Bay Views, Serious Bottles, Zero Compromise
Cannery Row · Monterey · Farm to Table · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 8, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Coastal Kitchen’s wine list and gave it The Rager — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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Wingman Metrics
You sit down, Monterey Bay sprawling outside the window, and the wine list lands like it has something to prove. Two hundred to three hundred fifty bottles deep, with California heavyweights shoulder-to-shoulder with serious French and Italian producers — this is not a list that coasted on the view. The Best of Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator since 2023 is hanging in the right restaurant.
California anchors the list hard — Kosta Browne Pinot Noir, Kongsgaard Chardonnay, Marcassin Chardonnay, and Darioush Cabernet Sauvignon are all here, which tells you sommelier Sarah Kabat isn't cutting corners on the home-state lineup. France shows real intention too: Louis Jadot Puligny-Montrachet and Chateau Montelena Chardonnay sit alongside Gaja Barbaresco representing Italy with full authority. There's a local angle baked in with Bernardus Winery and Scribe Winery making appearances, which feels right given the Monterey County address. The gaps, if any, are on the natural wine and Southern Hemisphere fronts — but this list isn't trying to be everything, and it doesn't need to be.
Eighteen to twenty-eight pours by the glass at $12–$22 is a genuinely strong program — that's enough range to take a real trip through the list without committing to a bottle. We'd want to know which producers rotate through the glass program, but with a list this caliber and a dedicated sommelier running the floor, the by-the-glass game should reflect the cellar's ambitions rather than just clearing slow movers.
Scribe Winery Chardonnay — $45
Scribe is a Sonoma producer doing serious work at prices that still feel fair, and on a list where bottles run to $180, finding them here at the lower end of the range is the move for anyone who wants California Chardonnay without the Kongsgaard sticker shock.
Domaine Drouhin Oregon Pinot Noir
Most tables are going to reach for the Kosta Browne on name recognition alone, but Domaine Drouhin Oregon is one of the Willamette Valley's foundational producers — Burgundian DNA, Pacific Northwest fruit — and it tends to sit at a price point that makes it the smartest Pinot on the list.
Marcassin Chardonnay
Marcassin is a legitimately great wine and the cult pricing reflects that — but on a list anchored in a fine dining tourist corridor, the markup on already-expensive cult Chardonnay is going to sting. Unless you're celebrating something worth the receipt, the same money goes further elsewhere on this list.
Bernardus Winery Pinot Noir + Pan-seared halibut with seasonal vegetables
Bernardus is planted ten miles from this restaurant in the Carmel Valley — you're drinking local in the most literal sense. The Pinot's bright acidity and restrained fruit won't bulldoze a delicate halibut, and there's something right about putting a Monterey County wine next to Monterey County seafood.
The Bottom Line
Coastal Kitchen earns its Wine Spectator hardware — this is a deep, confident list run by someone who clearly cares, in a room that already has everything going for it. Markups drift steep in spots, but the range and the sommelier on the floor make it worth the splurge.
Pacific Grove · Monterey · Sustainable Seafood / Californian
Wild Fish isn't trying to be a wine destination, but the list punches thoughtfully above its weight with genuine regional focus and fair pricing. If you're eating here — and you should be — drink local and let the terroir match the catch.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Pacific Grove · Monterey · Seafood-focused California/American
The Beach House at Lover's Point is a reliable coastal wine stop — not a destination for wine lovers, but a perfectly decent list for a date-night dinner with a sunset backdrop. Don't come chasing cellar depth; do come ready to drink local and enjoy the view.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Pebble Beach · Monterey · Steakhouse / American Tavern
The Tap Room is a reliable resort wine list — not inspiring, not embarrassing, and marked up like the real estate it sits on. If you're at Pebble Beach anyway, the list does the job; just go in with eyes open and budget accordingly.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Pebble Beach · Monterey · Seafood-focused California cuisine
Stillwater earns its reputation on setting and execution, and the wine list is professionally managed with real producers and proper care — but the pricing reflects the zip code more than it reflects generosity. Go in with eyes open, lean local, and let the view do the rest.
Solid Range
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Pebble Beach · Monterey · Italian
Pèppoli is the real deal for Italian wine in a resort setting — deep list, knowledgeable staff, and an Antinori-anchored program that takes the Italian canon seriously. Just go in knowing that Pebble Beach prices apply across the board, and steer toward the mid-tier bottles where the value actually lives.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Pebble Beach · Monterey · Hawaiian Fusion
Roy's at Pebble Beach is a dependable wine list in a stunning setting — competently assembled, a little overpriced for what you get, and unlikely to surprise you. Order smarter than the tourists at the next table and you'll drink well here.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Delafield · Delafield · Farm to Table
I.d. is a comfortable, well-credentialed choice for wine in the Delafield area — the Wine Spectator recognition is earned and the list does its job without embarrassing anyone. Just don't come here looking to be challenged; come here looking to drink something familiar and good with a solid farm-to-table meal.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Chetek · Chetek · Farm to Table
A remote Wisconsin retreat with a Wine Spectator credential, an on-staff wine pro, and a focused California list is exactly the kind of unexpected find we love flagging. If you're making the trip to Canoe Bay — and it's worth making — the wine program won't let you down.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Delavan · Delavan · Farm to Table
Opus is the wine overachiever in a room that wasn't expecting one — a thoughtfully curated list in a historic Wisconsin inn that earns its Wine Spectator badge without relying on it as a crutch. If you're driving out to Delavan for a tasting menu, the wine list is a genuine reason to stay the full night.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
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