SF's Most Adventurous List You Haven't Found Yet
Western Addition · San Francisco · New American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · August 16, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Progress’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Progress reads like it was built by someone who actually drinks wine for fun — not to impress a Michelin inspector. Furmint from Somló, Grignolino from Piedmont, a Sacramento Delta Blanc de Noirs — this thing zigs where every other SF list zags. You flip through it and immediately start making a shortlist.
Fifty-seven labels sounds modest until you realize how many of them you've never seen on a restaurant list before. The whites lean heavily European and curious — a Zahel Orangetraube out of Vienna, Willems-Willems Riesling Kabinett from the Saar, Arnaud Lambert Cab Franc from Saumur — with strong California representation that avoids the usual suspects. Reds follow the same logic: Palmento Costanzo Nerello Mascalese from Etna, a Gian Luca Colombo Pinot Noir from Langhe (not the Côte d'Or, and that's the point), and a collaborative Atomic Workshop x Bedrock Zinfandel that signals the team has a sense of humor about California's most misunderstood grape. The only real gap is depth at the top end — the list maxes out around $600 and doesn't dwell there long, which honestly feels like a feature, not a bug.
Twenty-seven by-the-glass options is genuinely impressive — that's nearly half the list poured by the stem, which means you can graze your way through a meal without committing to a bottle. The glass program spans sparkling, white, skin-contact, rosé, and red, with pours starting around $16 and climbing to $90. Maculan Torcolato Passito by the glass at $20 is a closer that actually closes.
Atomic Workshop x Bedrock Wine Co Zinfandel, Sonoma County, California 2024 — $80
Bedrock is one of California's most serious Zin producers, and a collaboration bottle at $80 on a restaurant list is a genuine deal. This would retail for $35-45, so you're not getting gouged — and you're drinking something with actual provenance.
Kolonics Furmint, Somló, Hungary 2022
Most people walk right past Furmint on a list because they don't know what it is — and that's exactly why you should order it. Somló is one of Hungary's most volcanic, mineral-driven appellations, and at $80 you're getting a white wine experience that tastes like nowhere else on Earth.
Lelarge-Pugeot Extra-Brut Les Vignes de Gueux, Champagne, France 2016
Great grower Champagne, genuinely. But at $175 a bottle, you're paying full freight for a label that most diners won't recognize — and the list has more interesting bets at lower prices. Save the Champagne budget for a wine shop.
Arnaud Lambert Cabernet Franc Clos Mazurique, Saumur, Loire Valley, France 2024 + Roasted chicken or pork preparation
Loire Cab Franc at this level is all about herbaceous lift and cool-climate red fruit — it cuts through rich roasted proteins without overwhelming them, and the earthy, slightly chalky finish gives you something to think about between bites.
The Bottom Line
Progress isn't trying to be the biggest wine list in San Francisco — it's trying to be the most interesting one, and it largely succeeds. If you want Napa Cab and familiar labels, go somewhere else; if you want to drink Grignolino and Furmint with dinner and feel genuinely good about the prices, this is your room.
· 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
· 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
Cow Hollow · San Francisco · French tasting menu
Bar Crenn earns its Wild Card badge not because it's a dive with a surprise cellar, but because a French wine-bar concept inside one of San Francisco's most celebrated dining empires is genuinely unexpected — and by all accounts, it delivers. We can't give you the full pick-card breakdown until the list is sourced, but the setting, the food credentials, and the French-leaning program are enough to tell you this is worth a reservation. Just go in knowing wine is part of the experience here, not a sideline.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
· San Jose · New American
Orchard City Kitchen's all-glass wine program is a smart move that forces the list to work harder — and mostly it does. The selection punches above its weight with picks from Talley, August West, Tablas Creek, and J. Lassalle sharing space with genuinely interesting European pours. If you're in San Jose and want to drink something more interesting than the usual Cab-or-Chardonnay binary, this list gives you real options.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· San Jose · New American
Blossom & Bourbon's wine list is built for the broadest possible audience, and it delivers exactly that — comfortable, recognizable, inoffensive. If you're with a group and someone just wants a glass of Belle Glos Pinot Noir, this works. But there's little here that will surprise you or make you feel like the restaurant is working on your behalf as a wine drinker. Order the Pedroncelli Zinfandel if it's on the table, and temper expectations on value.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· San Jose · New American
Selby's has one of the most ambitious by-the-glass programs in the South Bay — the Coravin reserve access alone puts it in a different tier from most of its peers. Pricing stretches steep at the top end, and we can't speak to service or staff knowledge from what we've seen, but the list itself is the work of someone who cares. If wine matters to your dinner, this belongs on your list.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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