Sunset Views, Solid Italians, No Surprises
A&B Marina / Historic Seaport · Key West · Coastal Italian Fine Dining · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 23, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Bel Mare 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
You're sitting on the water in Key West watching the sun melt into the Gulf, and the wine list arrives looking exactly like you'd expect from a polished coastal Italian spot — competent, predictable, and priced for tourists with sunset goggles on. The list leans hard into Italy with some California backup, which makes sense for the cuisine, but there's not a lot of adventure here.
The Italian focus is real: you've got Gaja Barbaresco and Antinori Tignanello anchoring the prestige end, which tells you this list is trying to impress — and it does, on paper. Sicily shows up via Planeta's Nero d'Avola, which is one of the more interesting bottles in the lineup. The California bench fills the crowd-pleaser lane without much personality, and you won't find much outside of Italy and the West Coast. No Loire, no Burgundy, no natural wine curiosities — just the reliable hits.
The glass program runs a reasonable 8–14 options, with prices sitting in the $14–$22 range that's pretty standard for waterfront fine dining in the Keys. Expect the usual suspects — Pinot Grigio, a Tuscan red or two — but don't count on the pours rotating much seasonally. It's a program built for easy ordering, not exploration.
Planeta Nero d'Avola — $55
Sicilian Nero d'Avola in this setting is genuinely good drinking — ripe, earthy, and substantial enough to stand up to the kitchen's heartier pasta dishes without demanding a second mortgage. It's the most interesting bottle at a price point that doesn't feel punitive.
Planeta Nero d'Avola
Most tables here will reflexively order the Pinot Grigio or reach for the Tignanello to impress their date. The Planeta is the move that actually rewards you — Sicilian terroir, real depth, and it flies under the radar on a list full of flashier names.
Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio
At Key West waterfront markup, you're paying a serious premium for a wine you can grab at any grocery store for $18. It's perfectly fine wine, but the value proposition evaporates completely once it's on a restaurant list at this price point. Order literally anything else.
Gaja Barbaresco + Homemade pasta with braised meat
Gaja's Barbaresco — all structure and dried roses and tar — needs something with weight and richness to match it. A slow-braised meat ragu over the kitchen's housemade pasta gives it exactly that. This is the pairing that makes the splurge feel worth it.
The Bottom Line
Bel Mare is a reliable pick for Italian wine if you're already there for the views and the pasta — just go in knowing you're paying the waterfront tax and the list won't surprise you. Order the Planeta, skip the Santa Margherita, and let the sunset do the heavy lifting.
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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