Safe Picks for People Who Don't Pick Wine
Bethesda Metro Center · Bethesda · Seafood · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 16, 2026
RagingWine reviewed McCormick & Schmick's Bethesda’s wine list and gave it The Lazy List — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list here reads like a greatest hits album you've heard too many times — Kendall-Jackson, Santa Margherita, Robert Mondavi. Everything is recognizable, nothing is interesting, and the prices remind you that you're paying for the carpet and the metro-adjacent zip code.
Forty to sixty bottles sounds like a respectable list until you realize it's mostly California and Italy's most marketed exports with zero regional curiosity or independent producers in sight. There's no Willamette Valley representation despite grilled salmon being a menu anchor, no coastal whites from Galicia or the Loire, and no sign that anyone building this list ever asked 'what would actually be good here?' It skews heavily toward Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon — the two default answers people give when they don't know what to order. The Italian contingent begins and ends with Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio, which tells you everything you need to know.
Twelve to eighteen options by the glass sounds generous until you realize the rotation appears locked in amber — these are the same pours that have been on the menu since the Obama administration. At $9–$15 a glass, you're paying full-freight prices for brands you can find at any grocery store on the way home.
La Crema Pinot Noir — $13/glass
It's not exciting, but La Crema is at least a competent, well-made Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir that holds its own next to the salmon. It's the most food-friendly red on the list and the one pick that doesn't embarrass itself.
Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon
Most people ignore Mondavi as a legacy brand on autopilot, but the Napa Cabernet is genuinely well-structured and holds up to the USDA steaks on this menu. Not exciting, not a discovery — but if you're eating red meat here, it's the most honest pairing on the list.
Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio
Santa Margherita is one of the most marked-up bottles in American restaurants, trading entirely on name recognition. You're paying a significant premium for a wine that retails cheaply and punches well below its price tag. Order something else, or just get sparkling water.
La Crema Pinot Noir + Grilled Salmon
A lighter-bodied West Coast Pinot with grilled Pacific salmon is about as logical as wine pairing gets — the fruit-forward profile and soft acidity of La Crema don't fight the fish the way a bigger red would, and the Sonoma pedigree keeps it in the same geographic conversation as the Pacific Northwest sourcing.
The Bottom Line
McCormick & Schmick's Bethesda isn't a wine destination — it's a corporate seafood chain with a wine list to match, priced for convenience, not discovery. Order a cocktail, or bring a bottle if they allow corkage.
Bethesda Row / Downtown Bethesda · Bethesda · Upscale Seafood / Contemporary American
PassionFish Bethesda is a reliable wine stop in a neighborhood that doesn't have a ton of competition — the list is seafood-appropriate, the glass count is respectable, and nothing is broken. Just don't come expecting to be surprised, and watch the markups on the branded bottles.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Bethesda · Bethesda · American
This is a wine list for people who aren't really thinking about wine, and there's no shame in ordering a cocktail instead. If you're staying at the hotel, grab a glass at the bar and call it a night — just don't expect the list to reward any real attention.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Friendship Heights / Chevy Chase · Bethesda · American
Clyde's isn't a wine destination, but it's not trying to be — and the Monday half-price bottle deal genuinely redeems a list that would otherwise be hard to recommend at full price. Come for the vibe, come back on a Monday.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
Rio Washingtonian · Bethesda · American / Sports Bar
Yard House Gaithersburg is a craft beer destination that happens to sell wine — and the wine list knows it. Come for the taps, stay for the pretzels, and don't expect the Pinot Noir to surprise you.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Bethesda · Bethesda · Lebanese / Middle Eastern
Bacchus of Lebanon isn't a wine destination by any stretch, but it's one of the few spots in Bethesda where you can drink actual Lebanese wine with Lebanese food — and that specificity matters. If you're even mildly curious about what the Bekaa Valley is doing, this is an approachable, affordable place to find out.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Bethesda · Bethesda · Spanish
Spanish Diner Bethesda is a wildcard: a laid-back all-day spot with a wine list that has no business being this interesting. The markups keep it from being a destination wine play, but if you're in Bethesda and want to drink actual Spain with your tapas, this is your move.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Roswell · Seafood
The Big Ketch Roswell keeps the wine program tightly scoped and mostly on-point for a seafood house — fair prices, smart regional picks, and a by-the-glass setup that rewards curious drinkers. It's not going to blow anyone away, but it's not going to embarrass you either. Send a friend here for the Vinho Verde and whatever's fresh on the menu.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Chandler · Seafood
High Tide is a genuinely fun, lively seafood restaurant with food worth showing up for — but the wine program is an afterthought dressed up as a list. Twelve Chardonnays with no other variety isn't a curated selection, it's a gap in judgment. Wednesday half-price wine softens the blow, but the program needs a complete rethink before we'd call it worth drinking through. Order the Diatom, skip the Rombauer, and quietly wish someone had added a rosé.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Occasional
Acceptable
· Honolulu · Seafood
Mina's Fish House isn't building a wine program — it's building a dessert wine moment, and that is a genuinely uncommon thing to find at a restaurant of this profile. If you're eating dinner here, you'll need to source your table wine elsewhere on the menu or order cocktails; this list doesn't cover that ground. But if you want to close out a Four Seasons meal in Honolulu with a glass of 2013 Tokaji Aszú or something out of the Madeira cellar, this is a quietly excellent place to do it.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
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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