Great Sunset, Grocery Store Wine List
Waikoloa · Kailua-Kona · Beachside Hawaiian and Pacific Rim · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 24, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Lava Lava Beach Club’s wine list and gave it The Lazy List — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Take Vibe Match and we’ll tell you what to order here.
Wingman Metrics
You're sitting with your toes in the sand, waves rolling in, sun melting into the Pacific — and then the wine list arrives. It's a greatest-hits album of airport-lounge staples: Kim Crawford, Meiomi, Santa Margherita. The setting does heavy lifting that the list simply refuses to do.
Twenty-five to forty selections sounds reasonable until you realize that California, New Zealand, and Italy account for virtually everything, and the producers are the kind you'd find facing out on a grocery store end-cap. There's no depth to speak of — no interesting grower Champagne, no lean coastal whites that might actually make sense next to fresh Pacific catch, no surprises whatsoever. The list reads like it was assembled by someone who googled 'most popular wines in America' and called it a day. To be fair, the audience is largely vacationers who aren't here to geek out, but that's not an excuse for charging resort prices on mass-market juice.
Eight to fourteen pours by the glass sounds generous, but when the lineup is anchored by Meiomi and Kim Crawford, quantity isn't the flex they think it is. There's no rotation or seasonal program to speak of — what you see is what you get, indefinitely. If you're lucky, a crisp white is chilled properly; if you're not, you're sipping warm Pinot Grigio while watching a gorgeous sunset.
Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc — null
Look, we're not thrilled about it either, but if you're going glass-for-glass at a beachside bar in Hawaii, at least Kim Crawford is reliably crisp, high-acid, and doesn't embarrass itself next to coconut shrimp. It's the least-bad option on a list that doesn't give you much to work with. Price not confirmed — ask before you order.
Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio
It's not actually a hidden gem — it's one of the most recognized Italian whites in America — but in this context it's the most food-friendly bottle on the list. Lean, dry, and neutral enough to let the fresh catch of the day do the talking. Most people reach for Meiomi out of habit; don't.
Meiomi Pinot Noir
Sweet, jammy, and clocking in around 13.5% ABV with enough residual sugar to make your teeth ache — Meiomi is a crowd-pleaser that costs $12–$14 retail and will run you considerably more here. It's not built for seafood, it's not built for the tropics, and it's not built for people who actually like Pinot Noir. Hard pass.
Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio + Fresh Catch of the Day
Whatever the kitchen is running as the day's fresh catch — likely ahi, mahimahi, or opakapaka — needs something clean and dry alongside it. Santa Margherita won't wow anyone, but its neutral, citrus-edged profile stays out of the way and lets the fish be the star. On a hot Hawaiian evening, that's enough.
❌ The Bottom Line
Come for the sand, the sunset, and the Huli Huli chicken — just don't come expecting the wine list to match the view. Order the best white they have cold, tip your server well, and make peace with it.
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
Waikoloa · Kailua-Kona · Italian osteria with locally sourced Hawaiian ingredients
Pueo's isn't building a destination wine program, but it's doing something harder — keeping prices honest in a market that rarely does. Send your friends here for dinner; just know the list is a supporting character, not the headliner.
Plays It Safe
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Alii Drive · Kailua-Kona · Hawaiian-style barbecue / plate lunches
We would never send someone to TJ's for the wine list — we'd send them for the smoked brisket and the ocean view. But if you want something in a glass while you eat, the list does just enough to keep you covered, and $12 a pour is fair by Hawaii standards.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Kailua-Kona · Kailua-Kona · Hawaiian-inspired and pan-Pacific fare with a classic tiki bar
Don the Beachcomber is a genuinely fun place to spend an evening in Kona, and the cocktail program absolutely earns its reputation — so get the mai tai and leave the wine list alone. If you insist on a bottle, grab the La Crema, accept your losses, and watch the sunset.
Crowd Pleasers
Gouge
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Kailua-Kona · Kailua-Kona · Contemporary American and Seafood
Come for the manta rays and the sunset, order a cocktail, and make your peace with it. The wine list is a hotel afterthought dressed in markup we can't recommend with a straight face.
Crowd Pleasers
Gouge
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Kohala Coast · Kailua-Kona · Mediterranean
Meridia has the setting, the concept, and the menu to deserve a genuinely interesting wine list — instead it serves up resort-hotel boilerplate at punishing markups. Order the paella, drink the cocktails, and save the serious wine for somewhere that cares.
Crowd Pleasers
Gouge
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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