3,700 Bottles Deep and Still Counting
Bellevue · Seattle · Steakhouse · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 17, 2026
RagingWine reviewed John Howie Steak’s wine list and gave it The Rager — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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Wingman Metrics
Seven hundred labels. Thirty-seven hundred bottles. When the wine list arrives at John Howie Steak, it's less a menu and more a declaration of intent. This is a serious cellar operation, and they want you to know it from the jump.
The backbone here is Washington and California red, and it's formidable — Quilceda Creek verticals stretching back to 1994, Leonetti Cabernet going back to 1996, Dunn, Silver Oak, Caymus, and all five Bordeaux First Growths including Petrus sitting in the wings. The Pacific Northwest representation alone would make most wine bars blush. Global breadth is there too, so it's not purely a cab-and-steak echo chamber, but let's be honest: this list was built for people who want to open something serious next to a dry-aged prime cut, and it delivers at that mission without apology.
By-the-glass specifics weren't available in our research, which is a mild frustration given the depth of the bottle list. With a sommelier on staff and a cellar this size, we'd expect a thoughtful rotating glass program — but we can't confirm counts or current pours, so ask your server directly and push for something off the beaten path.
Washington Cabernet Sauvignon (50 wines under $30 range) — $30
John Howie keeps roughly 50 bottles priced under $30, which is a genuine effort at accessibility given the overall list skews collector-tier. In a room where Petrus is on the menu, finding a drinkable Washington Cab at entry-level pricing is the move for anyone who wants to eat well without financing a second mortgage.
Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon (vertical selections)
Most people walk past the verticals and order whatever they recognize. That's a mistake. Quilceda Creek's older vintages sitting in this cellar represent some of the finest Cabernet produced in Washington State — full stop. If you've never tasted what a decade of bottle age does to a great Washington Cab, this is the place to find out, and the staff can actually walk you through it.
Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon
Caymus is fine, but it's the safe, expensive choice that every steakhouse in America stocks. At the markup you'll pay here, you're getting a wine you could find at any neighborhood wine shop, in a room that has Quilceda Creek verticals. Don't waste the real estate.
Leonetti Cellar Merlot + Prime Custom-Aged Steak
Leonetti Merlot has the structure and dark fruit concentration to stand up to serious beef without bulldozing it. Washington Merlot at this level is underrated against steak compared to Cab, and Leonetti is the argument for why. Order a properly aged-cut and let this wine remind you that Merlot never actually went anywhere.
The Bottom Line
John Howie Steak is the real deal for anyone who takes their cellar seriously — the depth, the verticals, and the on-staff expertise put it in a different category than most steakhouses. The markups will sting, but if you're here to open something special, the inventory to do it properly is absolutely in that cellar.
Eastlake · Seattle · Italian
Serafina is a reliable Italian neighborhood spot with a wine list that matches its ambitions — cozy, competent, and a little expensive for what it is. Send a friend here for the pasta and Nebbiolo, but warn them to steer clear of the Prosecco markups.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Capitol Hill · Seattle · French / Northwest Seafood and Wine Bar
Bar Melusine is what Capitol Hill needed more of: a focused, France-forward wine program that actually earns its place next to the food. If you're eating oysters in Seattle, this should be in your regular rotation.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Magnolia · Seattle · Italian
Picolinos is the kind of neighborhood Italian where the wine list genuinely backs up the food, and that's rarer than it should be. Send your friends here if they want a proper Barolo with their osso buco without flying to Turin.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Pike Place Market · Seattle · Italian-American with Northwest influence
The Pink Door is a reliable wine list in a genuinely great room — the atmosphere does a lot of heavy lifting, and the wine program is good enough not to get in the way of a memorable evening. Just watch the markups, stick to the Italian bottles, and let the trapeze act do the rest.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Capitol Hill · Seattle · Modern steakhouse with French-influenced Pacific Northwest cuisine
Bateau is the rare steakhouse where the wine list earns as much attention as what's on the butcher board. Markups keep it from being a total steal, but the depth, the staff, and the Pacific Northwest-first perspective make this one worth the splurge.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Belltown · Seattle · Italian
Tavolàta's wine list is exactly what a good Italian pasta spot should have — focused, fairly priced, and honest about what it is. If you're looking for a list to geek out over, keep walking; if you're looking for something that drinks well with great pasta, pull up a chair.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Plano · Steakhouse
Steve Fields clearly puts its energy into the kitchen, not the cellar — and at these price points, that imbalance is hard to ignore. Order the Evesham Wood if it's still there, and otherwise come for the steak, not the wine list.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· San Diego · Steakhouse
Greystone is a reliable, if predictable, steakhouse wine list — the kind where you can always find something decent but you'll rarely be surprised. Skip the Opus splurge, order the Paradigm, and you'll walk out satisfied.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· San Diego · Steakhouse
Morton's San Diego is spending more energy on the wedge salad than the wine list, and it shows. Come for the steak, order carefully, and don't expect much beyond the obvious.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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