Big Bottle Dreams on a Lava Rock Island
· Kailua-Kona · Wine Shop / Small Plates · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · September 20, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Kona Wine Market’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Walking into a wine market on the Kona Coast with Shafer Hillside Select and Allegrini La Poja on the shelf is not what you expect in a town better known for coffee and sunburns. The list is compact — 35 labels — but whoever curated it has a point of view. This isn't a resort gift shop with overpriced Meiomi; someone cared.
The range punches across Italy, California, France, and the Pacific Northwest without getting lost. You've got the Allegrini Amarone della Valpolicella Classico 2019 sitting next to the Alois Settimo Pallagrello Nero 2022 — a southern Italian grape that most shops on the mainland wouldn't touch. California Cabernet gets plenty of love, from the approachable Alexander Valley Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 all the way up to the Shafer Hillside Select 2016 for the big spenders. The sparkling corner is genuinely solid — Bele Casel Asolo Prosecco and De Chanceny Cremant de Loire Rose offer real alternatives to Champagne at sane prices. The main gap is white wine depth and anything from the Southern Hemisphere or Spain.
By-the-glass options aren't documented in the available data, which is a real blind spot for a shop that also functions as a small plates destination. If you're stopping in for a pour rather than a bottle, confirm with staff what's open before you commit.
The Bottom Line
Kona Wine Market is the kind of wine shop that makes you do a double-take when you're expecting tourist-trap bottles and instead find Shafer Hillside Select and a Campanian obscurity on the same shelf. The list is small but it's edited, not lazy, and the pricing is fair for Hawaii. If you're staying on the Big Island and want a serious bottle without driving to a resort bar and paying resort prices, this is your spot.
· Kailua-Kona · Seafood / Steakhouse
Huggo's is a reliable enough place to drink wine if you're already there for the view and the fresh fish — just don't come expecting value or discovery. The regional mix is competent, the setting is genuinely spectacular, and the list will get you through dinner without incident. If you're a wine-first traveler, this probably isn't your destination, but it's a perfectly reasonable stop if the ahi tuna is calling your name.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Kailua-Kona · Seafood / Hawaiian
Umekes clearly puts its energy where it counts — the fish. The wine list is an afterthought, marked up steeply with no variety, no rotation, and no apparent interest in matching the program to what the kitchen does well. Order the poke, drink the Chenin Blanc, and don't expect much more than that.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Kohala Coast · Kailua-Kona · Fine Dining Seafood
Brown's Beach House is a genuinely lovely place to eat, and if you're on the Kohala Coast for a special night out, it earns its reputation on atmosphere and food alone. But if the wine list is your primary reason to show up, you'll be disappointed — the program is resort-standard, California-safe, and priced to match the view rather than the quality in the glass. Order something cold and white with the butterfish, enjoy the sunset, and don't overthink it.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Kailua-Kona · Seafood / Classic American
Kona Inn's wine list is exactly what it needs to be — competent, crowd-friendly, and anchored by a by-the-glass program that actually gives you options. Markup trends steep, as expected in Hawaii's resort corridor, but a few smart picks like Siduri Pinot and Lieu Dit Blanc de Mer reward guests who look past the Rombauer reflex. If you're eating here for the view and the seafood, the wine list won't let you down — just don't expect to be surprised.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Kailua-Kona · Modern Hawaiian / Seafood
Moana's wine list is a fascinating contradiction: twelve bottles, a Rosewood price tag, and two Birichino natural wines sitting next to a 2006 d'Yquem. It shouldn't work this well, but the curation earns respect. Come for the ocean, stay for the Tokaji — just be prepared to pay resort prices for the privilege.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Waikoloa · Kailua-Kona · Hawaii Regional Cuisine / Asian Fusion Seafood Grill
Roy's Waikoloa is a reliable night out with food that outpaces the wine list by a full length. Drink the Sonoma-Cutrer with the butterfish, skip the markups on the obvious stuff, and let the view do the heavy lifting.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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