Vinyl, Vibes, and Seriously Good Pours
Inner Richmond · San Francisco · Wine bar with small plates · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · June 22, 2026
RagingWine reviewed High Treason’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
You walk into 443 Clement expecting a neighborhood bar and instead find a record-spinning, low-lit room where someone has clearly thought very hard about Galician reds. The wine list lands in your hands and immediately signals: this is not an afterthought. Emidio Pepe next to Arnot-Roberts next to Occhipinti — on Clement Street.
High Treason runs a 150-bottle list that leans hard into the natural and minimal-intervention corners of Europe — Loire, Burgundy, Piedmont, Galicia, and Rioja all show up with real intent, not just token bottles. Envínate 'Lousas' Viñas de Aldea from Ribeira Sacra shares space with R. Lopez de Heredia Viña Gravonia Blanco and Domaine Gramenon Côtes-du-Rhône, which tells you something about the curatorial eye at work here. California gets its due through small producers like Arnot-Roberts, keeping things local without going full wine-country cliché. The gaps are minor — you're not finding deep verticals or an extensive Champagne section — but the hits-to-misses ratio is extremely high.
Thirty-plus options by the glass is genuinely remarkable for a room this size, and it's clearly the engine of the whole operation — 90% of sales are pours, not bottles. The glass list rotates with enough frequency to reward repeat visits, and prices run $13–$20, which is honest money for what's in the glass. If you want to taste across regions without committing to a bottle, this is your room.
Domaine Gramenon Côtes-du-Rhône — $15
Gramenon is a legend of the southern Rhône natural wine world — biodynamic farming, old vines, zero compromise — and finding it by the glass at a neighborhood bar price is the kind of thing that makes you want to order two.
Emidio Pepe Trebbiano d'Abruzzo
Most people walk past this because they don't know Trebbiano can age or that Emidio Pepe is one of Italy's great iconoclasts. It's oxidative, complex, and completely unlike anything else on the list — the kind of bottle that changes what you think white wine can be.
Occhipinti SP68 Rosso
Arianna Occhipinti deserves every bit of her reputation, but at $64 for a bottle retailing around $30, you're paying a 113% markup on a wine that's also widely available. The pour here is fine; the value is not.
R. Lopez de Heredia Viña Gravonia Blanco + Cheese and charcuterie board
Gravonia is aged oxidatively in barrel for four-plus years — it's nutty, waxy, and has an acidity that cuts straight through fatty aged cheeses and cured meats. It's the rare white that actually improves with every bite off a board.
The Bottom Line
High Treason is the wine bar San Francisco's Inner Richmond didn't know it needed — deep, weird, staff-forward, and genuinely fun to drink in. The markups aren't always kind, but the list is thoughtful enough that you'll forgive it at least once.
Embarcadero · San Francisco · Peruvian Seafood
La Mar is a great dinner — the ceviche alone is worth the trip — but the wine list is along for the ride rather than driving it. Order something crisp and cold, enjoy the view, and don't overthink it.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Union Square · San Francisco · American
The Rotunda is a lunch experience first and a wine destination a distant second — the list is safe, the markup is real, and you're largely paying for the address and the atmosphere. Come for the crab salad and the occasion, order something bubbly, and don't go in expecting a serious wine program.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
San Francisco · San Francisco · Wine bar & bottle shop
Bodega SF is what happens when someone actually gives a damn about the list instead of just checking a box. Twenty-six bottles, almost all pourable by the glass, priced fairly, and built around grapes most wine bars wouldn't dare touch — send your adventurous friends here and tell them to skip the safe picks.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
San Francisco · San Francisco · Wine bar
Fig & Thistle is for people who trust a short menu built by someone with a point of view — thirteen bottles, all pouring, all worth talking about. If you need a fallback Cab or a recognizable label to feel safe, this isn't your spot. If you don't, this absolutely is.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
San Francisco · San Francisco · Steakhouse
STK San Francisco has the bones of a wine program and the ambition of a hotel minibar. With only three by-the-glass pours, a list built entirely around safe brand names, and steep markups baked into the concept, this is a place to order a cocktail or splurge on a specific bottle you already know you want.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· San Francisco · Wine Tavern
Big Finish is doing something genuinely different — an all-glass list built around obscure varietals, serious fortified wine, and pricing that doesn't punish curiosity. Send anyone here who wants to drink something they've never tried before and walk away feeling like they learned something.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Linden Street · Geneva · Wine bar with small plates
Microclimate is the best argument for stopping in Geneva that doesn't involve the drive itself — a focused, honest wine bar that treats the Finger Lakes like a serious wine region because it is one. Send your friends here, especially if they still think New York wine means Long Island.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Seasonal Rotation
Proper
Downtown / Plaza · Ashland · Wine bar with small plates
Liquid Assets is the kind of wine bar that rewards curious drinkers willing to look past the safe pours and dig into what the list is actually offering. Send your wine-curious friends here without hesitation — just steer them away from the Cupcake.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown · Asheville · Wine bar with small plates
5 Walnut is your reliable downtown wine stop when you want something better than beer but aren't looking to drop serious cash. Those windows and $5 specials make it easy to say yes.
Solid Range
Fair
Stemless Casual
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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