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 →
Take Vibe Match and we’ll tell you what to order here.
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.
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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.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Front Street / Historic District · Key West · American, Seafood, Bar & Grill
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Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
MIA
Active Program
Acceptable
Historic Seaport · Key West · Seafood and Oyster Bar
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Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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Plays It Safe
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
Simonton Street / Old Town · Key West · American brunch with seafood-focused comfort fare
Sarabeth's Key West won't blow any wine nerd's mind, but it's doing the right things — fair prices, a real happy hour deal, and a few genuinely good bottles hiding in plain sight. For a brunch spot on Simonton Street, that's more than enough to earn your order.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
Historic Seaport · Key West · Steakhouse and Seafood
Prime is a reliable pour for a classic steakhouse night out — the fortified wine selection is genuinely worth exploring, but don't expect the main list to surprise you or the markup to do you any favors. Send a friend here for the steak and the sunset; just make sure they save room for a Tawny.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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