Resort Wine List That Actually Shows Up
Waikiki · Honolulu · Italian with local Hawaiian influence · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed June 23, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed Fresco Italian Restaurant’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
You're sitting oceanside at the Hilton Hawaiian Village, the breeze is doing its thing, and the wine list lands with 110 selections and a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence badge on the cover. That award buys some credibility, but flip past the first page and you'll clock the pattern fast: this list was built for resort guests who want something recognizable, not for anyone chasing discovery.
Italy and California anchor the list, which is the right call for an Italian restaurant, but the producers skew hard toward names you'd recognize in a grocery store — Ruffino, Santa Margherita, La Marca. The California side is similarly safe: Decoy by Duckhorn and Olema Chardonnay are perfectly fine wines, but they're also widely distributed and frequently marked up in resort settings. There's a nod to Washington with Chateau Ste. Michelle and a Cloudy Bay from Marlborough for the Sauvignon Blanc crowd, which adds a little range without adding any real depth. If you're hoping for a grower Champagne, an obscure Sicilian Nero d'Avola, or anything with a story, this list isn't going to deliver that.
The by-the-glass program runs roughly 12-16 options at $10-$19, which is actually a reasonable spread for Waikiki where resort pricing can get brutal fast. You'll find the expected suspects — Ruffino Lumina Pinot Grigio, La Marca Prosecco, Decoy Cab — which means the glass list mirrors the bottle list in philosophy: familiar, approachable, nothing that'll surprise you. Rotation doesn't appear to be a priority here; this reads as a set-it-and-forget-it program.
Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling, Columbia Valley — $10–$13/glass
In a resort setting where everything trends toward Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio, this Washington Riesling is the sleeper pick. It's food-friendly, slightly off-dry, and genuinely refreshing with seafood. At the lower end of the glass pricing, it's probably the best QPR on the list.
Daou Cabernet Sauvignon, Paso Robles
Most people at an Italian restaurant in Waikiki are ordering Pinot Grigio or a safe Chianti, so the Daou Cab gets ignored. It shouldn't. Daou punches above its price class consistently, and Paso Robles Cab has a richness that actually holds up to the osso buco in a way that a Chianti often can't.
Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio, Alto Adige
Santa Margherita is a fine wine that became the house Pinot Grigio for every expense-account Italian restaurant in America, and it's been living off that reputation ever since. At resort markup prices, you're paying a significant premium for a bottle that retails for around $20. The Ruffino Lumina or even the Santa Cristina will drink similarly at lower cost.
Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough + Seafood Linguine
Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc and shellfish is one of the more reliable combinations on the planet, and Cloudy Bay is the benchmark for the style. The wine's citrus and herbaceous edge cuts through the pasta's richness and lifts the brininess of the seafood without stepping on it.
The Bottom Line
Fresco is a solid resort wine list doing exactly what it's designed to do: keep guests comfortable and the floor moving. If you're looking for adventure, you'll need to look elsewhere — but if you just want a cold glass of something decent with a view of the Pacific, it gets the job done.
Kahala · Honolulu · Italian
Arancino at The Kahala is doing something genuinely unusual for a hotel-adjacent Italian restaurant in Hawaii — it's built a list around obscure Northern Italian producers that most diners won't recognize, and that's exactly the point. Markups are on the steeper side and we can't vouch for glassware or staff knowledge from the available data, but the wine selection itself earns respect. If you know your Nebbiolo from your Barbera, this list rewards attention.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Honolulu · Seafood
Mina's Fish House isn't building a wine program — it's building a dessert wine moment, and that is a genuinely uncommon thing to find at a restaurant of this profile. If you're eating dinner here, you'll need to source your table wine elsewhere on the menu or order cocktails; this list doesn't cover that ground. But if you want to close out a Four Seasons meal in Honolulu with a glass of 2013 Tokaji Aszú or something out of the Madeira cellar, this is a quietly excellent place to do it.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Waikiki · Honolulu · Italian
Quiora isn't trying to be a wine destination, and it doesn't need to be — it's a 22-label Italian restaurant list on a rooftop in Waikiki with an ocean view doing the heavy lifting. But the list is genuinely considered, the glass-pour selection is deep for the size, and pricing is fair by hotel standards. If you're eating here, drink the Tintero rosato or the Selbach Riesling and enjoy the sunset.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Waikiki · Honolulu · Italian / Californian Coastal
Botanico is doing something genuinely unusual for Waikiki — building an Italian-forward wine list with real regional depth and mostly fair pricing in a place where restaurants routinely treat wine as an afterthought. The by-the-glass program alone is worth a seat at the bar. If you care at all about what's in your glass, this belongs on your radar.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Honolulu · Hawaii Regional
Moku Nui is a casual Hawaii Regional spot that has no business running a wine list this thoughtful — and we mean that as high praise. Fair glass prices, a sommelier clearly making intentional choices, and enough variety to reward the curious drinker. If you're eating here, skip the default beer order and let someone at the table order the Vouvray.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Waikiki · Honolulu · Seafood
Azure is a genuinely lovely place to drink wine — the setting does a lot of heavy lifting and the France-Italy-Hawaii focus is a sensible match for the island seafood menu. Just go in knowing resort markup is real, and if the tasting menu with wine pairing is available, that's likely your best shot at getting something memorable poured without having to guess blind from the list.
Solid Range
Steep
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.
List Variety
Markup
Glassware
Staff
Specials & Deals
Storage & Temp
