Washington Wines, Salmon, and No Pretense
Downtown Woodinville · Woodinville · Seafood-focused American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 25, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Big Fish Grill Catering & Wine Dinners’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 in Woodinville — wine country's backyard — and Big Fish Grill leans into that with a list that's short, local, and unpretentious. It's not trying to be a wine bar, but it's not ignoring the fact that it's surrounded by some of the best producers in the Pacific Northwest. The vibe is relaxed Northwest seafood spot, and the wine list follows suit.
The list runs 20–40 bottles deep and stays squarely in Washington State territory — Columbia Valley, Woodinville AVA, the usual suspects. You'll find Chateau Ste. Michelle and Columbia Crest doing the heavy lifting on the approachable end, which is fine but hardly adventurous. The standout is DeLille Cellars Chaleur Estate, a Bordeaux-style white blend that shows someone here has at least a little ambition. Gaps are real though — no meaningful red depth, no exploration of Walla Walla or Yakima Valley, and nothing that would make a wine-focused diner reroute their evening.
Expect 6–10 glass pours, almost certainly anchored by the Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling and the Columbia Crest Grand Estates Chardonnay — safe, crowd-pleasing Washington standards that work well enough with seafood. Rotation appears minimal; this reads more like a set-it-and-forget-it BTG program than one with any active curation.
Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling — $10
Ste. Michelle's Riesling is genuinely good Columbia Valley juice — off-dry, crisp, and built for Pacific Northwest seafood. At typical restaurant glass pricing it's a fair deal, and it actually belongs on this menu.
DeLille Cellars Chaleur Estate
Most people here are ordering Chardonnay or whatever's cheapest, but Chaleur Estate is a serious Semillon-Sauvignon Blanc blend from one of Woodinville's most respected producers. It's the one bottle on this list that punches above the restaurant's weight class — order it before someone else does.
Columbia Crest Grand Estates Chardonnay
It's grocery store wine at restaurant markup. Not offensive, just unnecessary — there are better options on this list for not much more money, and you can grab a bottle of Grand Estates at Safeway on the way home.
Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling + Seafood Chowder
The off-dry Riesling cuts through the cream in the chowder while echoing the briny sweetness of the shellfish. It's the most intuitive move on this menu and the staff will back you on it.
✔️ The Bottom Line
Big Fish Grill is exactly what it needs to be: a reliable neighborhood seafood spot in wine country that keeps things local and doesn't embarrass itself on the list. If you're after a deep wine experience, hit one of the actual Woodinville tasting rooms — but for a casual dinner with solid Washington pours, this works.
Downtown Woodinville · Woodinville · Seafood, American
Big Fish Grill isn't a wine destination, but it doesn't need to be — it's a solid neighborhood seafood grill in the middle of wine country that gives you enough local options to drink well without overthinking it. Send a friend here if they want good fish and an easy bottle; don't send them if they want to explore what Woodinville's wine scene is actually capable of.
Plays It Safe
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
Hollywood District · Woodinville · American Tavern
Hollywood Tavern isn't a destination wine stop, but it's a damn solid place to drink well between winery visits. The Washington-focused list is honest, the value is real, and the Gorman and Latta pours alone justify the stop.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Hollywood District · Woodinville · Spanish tapas, cocktail and wine bar
Pintxo is a one-family wine show, and that's both its charm and its ceiling — but within those limits, it executes the Spain-meets-Washington angle better than it has any right to. If you're already doing Woodinville tasting rooms, this is the stop that actually makes you think.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Occasional
Proper
Hollywood District · Woodinville · Upscale American Bistro and Wine Bar
Purple Café Woodinville is doing the work — deep list, fair prices, staff who can back it up, and a Monday half-price bottle program that should be illegal for how good a deal it is. If you're anywhere near wine country and serious about drinking well, this is the stop.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Active Program
Proper
Woodinville · Woodinville · American, Pacific Northwestern
Heritage is the rare spot where the casual vibe and the serious wine list genuinely coexist — sommelier Erik Agnew has built something that rewards locals and out-of-towners equally. If you're doing a Woodinville wine country weekend and want a proper dinner pour without the tasting room formality, this is your room.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Woodinville · Woodinville · American
The Restaurant at DeLille Cellars is a genuine wild card in the best sense — a winery restaurant that earns its Wine Spectator nod with a focused, smart list anchored by some of Washington's most celebrated producers. If you're anywhere near Woodinville, this is worth the reservation.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Varietal Specific
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
Eastport / Waterfront · Annapolis · Seafood-focused American
Blackwall Hitch isn't a wine destination, but it's a solid, unpretentious list at fair prices with one genuinely great weekly deal. Show up on a Wednesday, split a bottle of something decent, and watch the harbor — that's the play.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
Percival Landing / Waterfront · Olympia · Seafood-focused American
Budd Bay Café is not a wine destination, but it's a perfectly functional place to drink a decent glass of Washington white while watching boats drift across Budd Inlet. Send your friends here for the view and the chowder — just steer them toward the Barnard Griffin and away from the Sutter Home.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Waterfront · Santa Barbara · Seafood-focused American
Bluewater Grill is a reliable waterfront wine experience, not an exciting one — if you want a solid glass of California white with great views and good seafood, it delivers. But the markup and the grocery-store label situation mean savvy drinkers should steer toward the local Santa Barbara bottles and leave the national brands where they belong.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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