Thai Food, Grower Champagne Obsession, Zero Apologies
· San Francisco · Thai · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · September 30, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Nari’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
You open the wine list at a Thai restaurant in San Francisco and land on four different Ulysse Collin bottlings across multiple base years. That's not a wine list — that's a thesis. Nari is not playing the usual restaurant wine game, and they know it.
The champagne section alone would embarrass most dedicated wine bars: Egly-Ouriet in multiple expressions, Vouette et Sorbée, Agrapart, Vilmart, Jacquesson, Tarlant's 2004 'La Vigne D'Antan' — this is a grower champagne deep-cut collection with serious range and serious prices to match. Beyond the bubbles, the list reportedly stretches across California, Oregon, Alsace, and the Rhône, which at least suggests someone on staff is thinking about how wine interacts with complex, herbaceous, spice-forward cuisine. The weakness is the data we can actually confirm: almost everything documented is champagne, so whether the still wine sections deliver the same firepower is harder to assess. At 207 labels total and a bottle ceiling north of $4,000, this list swings for the fences — whether it always connects depends on which section you're ordering from.
Twenty by-the-glass options is a strong number for a restaurant of this style, with glass prices ranging from $15 to $120 — that $120 ceiling tells you they're pouring something serious by the stem. We don't have the full BTG breakdown confirmed by source, but that range suggests both entry points for casual diners and a high end for the committed.
The Bottom Line
Nari is doing something genuinely strange and genuinely impressive — building a grower champagne program inside a Thai restaurant that would hold up against dedicated wine bars across the city. The markup is real and the list skews expensive, but if you care about this category of wine, there is no other Thai restaurant in San Francisco where you're having this conversation. Go in knowing what you want and what you're willing to spend.
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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.
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Varietal Specific
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Proper
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Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
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Set & Forget
Acceptable
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Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
· San Francisco · Wine bar and charcuterie
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
Financial District · San Francisco · American Tavern
Wayfare Tavern's wine list is small, California-centric, and static — but it's priced fairly and punches above its weight in a couple of spots, especially if you wander into the dessert wine section. For a quick Financial District dinner where you want a decent glass without overthinking it, this list does its job. Don't come here for a deep cellar experience, but don't dismiss it either.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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Thai Harmony is genuinely worth visiting for the food — the khao soi and kai yang have real fans for a reason, and the downtown space is one of the better dining rooms in Winston-Salem. But come for the kitchen, not the cellar. Until the wine program shows us something specific worth recommending, you're better off ordering a Thai iced tea and saving the wine for another night.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Santa Ynez Valley · Solvang · Thai
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Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
The Y / Emerald Bay Road · South Lake Tahoe · Thai
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Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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