cold, tip your server well, and make peace with it.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Alii Drive · Kailua-Kona · Hawaiian-style barbecue / plate lunches
We would never send someone to TJ's for the wine list — we'd send them for the smoked brisket and the ocean view. But if you want something in a glass while you eat, the list does just enough to keep you covered, and $12 a pour is fair by Hawaii standards.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Kailua-Kona · Kailua-Kona · Hawaiian-inspired and pan-Pacific fare with a classic tiki bar
Don the Beachcomber is a genuinely fun place to spend an evening in Kona, and the cocktail program absolutely earns its reputation — so get the mai tai and leave the wine list alone. If you insist on a bottle, grab the La Crema, accept your losses, and watch the sunset.
Crowd Pleasers
Gouge
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Kailua-Kona · Kailua-Kona · Contemporary American and Seafood
Come for the manta rays and the sunset, order a cocktail, and make your peace with it. The wine list is a hotel afterthought dressed in markup we can't recommend with a straight face.
Crowd Pleasers
Gouge
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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