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.
Waikīkī · Honolulu · Steakhouse
Ruth's Chris Waikīkī is a dependable splurge for steak night, but the wine list is corporate comfort food — Napa-forward, markup-heavy, and unlikely to surprise you. If wine is the point of your evening, this isn't your destination; if steak is the point, it'll get the job done.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Proper
Waikiki · Honolulu · Seafood / Steak
Chart House Waikiki is giving you a safe harbor, not a destination — the list is functional, the by-the-glass selection is surprisingly broad, and a couple of smart picks exist if you know where to look. Come for the ocean views and the fish; just don't expect the wine list to match the scenery.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Honolulu · Honolulu · Hotel Wine Bar
Vintage 1901 is a well-organized hotel wine bar doing exactly what it should — giving visitors something better than the minibar without demanding too much effort or knowledge. The port program is legitimately great and worth your time; the rest of the list is competent, if a little sleepy on value.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Honolulu · Rooftop Wine Bar
Tchin Tchin is a perfectly pleasant place to drink wine with a view, and nearly everything being available by the glass means you can graze without committing to a bottle. Just don't come expecting discovery — come expecting a solid pour and a great sunset.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Waikiki · Honolulu · Italian Pizza / Wine Bar
Appetito is the Wild Card of Waikiki — a pizza and wine bar that quietly punches above its tourist-strip surroundings with fair pricing, a Brunello on the glass list, and enough Italian depth to make the wine worth ordering. Send a friend here and tell them to skip the Bonanza.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Kaimukī · Honolulu · Wine bar / small plates
Kaimukī Storeroom is doing the bare minimum in quantity and the maximum in quality — three bottles, all bangers, prices that won't make you do sad math on your phone. If you're a natural wine person stuck in Honolulu wondering why every list is the same, come here first.
Small but Thoughtful
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Las Vegas · Restaurant
Lamaii is the rare Las Vegas restaurant where the wine list reflects a genuine point of view — the grower Champagne program alone is worth the visit. Send a friend here and tell them to order a Spécial Club.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Spokane Valley · Spokane Valley · Restaurant
Max at Mirabeau's wine list is a thoughtful, locally-rooted program that punches above its size — the near-total by-the-glass availability alone makes it worth ordering a second pour. Not a destination wine program, but for Spokane Valley, it's doing the right things.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Houston · Restaurant
Bar Bludorn is exactly the kind of wine program Houston needs more of — thoughtful, fairly priced, and deep enough by the glass that you can actually explore without buying a bottle. It's not a destination wine list, but it's a genuinely good one, and we'd send a friend here without hesitation.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
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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