Four Seasons Prices, Hotel Wine List Energy
Union Square · San Francisco · Hotel New American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · October 1, 2026
RagingWine reviewed MKT Restaurant and Bar’s wine list and gave it The Lazy List — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Nineteen bottles. That's the whole list at one of San Francisco's most prominent hotel restaurants. When a Four Seasons property hands you a wine list this thin, you're not looking at curation — you're looking at corporate minimalism dressed up in a nice font. The selection reads like someone was given a brief to cover all the bases and ran out of time.
The list hits the expected anchors: Champagne (Dom Pérignon, Taittinger, Laurent-Perrier, Ruinart), a couple of California workhorses (Flowers Chardonnay, Brewer-Clifton Pinot Noir, Merryvale Cab), and obligatory international cameos from Sancerre, Chablis, and Chianti. On paper it looks balanced; in practice, nineteen labels across sparkling, white, rosé, and red offers almost no real choice. The reds are especially thin — five bottles including a Malbec and a red blend — which is a strange omission for a room that almost certainly leans toward big-occasion dining. There's nothing adventurous here, no natural wine, no under-the-radar region, no independent producer that would make a wine-curious diner lean in.
No by-the-glass program details are available from the sourced list, which is itself a concern — a hotel restaurant of this caliber should be leading with pours, not just bottles. Without a visible BTG program, guests ordering a glass are likely at the mercy of whatever the server suggests, which at a high-turnover hotel operation doesn't inspire confidence.
The Bottom Line
MKT is a hotel restaurant that treats its wine list like a liability to be managed rather than an asset to be celebrated. Nineteen bottles, steep hotel pricing, and no evidence of a thoughtful by-the-glass program add up to a list you tolerate rather than enjoy. If you're at the Four Seasons for a special occasion, you'll find something drinkable — but don't come here because of the wine.
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Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· San Francisco · Winery Tasting Room
If you're driving through Sonoma and want to understand why Chardonnay still matters in California, Kistler's tasting room makes a strong case — but you need an appointment and you need to want exactly what they're pouring. The cheese, dips, and crackers are incidental; the wines are the entire point. Book ahead, show up curious, and let the vineyard-specific lineup do the work.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Varietal Specific
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· San Francisco · French
Absinthe pulls off something harder than it looks: a tight, all-by-the-glass list that still has genuine depth and fair pricing across almost every tier. The Chevillon and Carillon alone signal that someone here takes wine seriously, and the entry-level pours — Carignan, Riesling, Grenache Rosé, all at $15/glass — mean you don't have to spend big to drink well. If you're near Hayes Valley and want a real glass of Burgundy or an obscure Loire red without a lecture, this is your spot.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· San Francisco · Japanese izakaya
Rintaro's wine list is a four-bottle edit that respects your intelligence and suits the food. Pricing is fair, the selections are deliberate, and nothing feels like it wandered in from a default distributor catalog. If you're comfortable with a short list and trust that someone thought about it, this is a good place to drink wine with dinner.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Woodside · San Francisco · French-Californian
The Village Pub earns a Wild Card badge because it's a genuinely serious wine program hiding inside what looks like a charming neighborhood spot — Michelin-noted, sommelier-driven, and pulling from regions most Peninsula restaurants don't bother with. Main courses run $40–$70+, and wine markups at this tier tend to be ambitious, so go in with eyes open on spend. But if you're in the area and care about what's in your glass, this is worth the reservation.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
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The Refuge is a cult neighborhood joint in San Carlos that earns its Wild Card badge by caring about wine in a context where nobody would blame them for not bothering. The regional focus on France and the West Coast is genuine, not decorative. We don't have enough sourced detail to hand you a specific bottle recommendation, but if you're already going for the pastrami — and you should be — ask about what's open and drink something French. You'll likely be pleasantly surprised.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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