Drunken Jack's

You're sitting on the MarshWalk with a sunset doing all the heavy lifting, and the wine list arrives looking exactly like you'd expect from a beloved local seafood institution — familiar names, nothing scary, nothing exciting. Seventeen labels is a short list, but it's not lazy; someone made deliberate choices here. The price ceiling of $45 a bottle tells you this place isn't trying to impress wine people, it's trying to not disappoint them.

The list leans hard on California workhorses with a few international ringers scattered in for credibility. You've got Stoller Estates from Willamette Valley and Louis Jadot Macon-Villages showing up as the most thoughtful inclusions — actual producers with actual reputations. The Chilean Montes Cab and Banfi Centine Red Blend fill out the mid-range red slots without much ambition, and the whites are serviceable if predictable: Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio, Whitehaven Sauv Blanc, a Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc/Viognier for the adventurous. No bubbles beyond what you can assume, no rosé worth noting, and the list doesn't change much — it's clearly set-and-forget territory.

Fourteen of seventeen labels are available by the glass, which is genuinely generous for a casual seafood spot and the real strength of this program. Pours run $7.50–$12.00, keeping the barrier low enough that you can easily work through a few different options during a long MarshWalk dinner. The rotation doesn't appear to change seasonally, so don't expect a surprise on the next visit.