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 →
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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.
Embarcadero · San Francisco · Seafood & Steak
Angler is the kind of place where the wine program won't embarrass you or surprise you — it's calibrated, competent, and priced for a room where a $200 bottle is a normal Tuesday. If you're chasing value, look elsewhere; if you're chasing a great bottle with great seafood on the water, this earns its seat.
Solid Range
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
· San Francisco · Mexican
Cantina Los Mayas has built something genuinely rare: an all-Mexican wine list with real depth, fair prices, and the conviction to stick to it. If you care even a little about discovering what Mexican wine actually tastes like, this is the place to do it.
Surprising Depth
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
San Francisco · San Francisco · Steakhouse
Izzy's is doing something quietly ambitious with a 20-bottle all-by-the-glass format that skews curious instead of predictable. If you're the person at the table who's bored by the standard steakhouse pour, this list has your back.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· San Francisco · Wine Bar & New American
Ungrafted is not for the indecisive or the wine-by-committee crowd — it's for people who want someone to just tell them what's good and trust that they've thought about it. Six bottles, confidently chosen, is a flex when it works, and here it mostly does.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Jackson Square · San Francisco · New American Tasting Menu
Trestle earns its reputation as a neighborhood gem for the food, and the wine list seems to hold up its end of the deal without trying too hard. We'd feel comfortable here on a date night — just go in ready to ask questions, because we can't promise the list will speak for itself.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Nob Hill / Van Ness Corridor · San Francisco · American Steakhouse
House of Prime Rib is one of San Francisco's great dining institutions and the wine list knows its assignment — California Cabs to drink with California beef, no fuss. It won't thrill anyone looking for adventure, but it won't embarrass anyone either, and for a night built around tableside carving and Yorkshire pudding, that's probably enough.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· San Diego · New American
Paradisaea's wine list punches well above what you'd expect from a San Diego New American — eclectic without being pretentious, fairly priced without being cheap. We'd send a wine-curious friend here and tell them to skip the obvious bottles and dig into the Italian section.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· San Jose · New American
Poppy & Claro's wine program exists to check a box, not to excite you. Unless Flowers Chardonnay by the bottle is exactly what you came for, the cocktail menu might be a better bet.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Honolulu · New American
Fête is quietly running one of the most interesting wine programs in the state of Hawaii, and most people eating there probably have no idea. If you care at all about what's in your glass, this is worth the trip.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
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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