Kona Grill McKinney

Craggy Range Sauvignon Blanc, Martinborough — null

This is the one bottle on the list that shows a little range beyond the obvious. Martinborough Sauvignon Blanc has more texture and herbal complexity than the Marlborough stuff everyone defaults to — and Craggy Range is a legit producer. If pricing is in line with the rest of the list, it's the most interesting dollar you can spend here.

Mer Soleil by Caymus Silver Unoaked Chardonnay, Monterey County

In a lineup stuffed with buttery, oaky Chardonnays, an unoaked option from a Caymus side project is genuinely useful. Most tables at Kona Grill will walk right past it for Rombauer, but if you're eating anything with Asian-leaning flavors — ginger, citrus, soy — this crisp, fruit-forward pour is the smarter call.

Veuve Clicquot

At $100 a bottle, Veuve is being asked to carry all the weight of 'fancy Champagne' on this list with zero competition and zero reason to be priced fairly. It's a fine bottle, but $100 at a suburban fusion chain for Yellow Label Veuve is a quiet gouge — you can buy it at Total Wine for $55 and drink it in your car before you walk in.

Mer Soleil by Caymus Silver Unoaked Chardonnay, Monterey County + Edamame Dumplings

Unoaked Chardonnay has the acidity to cut through dumpling richness and enough stone fruit character to mirror the subtle sweetness in the wrapper without fighting the filling. It's a lighter, cleaner pairing than anything on the Rombauer end of the list would manage.