Solid Island List With Mainland Ambitions
· Honolulu · Restaurant · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 18, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Merriman's Honolulu’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Merriman's Honolulu is tighter than you'd expect from a flagship Hawaii dining destination — 63 labels isn't a deep cellar, but it's organized and shows some genuine thought. There's a clear California lean with enough European cameos to keep things interesting. It reads like a list curated by someone who cares, even if the budget constraints show.
California dominates, which makes geographic sense but limits the adventure — you've got heavy hitters like Failla from Sonoma Coast, Frog's Leap out of Napa, and Melville's Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir doing the heavy lifting. There's a nice Euro thread running through with La Chablisienne Chablis, Auchère Sancerre, La Rioja Alta Viña Alberdi, and the always-solid La Quercia Montepulciano d'Abruzzo giving Old World representation. The small format section is a genuinely smart touch — half-bottles of Krug, Ramey Russian River Chardonnay, and Staglin Cabernet let you splurge without committing to a full bottle. Gaps show up in the natural wine department and anything from the Southern Hemisphere, which keeps this list from feeling truly global.
Fifteen pours across sparkling, white, rosé, and red is a respectable by-the-glass program for Hawaii, where wine programs often feel like an afterthought. At $15–$25 per glass, you're paying island-premium pricing, but the lineup includes legitimate picks like Matthiasson Grenache Rosé and Mönchhof Estate Riesling from Mosel that you don't typically find on BTG lists. The rotation feels static rather than seasonal — no evidence this gets refreshed with any urgency.
La Rioja Alta Viña Alberdi, Rioja 2022 — $40-range bottle
Viña Alberdi is one of the most consistently over-delivering Riojas on the market — classic Tempranillo structure, genuine age-worthiness, and a name that commands respect without demanding a premium. On a list where bottles climb to $325, this is where you put your money.
Giocato Pinot Grigio, Goriska Brda 2024
Most people skim past Pinot Grigio assuming it's grocery store neutral. Goriska Brda sits on the Slovenia-Italy border and produces structured, textural whites that bear zero resemblance to the flabby stuff. This is the sleeper on the list.
Krug Grande Cuvée Brut (375ml)
Krug is always a flex and it's never a value — a 375ml half-bottle of Grande Cuvée at Hawaii restaurant markup is going to cost you serious money for half the bottle. Unless someone else is paying, there are smarter ways to celebrate here.
Failla Chardonnay, Sonoma Coast 2024 + Fresh island fish (chef's catch)
Failla's Sonoma Coast Chardonnay is restrained, coastal, and bright — the kind of wine that doesn't fight fresh Pacific fish, it amplifies it. The natural acidity cuts through any richness while keeping the ocean-forward flavors front and center.
✔️ The Bottom Line
Merriman's Honolulu delivers a wine list that punches above the typical Hawaii resort-area offering — genuinely good producers, a clever small-format section, and enough variety to reward a curious drinker. The pricing skews steep and the list won't surprise anyone, but you won't be embarrassed ordering here either.
Kaimukī · Honolulu · Wine Café & Bistro
Brix and Stones is doing something genuinely valuable for Kaimukī — bringing a thoughtful, accessible wine program to a neighborhood that needed one. The Caymus carafe pricing is a bona fide deal and the Meinklang shows real taste, but watch out for the bubbly markups and a list that could use a little more rotation to keep regulars coming back.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Kakaʻako · Honolulu · Wine Bar & Spirits Lounge (BYO Food)
Brix and Stones is the kind of place that shouldn't exist in the form it does, in the city it's in — and that's exactly why you should go. The markup swings from genuinely fair to eyebrow-raising depending on what you order, but the natural wine focus and knowledgeable staff make it the most interesting wine stop in Honolulu by a comfortable margin.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Waikiki · Honolulu · Italian with local Hawaiian influence
Fresco is a solid resort wine list doing exactly what it's designed to do: keep guests comfortable and the floor moving. If you're looking for adventure, you'll need to look elsewhere — but if you just want a cold glass of something decent with a view of the Pacific, it gets the job done.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Kakaʻako / SALT · Honolulu · Hawaiian-inspired / New American
Moku Kitchen isn't a wine destination, but it's a reliable neighborhood spot that doesn't gouge you — and in Hawaii, that alone earns real points. Send a friend here for dinner, not for the wine list, but tell them the prices won't sting.
Crowd Pleasers
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Waikiki · Honolulu · Steak and seafood with Hawaiian regional influences
Beachhouse at the Moana is a perfectly decent wine experience as long as you know what you're walking into: a hotel list with hotel markups and a stunning ocean backdrop doing the heavy lifting. Go for the Jordan with your steak, catch the sunset, and save the serious wine exploration for somewhere else on the island.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Waikiki · Honolulu · Seafood / Mediterranean
Orchids is a reliable wine program wearing a luxury price tag — the sommelier is real, the pours are properly handled, and the list gets the job done for the room it's in. Just know that you're paying the Halekulani premium on every bottle, and budget accordingly before you sit down.
Solid Range
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
· Scottsdale · Restaurant
Anhelo is doing something quietly ambitious — a focused, considered wine list in a city that often settles for Caymus and a bucket of Whispering Angel. The markups aren't shy, but the curation is real, and the Sauternes library alone is worth a detour.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Oklahoma City · Restaurant
Grey Sweater is doing something genuinely unusual for Oklahoma City — a tight, grower-Champagne-anchored list that rewards the curious and gently punishes the lazy. The markups aren't cheap, but the selection is real, and that counts for a lot when the alternative is another steak house wine list.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Spring · Restaurant
Plane & Level is punching well above its zip code with a focused, Old World-leaning list that rewards curious drinkers willing to venture past the obvious. If you're anywhere near Spring and care about what's in your glass, this one's worth the detour.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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