Calissa
Hamptons Greek with a Serious Wine Soul
Water Mill · Water Mill · Farm to Table, Greek · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 20, 2026
Wingman Metrics
First Impression
You're on Montauk Highway in the Hamptons, so your first instinct is to brace for a cynical, overpriced list built around name-recognition bottles and tourist markups. Then you open the menu and find a genuine Greek wine program sitting alongside solid French selections, and the whole thing recalibrates. This is a list someone actually cared about building.
Selection Deep Dive
The Greek contingent is the real story here — Domaine Sigalas Assyrtiko from Santorini, Gaia Wines Thalassitis, Domaine Gerovassiliou Malagousia, and Alpha Estate Xinomavro give the list a backbone that most Hamptons restaurants wouldn't dare attempt. The French side holds its own with bottles like Domaine Weinbach from Alsace and Domaine Leflaive Bourgogne Blanc, both of which signal that whoever built this list has taste beyond the obvious. The California intrusion — Kosta Browne Pinot Noir — feels a little out of place in this context, like someone insisted it be included for the crowd that won't touch anything Greek. At 150-200 bottles, this isn't a deep cellar, but the selections are deliberate and the Greek focus earns the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence it's held since 2018.
By the Glass
With 16-24 pours running $14-$22 a glass, the BTG program is genuinely one of the better reasons to sit at the bar here. The range likely pulls from both the Greek and French sections of the list, which means you have a real shot at getting an Assyrtiko by the glass — something you won't find at most spots in a 50-mile radius. No formal rotation program in place, which is a missed opportunity given the kitchen's seasonal approach.
Domaine Gerovassiliou Malagousia — $14
Malagousia is still an under-the-radar Greek white for most American diners, which means it tends to get priced more fairly than the marquee names. Gerovassiliou is the producer who basically rescued this grape variety from extinction — getting it at the low end of their glass price range is a genuine win.
Alpha Estate Xinomavro
Most tables at Calissa are going to gravitate toward the whites and rosés because, Hamptons summer. But Xinomavro from Alpha Estate is the kind of structured, savory red that belongs at a table with lamb chops — it has the backbone of Barolo without the price tag or the fanfare. Most people walk right past it.
Kosta Browne Pinot Noir
Kosta Browne is a perfectly fine wine in its natural habitat, but it's doing nothing for you here that a fraction of the list price couldn't solve with a better regional pick. It's the safe order for someone who didn't look past the first page, and in the Hamptons that kind of comfort comes with a steep markup premium baked right in.
Domaine Sigalas Assyrtiko + Whole roasted branzino
Santorini Assyrtiko and whole roasted fish is basically the Platonic ideal of Greek table dining — the wine's volcanic minerality and citrus snap cut through the richness of the fish without overwhelming it. Sigalas is one of the benchmark producers on the island, and this is exactly the context where it earns its place on the list.
🎲 The Bottom Line
Calissa is the Wild Card the Hamptons wine scene didn't know it needed — a Greek-forward list with genuine regional conviction tucked inside what could easily have been just another sceney summer restaurant. Come for the branzino and the Assyrtiko, stay for the discovery that not every Montauk Highway wine list is phoning it in.
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