Palm Beach polish with a serious wine backbone
Palm Beach · West Palm Beach · Contemporary American small plates with global influences · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed July 5, 2026
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Buccan arrives with the same confidence the room projects — polished, well-edited, and clearly not an afterthought. At 150-200 labels, it's substantial without being overwhelming, weighted toward California and France with enough Italian depth to keep things interesting. This is a list that takes itself seriously, even if it expects you to pay for the privilege.
The core of the list leans heavily on California and Burgundy, which makes sense for a Palm Beach crowd that knows what it likes. You'll find anchors like Kistler Chardonnay and Domaine Drouhin Pinot Noir alongside marquee bottles like Ridge Monte Bello and Opus One sitting at the top of the price ladder. Tuscany and Champagne fill out the international side reasonably well. What's notably absent is any real adventurousness — no natural wine detour, no Southern Hemisphere depth, no by-the-glass surprises from off-the-beaten-path producers.
Twenty to thirty by-the-glass options is a genuinely strong program, and at $14–$30 a pour there's real range across price points. The upside is flexibility across a shareable-plates format where your table might want three different wines at once. The downside is we don't see a meaningful rotation or any active effort to push guests toward something they haven't tried before — it reads more like a curated standing menu than a living program.
Domaine Drouhin Pinot Noir — $55–$90 (estimated bottle)
Drouhin is one of the most reliably honest producers in Oregon Burgundy-style Pinot, and in a room full of Napa markups, it's likely the smartest play on the list — structured, food-friendly, and doesn't require a second mortgage.
Kistler Chardonnay
Most people come here and order something safe. Kistler is the move for Chardonnay lovers who want California done with real restraint and texture — less about butter, more about precision. Worth seeking out before the table locks into Champagne mode.
Opus One
Opus One is a fine bottle that costs a lot of money to produce and even more to buy at a restaurant. At Buccan, you're paying deep into the $300–$500+ range for a wine you can find at any high-end steakhouse in America. It's a flex, not a find.
Domaine Drouhin Pinot Noir + Short rib empanadas
Drouhin's Pinot has the acid and red fruit to cut through the richness of braised short rib without overwhelming the spice and pastry of the empanada. It's a cross-cultural handshake that actually works.
✔️ The Bottom Line
Buccan earns its reputation as a go-to Palm Beach spot — the wine program is well-staffed, properly stored, and broad enough to satisfy most tables. Just know going in that you're paying a Palm Beach premium, and the list rewards guests who already know what they want more than those looking for discovery.
The Square / Downtown · West Palm Beach · Italian trattoria
Il Bellagio is a perfectly decent place to drink Italian wine with Italian food on a warm West Palm Beach evening — just don't expect the list to surprise you, and steer clear of the Santa Margherita markup. Order the Chianti, grab a table on the plaza, and call it a reliable night out.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
The Square / Downtown · West Palm Beach · Plant-based/vegan, contemporary
PLANTA West Palm Beach won't disappoint you on wine, but it won't thrill you either — the list is safe, the markups are mostly steep, and the picks are designed for consensus. Come for the food, order the Whispering Angel, and don't overthink it.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
The Square / Downtown · West Palm Beach · Tuscan-inspired Italian, coastal Italian
Felice earns its keep with a genuinely Italy-focused list, a Tignanello markup that won't make you wince, and a Monday wine program that should be on your weekly calendar. Not groundbreaking, but reliably good — and in this neighborhood, that's not nothing.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
CityPlace / Downtown · West Palm Beach · Classic American Steakhouse
Abe & Louie's is a dependable, well-stocked steakhouse wine program with real depth and knowledgeable staff — it just charges accordingly and rarely colors outside the lines. Send a friend here for a serious bottle of Cab with a prime steak, but tell them to ask the sommelier to find something off the beaten path.
Solid Range
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Northwood Village · West Palm Beach · Italian
Grato is a reliable wine list for a neighborhood Italian that punches above its weight in by-the-glass options and producer selection — just know the markups skew steep on anything recognizable. Send a friend here for the Pinot and the pasta, not the prestige bottles.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
West Palm Beach · West Palm Beach · Wine bar with global small plates
The Blind Monk is the kind of place West Palm Beach didn't know it needed — a genuine natural wine bar with a thoughtful list and a low-key atmosphere that makes you want to stay for another pour. The markups keep it from being a true Rager, but as a Wild Card in a city not exactly known for its wine culture, it absolutely earns a visit.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
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