Order the beer. Seriously, order the beer.
Downtown · San Luis Obispo · American gastropub / craft beer bar · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 20, 2026
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 →
Take Vibe Match and we’ll tell you what to order here.
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.
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
Downtown · San Luis Obispo · Peruvian and Latin American Fusion
Mistura earns its Wild Card badge by doing something most Peruvian spots don't bother with: building a wine list that actually reflects where the food comes from. The execution has room to grow — markups are real, the list is thin in spots, and specials aren't a thing — but the instinct is right, and that Tablas Creek bottle alone is worth the detour.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown / Marsh Street Corridor · San Luis Obispo · Contemporary Californian/New American
Nate's on Marsh is doing something genuinely worthwhile — championing its own backyard appellations in a region that deserves the spotlight. The markups keep it from being a destination wine stop, but as a neighborhood restaurant in San Luis Obispo that actually cares about where the wine comes from, it earns the trust of anyone eating there.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown · San Luis Obispo · Modern American Steakhouse
Ox + Anchor is a reliable choice if you're already here for the steak and want a glass of something Central Coast-proud to go with it. Just don't come expecting discovery — this list was built to comfort, not to challenge.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
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