Aloha Shirts Meet Actual Good Wine
Waikiki · Honolulu · Asian, Hawaiian · Visit Website ↗
Updated September 2026
Reviewed April 13, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed Island Vintage Wine Bar’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
A wine bar inside a shopping center on Kalakaua Avenue sounds like a trap, and yet — Island Vintage earns its Wine Spectator Award of Excellence by actually trying. The open-air setting is breezy and casual, the list is longer than you'd expect, and nobody's pretending this is Napa.
The list runs 150-250 bottles with a clear lean toward France and California, which tracks with the Wine Spectator recognition. You'll find Louis Jadot holding down the Burgundy section and Sonoma-Cutrer representing Russian River Chardonnay with some credibility. The Jordan Cab and Domaine Drouhin Oregon Pinot Noir are solid picks that play well above the tourist-trap baseline you'd normally expect from a mall wine bar in Waikiki. Gaps exist — don't come looking for Rhône, Ribera del Duero, or anything remotely adventurous below the equator.
Twenty to thirty-five pours by the glass is genuinely impressive for this context, and the range covers enough ground to keep a table of mixed drinkers happy. Glasses run $12-$25, which stings a little given the Hawaii premium already baked into everything on the island. The Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc anchors the approachable end; the Drouhin Pinot Noir is the move if you're spending up.
Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling — $12
At the low end of the glass pour pricing, this Washington Riesling is crisp, off-dry, and built for humid Honolulu weather. It's the smartest $12 you'll spend with a poke plate in front of you.
Domaine Drouhin Oregon Pinot Noir
Most people ordering wine in Waikiki are grabbing Sauvignon Blanc or a Cab. The Drouhin Pinot is the sleeper — elegant, earthy, and genuinely interesting in a setting where interesting isn't the default expectation.
Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc
It's fine, but you can grab Kim Crawford at any grocery store on the island for a fraction of the restaurant markup. Your money works harder almost anywhere else on this list.
Sonoma-Cutrer Russian River Ranches Chardonnay + Cheese and charcuterie board
The Sonoma-Cutrer has enough oak and richness to stand up to aged cheeses and cured meats without overwhelming the lighter island flavors on the board. It's the most composed white on the list and earns its place here.
The Bottom Line
Island Vintage is the wine bar you didn't think you'd find in a Waikiki shopping center, and that surprise is exactly why it earns the Wild Card. Bring a light appetite, skip the obvious pours, and let the setting do the rest.
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
Kailua-Kona · Kailua-Kona · Asian, Hawaiian
ULU earns its Wine Spectator badge by doing the basics right in a setting that could easily get away with doing nothing right at all. Send a friend here for the ocean view and the fresh fish — just temper expectations on wine discovery.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
Kapolei · Kapolei · Asian, Hawaiian
Island Vintage Wine Bar is exactly the kind of place that earns its Wild Card badge — a thoughtful, Award of Excellence wine program inside a casual Hawaiian concept in a strip mall outside Honolulu. Show up on a Wednesday, order the Tignanello, and stop second-guessing it.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Seasonal Rotation
Proper
Kailua-Kona · Kailua-Kona · Asian, Hawaiian
ULU is a beautiful place to drink wine — the setting does half the work — but the list plays it safe in a room that could afford to take a few risks. Come for the ocean air and the local fish, order the Jordan or Kistler, and enjoy the view.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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