Order the beer. Seriously, order the beer.
Downtown · San Luis Obispo · American gastropub / craft beer bar · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed July 20, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed Finney's Crafthouse – San Luis Obispo’s wine list and gave it The Lazy List — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Walk into Finney's and the vibe hits you immediately — TVs, noise, cold pints, a menu built for groups who want to watch a game and eat a cheesesteak. The wine list feels like it was added to the menu because someone in corporate said it had to be. It's not a wine destination, and it's not pretending to be one.
Fourteen wines total — glass and bottle combined — and that number tells you everything you need to know. The list reads like a chain restaurant template: house pours with no producer attached, Terra D'Oro Pinot Grigio, Mionetto Prosecco, a Margerum Rosé that's the one nod to the local Central Coast scene, and a Caymus Red Blend that exists to charge a premium to people who recognize the name. There's no depth, no regional story, no interesting variety outside of the Margerum. California and Italy cover the whole map, and not the interesting parts of either.
Everything on the list appears to be available by the glass, which sounds generous until you realize the list is only fourteen bottles deep to begin with. Prices run $7–$9 a glass, which is honest money for what you're getting. Don't expect rotation or seasonal pours — this list is set, likely corporate-approved, and it's been sitting there a while.
Margerum Rosé — $9
Margerum is a legit Santa Barbara producer with real winemaking credibility. Getting their rosé at gastropub pricing in a craft beer bar is the one genuine win on this list — drink it while it's still cold.
Margerum Rosé
Most people at Finney's aren't here for rosé, and that's exactly why you should order it. It's the only wine on this list that reflects the actual wine culture sitting right outside the door in SLO County.
Caymus Red Blend
Caymus leans hard on brand recognition to justify its price point, and in a gastropub context you're paying for the name, not the glass. The house Cab probably comes from the same general neighborhood of flavor and costs less.
Margerum Rosé + Prime Rib Cheesesteak Sandwich
A dry, food-friendly rosé from Santa Barbara cuts through the richness of prime rib without fighting it — it's the only wine on the list with enough backbone to handle something this substantial.
The Bottom Line
Finney's is a great craft beer bar that happens to have a wine list attached, and the wine list knows its place. If you're here for wine, you're at the wrong table — but if your crew wants beer and you need something in a stem, the Margerum Rosé will get you through the night.
· San Luis Obispo · Steakhouse / Grill
The Oak Grill deserves more credit than a typical hotel-adjacent steakhouse gets. An all-local, all-by-the-glass lineup anchored by Epoch, Halter Ranch, and Sans Liege at $13–$18 a pour is genuinely hard to find, and the regional conviction is refreshing. If you're in SLO and want to drink well from a focused, fairly priced list without committing to a bottle, this is a legitimate stop.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
San Luis Obispo · San Luis Obispo · Wine Bar & Small Plates
15 Degrees C is exactly the kind of neighborhood wine bar SLO deserves — approachable, well-stocked, and staffed by people who know what they're doing. We'd send a friend here without hesitation, especially if they want a proper glass of Central Coast wine without a crash course in pretension.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Seasonal Rotation
Proper
Downtown · San Luis Obispo · Italian
La Locanda is a genuinely good Italian dinner spot that wears its wine program like a supporting actor — present, functional, but not the reason you're here. Order what looks Italian and local, skip the obvious crowd-pleasers, and let the food carry the evening.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Edna Valley / Biddle Ranch Road · San Luis Obispo · Winery Restaurant & Tasting Room
Tolosa is the rare tasting room that earns your full afternoon — focused, estate-driven wines in a proper setting, with the occasional Priorat curveball keeping things honest. If you're driving through SLO wine country, this one deserves more than a quick stop.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Occasional
Proper
Downtown · San Luis Obispo · Charcuterie, Wine Bar
The Boardroom is punching above its weight class — a tight, locally-focused wine list in a room purpose-built for drinking it well. Send your friends here, especially the ones who think Central Coast wine is just Paso cab.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
The Creamery / Downtown · San Luis Obispo · Wood-fired pizzeria / artisanal American
Bear & The Wren is a Wild Card in the best sense — a casual wood-fired spot that quietly stocks one of the more thoughtful Central Coast-focused lists in SLO. If you're eating here, you should absolutely be drinking here too.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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