Pacific Northwest seafood meets old-world curiosity
Capitol Hill · Seattle · Seafood · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 11, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed Manolin’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The list at Manolin doesn't try to impress you with length — it tries to earn your trust with intention. Forty to sixty bottles, heavy on Europe, with a few Pacific Northwest anchors keeping things honest. It reads like someone actually thought about what goes with Dungeness crab and grilled whole fish, which is more than most seafood spots can say.
France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Austria, and a couple of curveballs from Slovenia round out the old-world side, while Oregon and Washington hold it down locally. The list isn't deep by any standard, but the selections feel deliberate — you're not scrolling past twelve interchangeable California Chardonnays. Slovenia showing up at all in a Capitol Hill seafood spot is a small act of courage. The gaps are real — no Champagne to speak of, limited depth in any single region — but the overall curation punches above its bottle count.
Ten to fifteen options by the glass is a solid program for a restaurant this size, and it mirrors the bottle list's adventurous-but-focused personality. If the Slavcek Sivi Pinot Grigio is on pour, grab it — it's not the kind of glass you find at most places. Rotation doesn't appear to be a strong suit here, but what's on is generally worth drinking.
Slavcek Sivi Pinot Grigio, Slovenia 2015 — null
Slovenian skin-contact Pinot Grigio at a seafood restaurant is exactly the kind of low-key brilliant move that earns trust. It has the texture and grip to stand up to crab toast without steamrolling it, and you're almost certainly paying less than you would for something half as interesting. No price on record, but the value story here is about quality-to-obscurity ratio.
Antica Casa Scarpa Rossoscarpa, Monferrato Italy 2011
A 2011 red from Monferrato on a seafood-forward list is the kind of thing most tables walk right past — and shouldn't. Scarpa is a serious, old-school Piedmontese producer, and a wine with that kind of age on a by-the-glass or moderate-price list is a genuine find. Order it with the grilled whole fish and ignore the instinct to reach for white.
Without full pricing data, we're not in a position to call out a specific bottle as a rip-off. Based on what's available, the markup here reads as fair — so the skip-this concern is more categorical: don't default to whatever safe domestic white is listed first. That's the path to a forgettable glass.
Slavcek Sivi Pinot Grigio, Slovenia 2015 + Dungeness crab toast
The slight oxidative quality and saline edge of a Slovenian Sivi Pinot Grigio is almost purpose-built for sweet Dungeness crab. It doesn't compete — it amplifies. This is the pairing on the list that makes you feel like you figured something out.
The Bottom Line
Manolin's wine list is small, smart, and quietly adventurous — a Slovenian Pinot Grigio and a decade-old Scarpa red have no business being this easy to drink next to Puget Sound seafood, and yet here we are. Send a curious friend; just tell them to skip whatever they recognize and order what they don't.
Downtown · Seattle · Brazilian Churrascaria
The real headline here is the half-price South American bottles — available Monday through Thursday, all day, on bottles under $150 — which turns a polished steakhouse into a legitimately reasonable wine night. The list won't excite anyone who came for the wine, but if you came for the meat and want a solid regional bottle at a fair price, this deal is worth planning around.
Plays It Safe
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Active Program
Acceptable
Ballard · Seattle · Italian
A short, Italian-leaning list with most of its bottles in the Old World red section. Order the $11 Montepulciano by the glass, or the $69 Travaglini Gattinara if you want to splurge a little, and confirm prices on the day. This unrated guide covers the posted wine menus, not service, storage or markups.
Downtown · Seattle · Pacific Northwest / New American
A hotel wine list with a Pacific Northwest page up front, Champagne, Bordeaux and Italian sections behind it, and a separate glass list on the drink menu. Start with the $12 Treveri Blanc de Blancs at happy hour or the Mark Ryan 'Goldfinch Tavern Red Blend', and check the current list before you go, since the restaurant says menus are subject to change. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list and drink menu, not service, storage or markups.
Lake Union · Seattle · Steakhouse
A long, Northwest-first steakhouse list with plenty of bottles under $100 as well as a $300-to-$550 tier of Leonetti and Quilceda Creek Cabernets. Start with the $20 Five Star Cellars “Prime” Cabernet by the glass, or the same wine at $55 on the bottle pages, and confirm prices because the list says vintages and availability change. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Capitol Hill · Seattle · Italian
An all-Italian list that is easy to navigate: 11 wines by the glass from $13 to $30, a bottle list sorted by region, and $8 house wine during Apericena. Order the Soave at $13 or the $17 Kerner by the glass, or the Villa Venti Sangiovese with the tagliatelle al ragu, and confirm prices because the page says they are subject to change. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Central District · Seattle · Seafood
A mostly natural, mostly French bottle list that stretches from $60 Muscadet to a $455 Champagne, with a deep run of Jura, Savoie and Loire bottles. Start with the $60 Hautplanty Muscadet or the $72 Laurent Herlin Cabernet Franc, and ask about the list’s ◆ and ◉ key if you want help choosing between classic and wild. This unrated guide covers the posted drinks selection, not service, storage or markups.
· Flowery Branch · Seafood
Fish Tales is on Lake Lanier, which should be a natural setting for a thoughtful selection of cold, crisp whites. Instead, the wine program is a single bottle of heavily buttered California Chardonnay. We'd recommend sticking to whatever's on tap and revisiting the wine situation if anything changes.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
MIA
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Perimeter Center · Dunwoody · Seafood
Louisiana Bistreaux is genuinely worth visiting for the food — the seafood is the draw, full stop. But if wine is part of your evening, don't come here expecting the list to match the kitchen's ambition. Order the crawfish ravioli, get a cocktail or a cold beer, and save the wine exploration for somewhere that's put in the work.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Cartersville · Seafood
Maine Street Coastal Cuisine is a seafood spot that doesn't take wine seriously, and the five-label, all-$7, no-producer list makes that clear without apology. If you're here for the food, drink the cocktails or crack a beer — the wine list isn't worth the conversation.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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