Bellevue's Grown-Up List Done Right
Old Bellevue · Bellevue · Northwest · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed July 1, 2026
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Bis on Main lands with some real weight — 320+ bottles is not a number you throw around in Old Bellevue without meaning it. You flip through and immediately clock the heavy hitters: Krug, Dom Pérignon, Opus One, Quilceda Creek. This is a list built to impress a certain kind of business dinner crowd, and it largely succeeds.
California dominates — expect a full parade of Napa Cabs and coastal Pinots, with Shafer, Kosta Browne, Peter Michael, and Quintessa all showing up. Washington gets its due respect with Quilceda Creek and Leonetti anchoring the local section, which is exactly what a Northwest restaurant should be doing. France isn't ignored: Champagne gets serious attention with six or seven grower and house options, and M. Chapoutier's 'Le Meal' Ermitage Blanc signals that someone on staff has taste beyond the obvious. Italy is thinner — La Spinetta's Brunello and Barbera are solid picks, but the boot deserves more real estate than it gets here.
Seventeen by-the-glass options at $16–$27 a pour is a reasonable program for fine dining, though the top end of that range can sting when you're not sure what's being poured. We'd love to see more rotation and some Washington-specific pours given the regional identity of the kitchen — there's an opportunity being left on the table.
Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley 2020 — Price not listed
One of Washington's most celebrated Cabs on a restaurant list is always worth ordering — Quilceda Creek consistently punches at a level well above what most diners expect from a Columbia Valley label. If the markup is even remotely reasonable, this is the move at a Northwest-focused restaurant.
M. Chapoutier 'Le Meal' Ermitage Blanc 2018
Most tables here are going straight for the Napa Cabs, which means this Northern Rhône white from one of the appellation's top single-vineyard sites sits quietly overlooked. Marsanne at this level — from Chapoutier, from 'Le Meal' — is the kind of wine that changes people's minds about white wine.
Moët & Chandon 'Dom Pérignon' 2012
Dom is always the safe, showy order — and restaurant markups on it are rarely kind. The Champagne list here has genuinely better-value options like Pierre Gimonnet's Blanc de Blancs that will drink just as well for a fraction of the flex tax.
Leonetti Cabernet Sauvignon Walla Walla 2019 + Big Steak
Leonetti is Walla Walla royalty — structured, fruit-forward, with enough tannin to cut through the fat of a properly seared steak. Ordering Washington beef country's most iconic Cab alongside a serious cut of beef at a Northwest restaurant is exactly the kind of local story this list should be telling.
✔️ The Bottom Line
Bis on Main is a dependable upscale option with a list that clearly gets curated attention — the depth is real, the regional picks land, and the Champagne section alone earns some respect. Pricing leans steep and the list plays to a safe, high-net-worth crowd, but if you know where to look, there are genuinely great bottles hiding in here.
Old Bellevue · Bellevue · Southern Italian
Carmine's is a dependable wine experience in a room that earns it — the Italian backbone is solid, the Marc Hébrart alone proves someone cared when building this list, and 13 by-the-glass options gives you real choices. Just mind the markups and steer away from the California name-drops.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Redmond Town Center · Bellevue · Steakhouse and Seafood
Matts' isn't a wine destination, but it's not pretending to be one either. The Pacific Northwest focus is smart, the by-the-glass picks punch above the room's casual energy, and $9 oyster bar pours during happy hour is a deal worth showing up for.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
Bellefield Office Park Area · Bellevue · Upscale American Steakhouse
Ruth's Chris Bellevue is a reliable machine for a certain kind of corporate dinner — but the wine list is a profit center dressed up as a wine program, and the markups make that clear. Order the Belle Glos, catch Ruth's Hour if you can, and save the serious wine drinking for somewhere that actually cares.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
Bellevue Square · Bellevue · Asian, Chinese-inspired
On a Wednesday, P.F. Chang's Bellevue is legitimately worth pulling up a chair for wine — half-price bottles with recognizable labels is a deal you won't find at most actual wine bars. Any other night, the list is competent but overpriced for what it is, and you'd be better off sticking to the cocktails.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Active Program
Acceptable
Lincoln Square · Bellevue · American, Global/International, Seafood
Earls Bellevue isn't going to wow any wine nerds, but it's a genuinely solid operation for what it is — fair prices, a few legitimately good bottles, and one of the best mid-week deals in Bellevue if you time your visit right. Come on a Tuesday or Wednesday and grab the Lingua Franca at half price; you'll leave happy.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
Old Bellevue · Bellevue · Contemporary Vietnamese
Monsoon Bellevue earns its Wild Card status: a focused Pacific Northwest wine list in a Vietnamese restaurant context is a genuinely smart move, and Wednesday half-price bottles make this one of the better midweek wine deals in Old Bellevue. Show up on a Wednesday, order the Pinot, and let the kitchen do the rest.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.