Slovenian orange wine in Olympia? Yes, really.
Downtown / Waterfront · Olympia · Mediterranean / Tapas · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 19, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Octapas Café’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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Wingman Metrics
Fourteen labels doesn't sound like much until you notice Slovenia, Austria, and Navarra sharing shelf space with Yamhill-Carlton Pinot and Yakima Cab. This is a downtown Olympia tapas café that clearly has opinions about wine — good ones. The range punches well above what you'd expect from a casual waterfront spot.
The list reads like someone with a real point of view built it: Spanish reds from Navarra and Ribera del Duero anchor one end, while a Kracher Grüner Veltliner from Austria and a Slovenian orange wine occupy the other. Pacific Northwest representation is smart and local — Roots out of Yamhill-Carlton and JB Neufeld from Yakima Valley are solid picks, not just token regional duty. There's a note about an expanded wine cellar list which suggests the fourteen-label menu is just the preview, not the full story. Gaps exist — no dedicated Rosé line, thin on France outside of whatever might be hiding downstairs — but what's here is genuinely curated.
All fourteen bottles pour by the glass, which means the entire list is accessible without committing to a bottle — a smart move for a tapas format where you want to range around. Prices run $8–$12 per glass, which is honest for this market. Rotation isn't documented, but the presence of a separate cellar list hints there may be more action than the website suggests.
Viña Zorzal Graciano 2020, Navarra — $8/glass
Graciano is the underdog grape of northern Spain — dark, savory, built for food — and at $8 a glass it's the kind of pour that makes you look smart in front of your table. Eight dollars for a single-varietal Navarra red with actual character is a genuine deal.
Kranso Orange Wine 2021, Slovenia
Most people at a tapas spot are reaching for the Tempranillo or the Prosecco. The Slovenian orange wine gets ignored, which is a mistake. Kranso is from the Karst region, known for serious skin-contact whites — it's textured, savory, and built for briny, olive-oil-forward small plates. Order it before someone else at your table does.
Roots Pinot Noir 2022, Yamhill-Carlton
At $45 a bottle it's not highway robbery, but Roots is widely distributed and easy to find at retail for considerably less. It's a perfectly fine Oregon Pinot — that's exactly the problem. Nothing wrong with it, but you're in a room with Graciano and orange wine from Slovenia. Don't default to the safe choice.
Finca Resalso Tempranillo 2022, Ribera del Duero + Tapas small plates
Finca Resalso is Emilio Moro's entry-level Ribera — young, fruit-forward, with enough structure to cut through oil and charcuterie without overwhelming lighter bites. It's built for exactly this kind of grazing format, and at $10 a glass you can order a second without doing math.
🎲 The Bottom Line
Octapas is doing something genuinely interesting with wine in a city that doesn't always prioritize it — the list is small but intentional, the prices are fair, and the by-the-glass access to the whole list is exactly right for how you eat here. Send your adventurous friends; tell them to start with the orange wine.
Downtown · Olympia · Pacific Northwest brasserie / American
Cascadia Grill isn't a wine destination, but it's a fair and functional list that won't leave you feeling ripped off or bored — and in downtown Olympia, that's more than enough to earn a return visit. Take a Washington bottle, order the salmon, and enjoy the Bigfoot decor.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Westside / Capitol Mall · Olympia · Japanese Steakhouse and Sushi
Fujiyama is a fun night out — but the wine list is an obligation, not an attraction. Stick to sake or cocktails and save your wine curiosity for somewhere that returns the favor.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Percival Landing / Waterfront · Olympia · Seafood-focused American
Budd Bay Café is not a wine destination, but it's a perfectly functional place to drink a decent glass of Washington white while watching boats drift across Budd Inlet. Send your friends here for the view and the chowder — just steer them toward the Barnard Griffin and away from the Sutter Home.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Eastside · Olympia · Grocery café with mixed American and Asian options, plus full wine and beer retail
Ralph's Thriftway shouldn't be this good at wine, and that's exactly why it earns the Wild Card. If you're in Olympia and need a bottle — or ten — skip the chain stores and come here first.
Surprising Depth
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
Capitol Lake / Westside · Olympia · Wine Bar / Cocktail Lounge
Swing's upstairs lounge is the kind of place that surprises you — a Cayuse Cailloux and a Clos de Lambrays Grand Cru don't belong on a list this size in a city this small, and yet there they are. Markups push steep on the top shelf, but there's enough here to make it worth the trip if you know where to look.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Westside / Harrison · Olympia · American
Iron Rabbit isn't a wine destination, but it's a neighborhood bar that actually tried — and in Olympia's Westside, that matters. If you're already here for dinner, you'll drink well without a second thought.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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