Sacramento's Classiest Wine Room, Full Stop
Downtown Sacramento · Sacramento · Farm to Table · Visit Website ↗
Updated August 2026
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 7, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Ella Dining Room and Bar’s wine list and gave it The Rager — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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Wingman Metrics
The list lands with weight — 300-plus selections anchored in California and France, curated with clear intention in a room that takes wine seriously. This isn't a restaurant that threw bottles on a page and called it a day. Wine Spectator has handed Ella a Best of Award of Excellence every year since 2019, and the list earns it.
California is the backbone here, and it's a strong one — Caymus, Kistler, Ridge Monte Bello, Shafer Hillside Select, and Dominus all make appearances, spanning everything from workhorse Cabs to obsession-worthy single-vineyard bottlings. France holds its own with Château Margaux and Louis Jadot Burgundy anchoring the old-world side, giving the list real range without feeling scattered. The depth skews towards the big, structured reds that suit a farm-to-table menu built around dry-aged prime beef and roasted duck. If you're hunting natural wine or obscure growers, look elsewhere — this list is playing a different, more classical game.
Twenty to thirty options by the glass is a serious by-the-glass program, and with sommelier Shane Wadsworth running point, the pours aren't an afterthought. Glasses run $12-$20, which is fair given the downtown Sacramento market and the caliber of what's on offer. We'd love to see a rotation that pushes a bit further outside the comfort zone, but as a snapshot of the cellar, it works.
Duckhorn Vineyards Merlot — $12
If Duckhorn Merlot is available by the glass at the low end of the price range, it's the move — this is a benchmark Napa Merlot that regularly retails around $50 a bottle, and getting it poured in proper stemware in this room is a genuine win.
Ridge Monte Bello
Most tables are grabbing the Caymus or the Opus One because the names ring a bell. Monte Bello is the insider play — a Cab blend from the Santa Cruz Mountains that regularly outperforms wines twice its price in blind tastings, with a track record dating back decades. Don't sleep on it.
Opus One
Opus One is one of the most marked-up wines in American restaurants, full stop. It's a gorgeous bottle, but you're paying heavily for the label recognition. The Ridge Monte Bello drinks in the same stratosphere and will almost certainly cost you less here.
Shafer Vineyards Hillside Select + Dry-aged prime beef
Hillside Select is one of Napa's most structured, age-worthy Cabs — dense tannins, dark fruit, serious backbone. Against dry-aged prime beef, it's not just a pairing, it's a conversation between two things that have both been doing their thing for a very long time.
The Bottom Line
Ella is doing everything right in a city that doesn't always get enough wine credit — a deep, well-kept list, a knowledgeable sommelier, and a room worthy of the bottle you're about to open. Yes, send your friends here for wine.
· Sacramento · Wine bar
Nine Spanish wines, fair prices, and zero apologies — The Nook is a wild card worth taking. If you want a broad international list, look elsewhere; if you want a focused, confident program that actually knows what it's doing, pull up a stool.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Sacramento · Italian
Aiona's wine list is doing more than most Italian restaurants would dare — global picks, fair glass prices, and a genuine point of view that rewards curious drinkers. Send a friend here and tell them to ignore the obvious choices.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Sacramento · French cafe / wine bar
Franquette is what happens when someone who actually cares about wine opens a small café and refuses to phone in the list. Ten bottles, nine by the glass, all French (almost), fairly priced — send your friends here and tell them to order the Crémant first.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Midtown · Sacramento · Cocktail Bar / Irish-Influenced Bar with Snacks
The Snug is a cocktail bar first and a wine destination never — but for what it is, the wine list is shockingly well-curated and worth exploring if you're the one at the table who doesn't want a Negroni. Don't come here for a deep wine night; do come here knowing the glass of Gamay you order between cocktails will be better than it has any right to be.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
Midtown · Sacramento · New American, seasonal farm-to-table
Mulvaney's is doing something genuinely unusual for Sacramento: serious grower Champagne and left-field regional picks in a converted firehouse that doesn't take itself too seriously. If you eat here and order the house red without looking at this list, that's on you.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
Downtown · Sacramento · Seafood
Scott's Seafood is a safe, solid choice for a riverfront dinner where you want to pop some bubbles without thinking too hard — just don't come here expecting the wine list to match the view. Stick to the sparkling section and you'll leave happy.
Plays It Safe
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
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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