Great Views, Grocery Store Wines
Cannery Row · Monterey · Lounge · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 23, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Chart House Happy Hour Lounge’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 ocean view through the windows is genuinely stunning — and it's doing a lot of heavy lifting. The wine list is a single laminated page of national brands you've seen at every chain restaurant from here to Tampa. Nothing jumps out, nothing surprises, nothing offends.
Thirteen labels, all by the glass, nearly all priced at a flat $8 — which sounds democratic until you realize the lineup is Line 39, Mezzacorona, Clos du Bois, and friends. There's a light international gesture with El Coto Crianza Rioja from Spain and Mezzacorona from Italy, but these are grocery-store staples, not intentional curation. The Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling from Washington and Oyster Bay Pinot Noir from New Zealand round out the globe-trotting, but only technically. What's missing: anything from Monterey's own backyard — no Santa Lucia Highlands, no Arroyo Seco, nothing that says 'you are on Cannery Row.'
The entire list is by the glass, which is the one genuinely useful thing about this program. At $8–$10 a pour, the price of entry is low enough that you can sip something cold while watching the water without feeling robbed. Rotation appears nonexistent — this reads as a set-it-and-forget-it menu that hasn't changed since the playlist.
El Coto Crianza Rioja — $10
El Coto Crianza is a legitimately solid Rioja — tempranillo-forward, earthy, with some actual structure — and at $10 a glass it's the one pour on this list that feels like more than it costs. It's also the most interesting thing here by a country mile.
Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling
Most people skip Riesling at a steakhouse lounge without thinking twice. Don't. Ste. Michelle's Columbia Valley Riesling is off-dry, crisp, and genuinely refreshing — and at $8 it's an easy yes alongside the lobster bisque.
Line 39 Chardonnay
Line 39 is a high-volume, grocery-tier California Chardonnay built for volume, not character. At $8 it's not a rip-off exactly, but there are better choices on this same list — and you're in Monterey, where actual interesting Chardonnay exists within a short drive.
Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling + Lobster Bisque
The bisque is rich and a little sweet; the Riesling's acidity cuts right through it while its stone fruit notes play nice with the shellfish. It's the most food-intelligent pairing available on this list.
❌ The Bottom Line
Chart House's happy hour wine program exists to keep your glass full while you stare at the Pacific — and on that level, at $8–$10 a pour, it succeeds. But if wine is actually why you're here, Cannery Row can do better.
Old Fisherman's Wharf · Monterey · Casual Seafood
Riva Fish House is a reliable pour for what it is — a casual, tourist-friendly wharf spot that keeps the wine list simple and the prices honest. Send a friend here for a glass of Chardonnay and the chowder; don't send them here expecting anything that'll make them rethink their relationship with wine.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Pacific Grove · Monterey · Mediterranean / European
Fandango is punching well above its coastal casual-fine-dining weight class with a list that has real depth, genuine age, and some legitimately exciting outliers. The markups keep it from true Rager status, but if you're in Pacific Grove and want to drink seriously, this is your spot.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
North Fremont / Beachfront · Monterey · American, Seafood
The Lantern Room is what happens when a hotel restaurant actually tries — a locally anchored wine list, a sommelier in the building, and enough interesting producers to make the steep markup sting a little less. Send a friend here if they love Central Coast wine; warn them to skip the Cab and lean into what this coast actually grows.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
North Fremont / Beachfront · Monterey · Seafood / Beachfront
Tidewater is riding entirely on its beachfront location, and the wine list makes no effort to be anything more than a functional afterthought. Stick to the glass pours, pick the most credible name you can find, and keep your eyes on the water.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Cannery Row · Monterey · New American with seafood, house-made pasta, and flatbread pizza
Lalla Oceanside isn't a wine destination, but it's a genuinely fair deal for what it is — a lively Cannery Row spot where the list supports the food without gouging you. If you stick to the Bernardus or the Albariño and grab a window seat, you'll leave happy.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
Downtown Monterey · Monterey · Breakfast / Brunch
The Club Room won't blow your mind, but it won't embarrass you either — it's a hotel wine list that at least has the sense to lean into its regional backyard. If you're already staying at the Portola, it's an easy yes; if you're driving across town just for the wine, keep driving.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Penn State University Park campus · State College · Lounge
The 1855 Lounge is a reliable hotel wine stop that does the basics right — wide BTG selection, decent variety for a 16-SKU list, approachable in a way that fits the campus-adjacent crowd. Just don't come expecting discovery; come expecting a competent glass of something familiar in a genuinely nice room.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
Lake Coeur d'Alene · Coeur d'Alene · Lounge
Cedar's earns its Wild Card badge not because the list is revolutionary, but because a 120-label program with local Idaho pours and a sommelier on staff is the last thing you expect from a tourist-magnet floating lounge. Send your friends here, point them toward the Coeur d'Alene Cellars glass pours, and let the lake do the rest of the work.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Acceptable
City Point / Waterfront · New Haven · Lounge
Shell & Bones is a reliable wine stop for a waterfront dinner — wide selection, solid glass pour count, and a Wine Spectator nod that isn't undeserved. Markups are on the steeper side, so stick to the happy hour window and let the raw bar do the heavy lifting.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
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