Great harbor views, safe wine choices
Old Port · Portland · Seafood · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 9, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Boone's Fish House & Oyster Room’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Boone's arrives as a supporting actor, not the lead — and it knows it. You're here for the lobster and the harbor view, and the list is built around that reality. Nothing adventurous, nothing embarrassing.
The 30-50 bottle list leans hard into the New World crowd-pleasers: California, New Zealand, Pacific Northwest — the usual suspects at a waterfront seafood spot. You'll find the kind of producers that move volume in every airport lounge from LAX to JFK. There's no real cellar depth here, no regional Maine producers, and no serious Old World representation to speak of. It does the job if your job is selling sauvignon blanc to tourists eating lobster rolls.
Eight to twelve pours with glasses ranging $10-$18 — which is fine until you notice the selection leans almost entirely on Oyster Bay and Kim Crawford fighting over the same sauvignon blanc customer. Rotation appears minimal; this list reads like it hasn't changed since the menu was printed. Not a program someone is actively curating.
Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc — $12
At the lower end of the glass price range, it's the most honest pour on the list — crisp, citrus-forward, and genuinely works with freshly shucked oysters. You know exactly what you're getting, and that's not always a bad thing.
Meiomi Pinot Noir
Most people skip red wine entirely at a seafood restaurant, and we get it. But Meiomi's fruit-forward, relatively light body actually holds up to richer dishes like baked stuffed lobster without steamrolling the table. It's not a serious Pinot, but it's more versatile here than the menu would suggest.
Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc
You can buy a bottle of Kim Crawford at the grocery store for $13. Whatever they're charging here by the glass, the math doesn't work in your favor. Grab the Oyster Bay instead — same neighborhood, better bang.
Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc + Fresh-shucked oysters
This is the one place where the list earns its keep. The high acidity and grassy citrus edge of Oyster Bay cuts through the brine and salinity of fresh-shucked oysters on the half shell — it's not complicated, but it's right.
The Bottom Line
Boone's is a beautiful room with serious food credentials and a wine list that mostly stays out of the way — which, at a tourist-facing Old Port seafood house, is probably the honest best-case scenario. Drink the sauvignon blanc, eat the lobster, enjoy the harbor.
East End · Portland · Sushi / Japanese
Mr. Tuna isn't a wine destination — it's a great sushi spot that happens to have two sensible, well-chosen bottles and a local can that makes the experience feel intentional. Come for the hand rolls, drink the Vinho Verde, and don't overthink it.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
East Bayside · Portland · Seafood
A fast-casual raw bar with a wine list that punches well above its category — the French-only focus is a feature, not a limitation. If you're eating oysters in Portland, this is where you want to be drinking.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Deer Isle · Portland · Seafood Fine Dining
Aragosta is the rare case where the wine program matches the remoteness of the drive — you come all the way out here and find a 3,475-bottle cellar waiting for you. Yes, send your friends. Send everyone.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Old Port · Portland · Seafood, American
Scales is playing a different game than the tourist-trap seafood spots on either side of it — the wine list is genuinely Old World-focused and well-matched to the food, which is rare and worth noting. If you're eating clams and mussels on the Portland waterfront, this is where you want to be doing it with a glass in hand.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Arts District · Portland · Seafood, Californian, Contemporary Mexican
Regards isn't trying to be a wine bar, but whoever built this list understands exactly what the food needs and went hunting for it. If you're in Portland and want a bottle that actually earns its place on the table, this is the move.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
West End · Portland · French and Spanish
Chaval is punching above its weight class for a neighborhood brasserie in Portland — the list is small but curated by someone who actually cares, with pricing that doesn't punish curiosity. If you're open to going off the beaten path (xarel-lo, South African grenache blanc), this is a genuinely rewarding room to drink in.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Carmel · Carmel By The Sea · Seafood
Catch is a dependable wine stop for a seafood dinner in Carmel — nothing here will disappoint you, but nothing will surprise you either. If you go in with calibrated expectations and order the Schramsberg with your crab, you'll leave happy.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Hood River · Hood River · Seafood
Votum is operating a world-class wine program in a town most people only stop through on the way to a hike — the depth of this cellar belongs in a major city restaurant, and the sommelier presence means you're not navigating it alone. The markups on the prestige bottles will sting, but find your entry point and this list rewards serious attention.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Bowen's Wharf · Newport · Seafood
The Lobster Bar isn't a wine destination, but it's a perfectly competent list for what the restaurant is — a casual waterfront spot where the lobster is the star. Order the Sancerre, eat the oysters, watch the boats.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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