Patagonian Chardonnay at a Florida Horse Track
World Equestrian Center · Ocala · Seafood · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 21, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Juno & The Peacock’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
You're inside a massive equestrian complex in Ocala, Florida — not exactly where you'd expect to find Bodega Chacra Chardonnay from Patagonia or Kosta Browne Gaps Crown Pinot Noir. But here we are, and the list is genuinely more interesting than the setting suggests. It's a New World-heavy card with some real ambition tucked between the safe Napa picks.
The list runs 75-120 bottles with a clear California spine — Sonoma, Napa, and Santa Rita Hills do most of the heavy lifting — but there are genuine curveballs worth seeking out. The Argentina section alone is doing real work: El Enemigo Chardonnay at $65 and Bodega Chacra's Patagonian Chardonnay at $240 signal someone actually thought about this. Oregon gets a nod with Eyrie Vineyards Pinot Blanc from Willamette Valley, a producer with serious credibility. Champagne selections range from a $138 Taittinger up to a $540 Moët that exists mostly to look impressive on the page.
With 12-18 pours by the glass, there's enough range to have a real conversation before committing to a bottle. The spread appears to mirror the bottle list's New World lean, which works well in a seafood context where you want options at different price points. We'd like to see the by-the-glass list rotate more aggressively — right now it reads like it was set and left alone.
Gundlach-Bundschu Pinot Noir Petaluma Gap '21 Sonoma — $55
G-B is a serious Sonoma producer and Petaluma Gap fruit is genuinely distinctive — cool-climate, coastal, the kind of Pinot that punches above its price. At $55 on a restaurant list, this is the bottle you order without second-guessing.
Eyrie Vineyards Pinot Blanc '22 Willamette Valley
Eyrie is Oregon royalty — the winery that essentially put Willamette Valley on the map. Their Pinot Blanc is quiet, precise, and completely overlooked by anyone scanning for Chardonnay. It's the most interesting white on this list that nobody will order, which means more for you.
Moët & Chandon
At $540 a bottle, you're paying a brutal markup for one of the most mass-produced Champagnes on the planet. The Taittinger at $138 is already steep enough for what it is — Moët at this price is purely a status play.
Massican Pinot Grigio '22 Napa Valley + Fresh seafood — oysters or crudo if available
Massican is not your average Pinot Grigio — Dan Petroski makes this as a serious, textured white with real acidity. Against raw shellfish or a simple crudo, it brings brightness without overpowering delicate seafood flavors. At $68, it earns its spot.
The Bottom Line
Juno & The Peacock shouldn't be this interesting, and that's the whole point — a seafood restaurant inside an Ocala equestrian complex with Chacra Patagonian Chardonnay and Eyrie Pinot Blanc is a genuine surprise. Markups lean steep and the format feels set-it-and-forget-it, but the underlying list has real taste behind it.
SR 200 / Southwest Ocala · Ocala · Thai
Royal Orchid makes solid Thai food, and you should absolutely go — just order a Thai iced tea or a beer and pretend the wine list doesn't exist. If someone at your table insists on wine, point them to the Riesling and move on.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
SR 200 / Southwest Ocala · Ocala · Italian
Carrabba's Ocala isn't a wine destination and doesn't pretend to be — but Wine Wednesday (call ahead to confirm it's still running at this location) can turn a steep markup into a reasonable deal. Come for the Chicken Bryan, drink the Riesling, skip the Caymus.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
Downtown Ocala · Ocala · Charcuterie and Tapas
The Keep is doing something genuinely different for downtown Ocala — a rotating mead program, thoughtful wine picks, and markups that actually respect the customer. If you're in the area and care about what's in your glass, this is the move.
Small but Thoughtful
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
South Ocala · Ocala · American Steakhouse
Texas Roadhouse is a great place to eat a steak and throw peanut shells on the floor — we respect the chaos. But the wine list is purely functional at best and an afterthought at worst, so come here for the food and the fun, not the Cabernet.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
World Equestrian Center · Ocala · American
The Polo Pony is a reliable pour for the horse show crowd — familiar bottles, fair enough execution, and enough range to keep a table happy. We wouldn't drive to Ocala for the wine list, but if you're already at the World Equestrian Center, you'll drink just fine.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Central Ocala · Ocala · Steakhouse
Mark's Prime is punching well above its weight class for Ocala — a 1,000-bottle list with fair glass pour pricing is the real deal, even if the program could use some old-world depth and a rotating specials program to push it to the next level. Send your wine-curious friends here; just steer them away from the Meiomi.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
South Coast Plaza · Irvine · Seafood
Water Grill South Coast Plaza has built a white-wine-forward list that's genuinely well-suited to what's on the plate — smart European picks alongside reliable California anchors, and enough BTG options to keep things interesting across a long meal. Markups run steep in places, especially on the recognizable names, but the value plays are there if you know where to look. For a seafood-focused dinner in Irvine, this is one of the better wine programs you'll find without driving to the coast.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
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
· San Jose · Seafood
The Sea runs one of the more unexpected wine programs in the South Bay — a tightly focused list built around dessert wines and fortified pours that would feel at home at a serious wine bar, not a seafood restaurant. If you're coming for a tasting menu and want to surrender to a glass-by-glass journey through Sauternes, Port, and Madeira, this list was designed exactly for you. If you need a full-dinner wine list with something interesting at every course, you'll feel the gaps on the dry side. Come knowing what it is, and it delivers.
Surprising Depth
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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