Carmel's Quiet Overachiever Hiding in Plain Sight
· Carmel By The Sea · Contemporary Fine Dining · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · September 28, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Foray’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
A 120-label list in a Carmel fine dining spot could easily be a parade of safe Napa Cabs and tourist-trap Chardonnays — Foray is not that. The range here spans Armenian Rkatsiteli-adjacent reds from Vayots Dzor to Paso Robles Picpoul Blanc, and that tells you the person building this list is paying attention. Prices run $35 to $1,050 a bottle, but the sweet spots are very real and not buried.
The list leans California-forward without being California-myopic — you get Dehlinger from Russian River, Clos De La Tech from the Santa Cruz Mountains, and a local Carmel Valley Cabernet from Tira Nanza, all sitting alongside Rhône, Champagne, and a genuinely surprising Toscana IGT from 2012. The Champagne section alone earns respect: Loriot-Pagel, Billecart-Salmon, and Krug Grand Cuvée under one roof, with a Raventos i Blanc Cava as a value entry point. The Yacoubian-Hobbs from Armenia is the kind of pick that signals a buyer who travels beyond the usual suspects. Gaps exist — no German or Austrian whites, thin on Southern European reds — but what's here is curated, not collected.
Fourteen pours by the glass is a solid program, running $15 to $35, and the selection isn't just filler pulled from the bottle list. You can start with the Halter Ranch Picpoul Blanc at $15/glass, move through a Dehlinger Chardonnay at $25/glass, and finish with the Valadorna Toscana IGT at $35/glass — that's a real wine arc across a single meal. The Caraccioli Cellars sparkling by the glass at $25 is a smart flex for a Carmel setting.
The Bottom Line
Foray's wine list does something rare in a coastal California fine dining room: it earns its ambition without gouging you for it. The Armenian red alone is reason enough to browse carefully before defaulting to a Pinot. If you're eating here, spend ten minutes with the list — there's real reward for anyone who looks past the first page.
· Carmel By The Sea · Hotel dining
Cypress Inn's wine list clears the bar that most hotel dining rooms trip over — it has depth, real producers, and a by-the-glass program you can actually navigate. Pricing runs steep in places, particularly on well-known bottles where the hotel markup is visible, but the Morgan Pinot and Neyers Chardonnay at the glass level make this a list worth engaging with rather than ignoring.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Carmel By The Sea · Winery tasting room
Taste Morgan is the rare tasting room that earns a detour rather than a checkbox. The pricing is genuinely fair — sometimes startlingly so — and the clone-level detail on the Pinot Noir lineup makes it educational without being tedious. If you're in Carmel and care even a little about Santa Lucia Highlands as an appellation, this is a can't-skip stop.
Small but Thoughtful
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Monte Verde / 7th Ave · Carmel By The Sea · Contemporary Californian tasting menu with European influences
Aubergine is the rare California restaurant where the wine list is as serious as the tasting menu it supports — deep in the right places, staffed by people who can actually navigate it with you. The markup is real, but so is everything else about this experience.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
7th Ave / Dolores · Carmel By The Sea · New American
Seventh & Dolores isn't a destination wine list, but it's a respectable one that at least knows where it is geographically. Come for the steak, order the Wrath, and don't expect to go down any rabbit holes.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Carmel · Carmel By The Sea · Traditional Italian Trattoria
Il Fornaio Carmel is a reliable Italian night out with a wine list that does the job without embarrassing anyone — but if you're looking to be surprised, you're in the wrong dining room. Send a friend here when they want comfort and a decent Brunello, not when they want adventure.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Monte Verde / 7th Ave · Carmel By The Sea · Contemporary Californian Fine Dining
Aubergine is the real deal — a Michelin-starred room with a list that earns the badge rather than coasting on it. The prices are steep, but if you're already committing to a $200+ tasting menu, the wine program is worth leaning into.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
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