Great View, Grocery Store Wines At A Premium
Waterfront · Burlington · Seafood · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 7, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Breakwater Cafe & Raw Bar’s wine list and gave it The Lazy List — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Breakwater reads like someone printed off a best-sellers report from a chain liquor store and called it a day. Kim Crawford, Meiomi, Josh Cellars — these are airport wines, and you're paying a waterfront premium on top of them. The Lake Champlain view is genuinely lovely; the list is not.
The 20-to-40-bottle list leans almost entirely on California workhorses with a small nod toward Alsace via Domaine Weinbach Riesling and a few New Zealand and Pacific Northwest entries. Weinbach is the one moment of genuine intention here — a serious Alsatian producer that has no business sharing a list with Josh Cellars, but we're glad it showed up. Gaps are everywhere: no sparkling, no rosé worth mentioning, no Italian whites to speak of despite a raw bar menu that's practically begging for Vermentino or Greco di Tufo. The list isn't curated so much as assembled.
Six to ten pours by the glass, but don't get excited — what's on offer tracks closely with the bottle list's mainstream lineup. You're likely looking at the usual suspects: Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Grigio. Rotation doesn't appear to be a priority here, and there's no evidence of a by-the-glass program with any ambition behind it.
Meiomi Pinot Noir 2022 — $52
We're not calling Meiomi a great wine, but at 136% markup it's the least punishing bottle on the list — and relative to everything else here, that counts for something. Pick your battles.
Domaine Weinbach Riesling
This is the only bottle on the list that signals someone, at some point, gave a damn. Weinbach is a legendary Alsace domaine and their Riesling has the acidity and texture to absolutely demolish a plate of oysters. Most tables will walk right past it — don't be most tables.
Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio 2023
Forty-five dollars for a wine you can buy at the grocery store for $16. Santa Margherita is a fine, inoffensive Pinot Grigio — but it's the most marked-up bottle on the list at 181% over retail, and it's not interesting enough to justify even half that price.
Domaine Weinbach Riesling + Oysters on the Half Shell
Alsatian Riesling and raw oysters is one of those combinations that exists for a reason. The wine's bright acidity and subtle minerality cut through the brine and fat of the oyster without overpowering it. This is the one pairing at Breakwater that actually makes sense.
Wednesday — Half-price bottles of wine all day Wednesday.
The Bottom Line
Wednesday's half-price bottle deal is the only real reason to engage with this wine list — at full price, you're overpaying for brands that peaked in 2015. Grab a Weinbach on a Wednesday, eat the oysters, enjoy the lake view, and don't look too hard at the rest.
Waterfront · Burlington · Craft Brewery with Bar Snacks
Foam is a brewery first, but the wine program punches way above its weight class — it's small, local, and priced like they actually want you to drink it. If you're on Burlington's waterfront and want something interesting in your glass that isn't a hazy IPA, this is your spot.
Small but Thoughtful
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown · Burlington · New American with Vegan Options
The Daily Planet isn't a wine destination, but it has the instincts of one — a thoughtful natural wine pick, Monday half-price bottles, and fair pricing in a casual room that doesn't take itself too seriously. Send a friend here on a Monday and tell them to ask about the orange wine.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
Downtown · Burlington · New American Bistro
The Gryphon is a reliable neighborhood bistro with a wine list that matches its ambitions exactly: familiar, functional, and forgettable. Come for the burgers and brick walls, but don't expect the wine to be the highlight of your night.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown · Burlington · Neapolitan wood-fired pizza and Italian cuisine
Pizzeria Verità isn't trying to be a wine destination and it doesn't need to be — it's a smart, Italy-focused list with honest markups and a few genuinely interesting bottles tucked in among the crowd-pleasers. Go for the pizza, order the Nebbiolo or the Cirò, and leave happy.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Church Street Marketplace · Burlington · Upscale American Steakhouse
EB Strong's has a wine list that does the job well and occasionally surprises you — especially if you look past the Caymus and dig into the European picks. Wednesday's half-price bottle program makes it one of the better wine-value nights in Burlington, full stop.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
Downtown Waterfront · Burlington · Seasonal New American, farm-to-table
Hen of the Wood Burlington is the rare restaurant where the wine list is as considered as the food, and that's saying something when the kitchen is this good. If you're driving through Vermont and care about what's in your glass, this is worth a reservation.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Seasonal Rotation
Proper
· Toledo · Seafood
Real Seafood Company clearly puts its energy into the kitchen, and the wine list reflects exactly how much attention is left over — which is almost none. Order the Rotari if you want bubbles, or honestly, just get a cocktail and move on.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
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
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