Thoughtful Pours Where Sushi Meets Sancerre
· Portsmouth · Japanese / Sushi · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed September 20, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed Nichinan’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Fifteen bottles is a short list, but Nichinan's wine program reads like someone actually thought about what goes with raw fish and delicate Japanese flavors — not just grabbed the usual restaurant standbys. There's a Grüner Veltliner, a Soave Classico, and a Sancerre on here, which is more than most sushi spots in New Hampshire can say. It's compact, but it's curated.
The list skews intelligently toward whites and lighter reds that actually make sense next to sushi and Japanese cuisine — Pieropan's Soave Classico and Landhaus Mayer's Grüner Veltliner are genuinely smart calls, both high-acid, food-forward wines that most diners will walk right past in favor of the Cline Chardonnay. The red side is thin but not lazy: Louis Jadot Burgundy, a Côtes du Rhône from Brotte, and the Domaine du Vieux Lazaret Châteauneuf-du-Pape show some Old World ambition. The Robert Sinskey P.O.V. Red Blend and a Chilean Cabernet from Tahuan round things out on the New World side. Gaps are real — no sake-adjacent pairings, no orange wine, and Champagne representation is a single Nicolas Feuillatte — but within 15 labels, they're doing more than most.
Eleven of fifteen bottles are available by the glass, which is a genuinely generous ratio and makes this a strong by-the-glass destination for casual sushi dinners. Prices run $14–$20 per glass, with the Pieropan Soave at $14 and Nicolas Feuillatte Champagne topping out at $20. No obvious rotation program, but the breadth of the glass list means you can work through white, pink, and red without committing to a bottle.
The Bottom Line
Nichinan's wine list is short but earns its keep — the presence of Pieropan, Grüner Veltliner, and Henri Bourgeois Sancerre tells you someone on staff understands that sushi and Chardonnay is not the only answer. Markups are fair across the board, and the by-the-glass selection is wide enough to keep the table happy without forcing a bottle. If you're in Portsmouth and want something better than the default wine-at-a-sushi-restaurant experience, this delivers.
· Portsmouth · Upscale New American
Salt Kitchen & Bar has the bones of a resort wine list built to move recognizable bottles at comfortable margins — not to educate, excite, or reward the curious drinker. If you're staying at Wentworth by the Sea and want a glass of wine with dinner, you'll find something drinkable here, but we wouldn't plan a night around the list. Order the Red Newt Riesling, tip your server well, and save the wine exploration for somewhere that's actually trying.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Portsmouth · Seafood & American
The Oar House wine list is a workmanlike effort — short, safe, and priced fairly for what it is. If you're coming for the seafood and want a glass of Albariño or a crisp Sauvignon Blanc to go with it, you'll be well served. Just don't come here expecting to be wowed by the wine program.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown · Portsmouth · New American / Tapas-Style
Moxy earns its Wild Card badge not because we can confirm every pour, but because the bones of the wine program — an intentional regional focus, a menu built for wine-friendly snacking, and a room that draws people back — suggest genuine effort. If you're in Portsmouth and want something more interesting than a safe Napa Cab next to your tapas, this is worth the reservation. Come in curious, ask the staff what they're excited about, and let the list surprise you.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Portsmouth · Italian-American
The Rosa isn't trying to reinvent the wine list — it's trying to serve its room well, and largely succeeds. Twenty-five by-the-glass options with Italian producers mixed alongside California staples makes this one of the more thoughtful pours in Portsmouth. If you're after wine-bar ambition, look elsewhere; if you want a reliable glass with your gnocchi without any drama, The Rosa delivers.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Portsmouth · Steakhouse
The Library Restaurant is a Wine Spectator award holder that plays it very, very safe — heavy California Chardonnay, a prestige Champagne tower, and markups that favor the house. If you're here for a special occasion and want to pop a Pol Roger at $125 or a Veuve at $155, it's a fine room for that. But if you're hoping to find something unexpected or feel like the wine program is working hard for you, this list isn't going to surprise you.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
New Castle · Portsmouth · Hotel Restaurant / New American
Salt Kitchen & Bar is a perfectly adequate place to drink wine if you're already staying at the Wentworth, but we wouldn't recommend driving out to New Castle for the list. Order the local seafood, pick something coastal to drink, and enjoy the view — that's the real value here.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Sandy Springs · Sandy Springs · Japanese / Sushi
Taka is a genuinely good sushi restaurant in Sandy Springs, and the wine list is serviceable enough to get you through a meal without frustration. But the wine isn't the reason to come here — the hamachi, the black cod, and the omakase are. If you want wine to match the food's ambition, call ahead and ask what they have open; otherwise, come for the fish and treat the wine list as a supporting character.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Missoula · Japanese / Sushi
SakeTome's wine list is small, but it earns its Wild Card badge by making thoughtful choices most Montana restaurants wouldn't bother with — Austrian whites, obscure Italian reds, a Beaujolais that actually belongs at a sushi dinner. Pricing and by-the-glass details remain unconfirmed, which keeps it from climbing higher, but if you're eating sushi in Missoula and want something more interesting than a default Chardonnay, this list gives you real options.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Buckhead · Atlanta · Japanese / Sushi
Brush is doing something genuinely unusual: running a geographically adventurous wine program inside a polished omakase-capable sushi restaurant in Buckhead. The sommelier presence gives us real confidence in the curation, even if pricing likely skews upscale to match the room. If you're going for the uni carbonara udon or the wagyu mazamen, let whoever's working the floor guide you — that's exactly what they're there for.
Surprising Depth
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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