Santa Barbara's Backyard Shines in the Glass
East Beach · Santa Barbara · Italian / Mediterranean · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 11, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Convivo Restaurant and Bar’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
You're sitting inside the Santa Barbara Inn with ocean views through the windows and a list that reads like a love letter to the Santa Ynez Valley — local producers everywhere, a few smart Italian imports, and prices that don't punish you for ordering well. It's not a deep list, but it's an intentional one. That counts for a lot.
Convivo leans hard into its backyard, and we respect it. You've got Brewer-Clifton Pinot Noir from Santa Rita Hills, SAMsARA Chardonnay doing its thing a few miles up the coast, and the Grassini 'Articondo' Cabernet Sauvignon repping Happy Canyon — a region most diners couldn't find on a map but absolutely should. The Italian angle is handled with real care: Carlo Giacosa's 'Maria Grazia' Nebbiolo from Langhe, Rivera's Primitivo from Puglia, and a Malvasia Bianca from L.A. Lepiane in Happy Canyon that bridges both worlds. Gaps exist — no serious Burgundy, no aged bottles to speak of — but this isn't a cellar-diver's list, and it doesn't pretend to be.
Fifteen pours by the glass is a solid number for a restaurant this size, and the range is better than average. You can start with a Rebuli Prosecco at $14, work through the local whites and rosés, and land on a Sanguis 'Optimist' Grenache blend for $26 — which is genuinely interesting glass-pour territory. The happy hour window (2–5 PM weekdays) with $9 pours on sparkling and rosé is the move if you're timing your visit right.
Brewer-Clifton Pinot Noir 2023, Santa Rita Hills — $26
Brewer-Clifton is one of the benchmark Pinot producers in California. Getting a glass of their Santa Rita Hills Pinot for $26 — a wine that retails for $35-40 a bottle — is a genuinely good deal. Order two glasses, skip the bottle math.
Press Gang Cellars Aligoté 2025, Santa Barbara County
Aligoté is Burgundy's overlooked white grape, and seeing it grown in Santa Barbara County is unexpected in the best way. Most tables will walk right past it for Chardonnay. Don't. It's bright, mineral-driven, and at $16 a glass it's one of the more interesting pours on the list.
Sandeman 20 Year Old Tawny Port
Sandeman is a perfectly fine mass-market Port house, but a 20-year Tawny from them is a grocery store shelf staple. Nothing wrong with Port as a category — just not the most interesting way to end your meal here when the local lineup is clearly where the kitchen's heart is.
Carlo Giacosa 'Maria Grazia' Nebbiolo Langhe DOCG 2023 + House-made pasta
Nebbiolo and pasta is an Italian reflex — the wine's firm tannins and earthy cherry fruit cut through butter and cream, and its acidity is built for tomato-based sauces. Carlo Giacosa is a small, respected Piemontese producer and this is exactly the kind of bottle you'd want alongside a bowl of handmade tagliatelle.
Monday–Friday — Happy Hour 2–5 PM offers discounted glass pours: Sparkling $9, Rosé $9, Pinot Grigio $9, Counoise $10
🎲 The Bottom Line
Convivo isn't trying to be a wine destination — it's a coastal Italian restaurant with a smart, locally-rooted list and prices that don't embarrass anyone. Show up at 2 PM on a weekday for $9 rosé and ocean views and tell us we're wrong.
Montecito · Santa Barbara · Italian
Tre Lune isn't trying to reinvent anything — it's a well-loved Montecito Italian with a wine list that earns its Wine Spectator nod and leans intelligently on Margerum's local chops. Send a friend here knowing the wine will be fairly priced and thoughtfully chosen, even if the excitement ceiling is comfortable rather than thrilling.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown · Santa Barbara · New American / California Cuisine
Finch & Fork is a reliable pour in a great wine region — the list champions its Santa Barbara backyard with real conviction, even if the markups occasionally make you wince. Send a friend here if they want to drink local and drink well; just steer them toward the Foxen and away from the M5.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown · Santa Barbara · Italian Pizzeria
Ca' Dario Pizzeria isn't a wine destination, but it's not trying to be — the list does its job, the prices are fair, and the Santa Barbara rosé alone justifies looking past the cocktail menu. Send a friend here if they want solid Italian wine with their pizza and zero fuss.
Plays It Safe
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Waterfront / Cabrillo Blvd · Santa Barbara · Italian Steakhouse
Ca' Dario Steakhouse is a reliable wine destination for anyone who wants serious Italian bottles with their steak without having to navigate a 300-label monster list. The markups trend steep, especially on the celebrity bottles, but the Santa Barbara Syrah and Sicilian options give value-hunters a legitimate path.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Waterfront / East Beach · Santa Barbara · Contemporary Oaxacan and Mexican
Flor De Maiz isn't a wine destination, but it's a Wild Card in the best sense — a waterfront Oaxacan spot that took the time to build a small, thoughtful list with local producers and a genuine Mexican anchor. Come for the mole, stay for the Barden Brut Rosé.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Public Market / Downtown · Santa Barbara · Thai and Taiwanese-inspired noodle bar
Empty Bowl is a genuinely excellent noodle bar that deserves a better wine program than this — come for the Khao Soi, grab a sake, and don't let the wine list talk you into a $36 Chardonnay. The kitchen is working hard; the wine list is not.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
MIA
Set & Forget
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.