Nice Fish, Shame About the Wine Markups
South Fayetteville · Fayetteville · Seafood
Updated August 2026
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 15, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Ocean 44 Fayetteville’s wine list and gave it The Lazy List — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Ocean 44 reads like a greatest hits compilation from a mid-2000s chain steakhouse — Cakebread, Duckhorn, Kim Crawford, Meiomi. It's recognizable, it's safe, and it's going to cost you. There are a few legitimate bright spots buried in there, but you have to want to find them.
California dominates, with the occasional French cameo to keep things from feeling completely one-dimensional. The standouts — Brewer-Clifton Sta. Rita Hills Chardonnay, Heitz 'Quartz Creek Vineyard' Oak Knoll Cab, and Dom Long-Depaquit 'Vaillons' Premier Cru Chablis — suggest someone on the buying side has actual taste. The problem is those picks are surrounded by grocery store regulars like Josh Cellars Cab and Meiomi Pinot, which belong nowhere near a seafood-focused fine dining list. The California-centric focus also means white Burgundy fans, Champagne lovers, and anyone who drinks outside the mainstream will be working with limited options.
By-the-glass specifics weren't available in our research, so we can't tell you exactly what's pouring. Given the bottle list skews heavily toward recognizable brands, expect the glass pours to follow suit — think La Crema, Kim Crawford, maybe a Meiomi if you're unlucky. Rotation appears to be minimal.
Dom Long-Depaquit 'Vaillons' 1er Cru Chablis — Unknown — check current menu
If you're eating seafood, this is the move. Premier Cru Chablis is exactly what oysters, halibut, and anything briny were made for — and Long-Depaquit is a serious Chablis producer. On a list this safe, it sticks out like a good idea at a bad meeting.
Brewer-Clifton 2023 Sta. Rita Hills Chardonnay
Most people at a seafood restaurant reach for the most familiar Chardonnay on the list. Don't. Brewer-Clifton out of Sta. Rita Hills makes Chardonnay with actual tension and minerality — nothing like the buttery California standard. It's the most interesting white on this list and most diners will scroll right past it.
Josh Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon 2022
At $38 for a bottle of Josh Cellars — a wine that retails for $12 at your grocery store — this is a 217% markup on a wine that has no business being on a restaurant list at all. Order literally anything else.
Dom Long-Depaquit 'Vaillons' 1er Cru Chablis + Fresh oysters or any roasted halibut preparation
Premier Cru Chablis and shellfish is one of the least controversial pairings in wine — the saline, flinty character of Vaillons cuts straight through the brine and fat of oysters or a butter-basted white fish. It's the one moment on this list where the wine program earns its keep.
Wednesday — Half-price bottles of wine all night on select list, dine-in only. This is the only time the markups become defensible — pencil it in.
The Bottom Line
Ocean 44 has the bones of a good wine program — a few genuinely exciting producers fighting for attention amid a sea of supermarket staples — but the markups on the commodity bottles are hard to forgive. Come on Wednesday when bottles are half price, order the Brewer-Clifton or the Chablis, and pretend the Josh Cellars doesn't exist.
Uptown / Steele Crossing · Fayetteville · Upscale casual seafood and American grill
Bonefish Grill in Fayetteville is a perfectly competent chain wine experience — you won't be offended, but you won't be excited either. If you're here for the seafood and just want something cold and reasonable in your glass, it gets the job done; just don't expect the wine list to be the reason you come back.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
North College Avenue · Fayetteville · Steakhouse / American
Texas Roadhouse is a perfectly fine place to eat a steak and drink a beer or a frozen margarita — that is what it was built for. The wine list is an afterthought bolted onto a concept that does not need it, and you should treat it accordingly.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
MIA
Set & Forget
Acceptable
North College Avenue · Fayetteville · Italian / Pizzeria
Bocca isn't trying to be a wine destination, and the list makes no pretense otherwise — but it's priced fairly, it's Italian through and through, and it does exactly what a neighborhood pizzeria wine list should do. Send your friends here for dinner, not for a wine education.
Plays It Safe
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown / Dickson Street · Fayetteville · Lounge / Wine & Cocktail Bar
Theo's is the rare Fayetteville spot where you can order wine without second-guessing yourself — the list is small, honest, and fairly priced for what it is. Send your friends here for a date night; just don't expect them to come back with a wine education.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
North College Avenue · Fayetteville · Modern Ozark / Contemporary American
Mockingbird Kitchen is a reliable neighborhood dinner spot where the wine list does its job without embarrassing anyone. Come for the food, drink what's in front of you, and don't expect a revelation in the glass.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
East of Fayetteville · Fayetteville · Winery / Event Venue
Sassafras Springs is not a destination for serious wine hunters, but it's absolutely a destination — a genuinely pleasant Arkansas vineyard making real wines at real prices in a setting that earns its reputation. Send your friends out on a Wednesday and tell them to order the Syrah.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
Downtown Carmel · Carmel By The Sea · Seafood
Catch is a dependable wine stop for a seafood dinner in Carmel — nothing here will disappoint you, but nothing will surprise you either. If you go in with calibrated expectations and order the Schramsberg with your crab, you'll leave happy.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Hood River · Hood River · Seafood
Votum is operating a world-class wine program in a town most people only stop through on the way to a hike — the depth of this cellar belongs in a major city restaurant, and the sommelier presence means you're not navigating it alone. The markups on the prestige bottles will sting, but find your entry point and this list rewards serious attention.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Bowen's Wharf · Newport · Seafood
The Lobster Bar isn't a wine destination, but it's a perfectly competent list for what the restaurant is — a casual waterfront spot where the lobster is the star. Order the Sancerre, eat the oysters, watch the boats.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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