Great Beer List, Wine Forgot to Show Up
Downtown / State Street · Santa Barbara · American Tavern / Bar & Grill · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 11, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Finney's Crafthouse Santa Barbara’s wine list and gave it The Lazy List — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Finney's is clearly built for beer — the craft tap list is long, proud, and front and center. The wine list feels like it was added as an afterthought, a short column at the bottom of the menu that says 'we have wine, sure.' Nothing here is going to make a wine drinker feel seen, but at $7–$9 a glass, at least they're not making you pay for the indignity.
Five wines and a Prosecco. That's the whole program. You've got three house pours — Cab, Chard, Sauv Blanc — that are what they are, plus a Terra D'Oro Pinot Grigio and a Caymus Red Blend rounding things out. The lone bright spot is Margerum Rosé, a local Santa Barbara producer that someone clearly made one good call to include. Beyond that one nod to the region, there's no depth, no exploration, and no real attempt to leverage the fact that wine country is literally 30 minutes up the road.
Five pours total, and one of them is Prosecco. If you're not drinking bubbles, you're choosing between house mystery juice, a safe Pinot Grigio, or a Caymus blend that's doing a lot of heavy lifting for a bar menu. Rotation? There is none. This list has been the same since the day it was laminated.
Margerum Rosé — $9
Margerum is a legit Santa Barbara producer making real wine from local fruit. Getting it by the glass at $9 in a tavern setting is actually a decent deal — this bottle retails well above what the price suggests here.
Margerum Rosé
Most people in a craft beer bar are walking past this without a second glance, which is a shame. Margerum has serious credibility in the Santa Barbara wine scene and this pour punches well above the room it's being served in.
Caymus Red Blend
Caymus is a marketing machine that's been coasting on its reputation for years. In a place that charges fair prices, it's not a rip-off exactly, but you're paying for the name on a blend that's been engineered for mass appeal. The Margerum is right there.
Margerum Rosé + Craft Burger
A dry, food-forward rosé from Santa Barbara wine country has enough structure to stand up to a juicy burger without the tannin weight of a red. It's the kind of pairing that works even if nobody at the table planned it.
The Bottom Line
Finney's is a beer bar with wine on the menu because it has to be — come for the taps, order the Margerum Rosé if you want something in a stem, and don't go in hoping for more than that.
Funk Zone · Santa Barbara · Mediterranean-Influenced New American
Blackbird has the bones of a wine program worth your attention — sommelier-led, regionally grounded in Santa Barbara County, and sitting inside a hotel that clearly invested in the dining experience. The catch is that hotel adjacency typically means markups that outpace the neighborhood, so go in with your eyes open and ask your server to point you toward the local producers. We'd send a friend here for a polished night out, with the caveat to let the staff guide you rather than defaulting to the familiar names on the list.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
· Santa Barbara · Wine Bar / Small Plates
Villa Wine Bar runs a focused, well-priced list built around Santa Barbara County producers who actually deserve the spotlight — Beckmen, Babcock, Storm, and Alma Rosa are all doing real work. The by-the-glass program is nearly comprehensive, the bottle prices are fair, and the regional identity is clear. If you're in Santa Barbara and want to drink local without getting gouged, this is a reliable call.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Funk Zone · Santa Barbara · Wine Bar / Tasting Room with Food Options
If you're passing through the Funk Zone and want to actually understand what Santa Barbara wine country is about, this is a better use of an hour than most tasting rooms you'll pay more to visit. It's not a deep-list destination, but as a regional introduction it punches well above its square footage.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
Santa Maria Valley · Santa Barbara · Winery Tasting Room / Charcuterie
Presqu'ile is the rare tasting room that feels like a destination rather than a sales pitch — the Aligoté and Gamay alone tell you this team is thinking beyond the obvious, and the pricing won't make you wince. If you're driving through Santa Maria Valley and you skip this, you made a mistake.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Downtown Santa Barbara · Santa Barbara · Wine Bar / Tasting Room
This is a focused, confident single-producer tasting room that earns its Wild Card badge by going deep on Rhône varieties and aromatic whites in a market that usually just wants Pinot and Chardonnay. If you're staying at Hotel Californian or exploring downtown Santa Barbara, skipping this would be a mistake.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
· Santa Barbara · Seafood / Coastal Californian
SeaVenture's wine list won't blow any minds, but it's priced fairly, leans into the right regional story, and gives you everything by the glass — which is exactly what a seafood spot on the California coast should do. Send a friend here knowing they'll drink well without getting gouged.
Crowd Pleasers
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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