Three Stars, Three Thousand Bottles, Zero Apologies
Jackson Square · San Francisco · Californian, Italian · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 7, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Quince’s wine list and gave it The Rager — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Quince lands on your table like a small encyclopedia — 2,500 to 3,500 selections deep, organized with the kind of precision that tells you someone here takes this very seriously. It's the sort of list where you flip to Burgundy and immediately feel both thrilled and humbled. This is not a place where you're handed six options and a house Chardonnay.
France is the undisputed anchor here: Champagne runs from Krug to Salon Blanc de Blancs, Burgundy goes all the way up to Domaine de la Romanée-Conti and Henri Jayer, and the Loire gets a proper nod with Didier Dagueneau Pouilly-Fumé and Raveneau Chablis. Italy holds its own — Giacomo Conterno Barolo and Gaja Barbaresco signal that Tuscany and Piedmont are taken seriously, not just sprinkled in as decoration. California earns its place too, with Ridge Monte Bello and Screaming Eagle representing opposite ends of the style spectrum. The one gap worth noting: if you want something offbeat or lo-fi, this list isn't chasing that crowd.
With 12 to 20 pours available on any given night, the by-the-glass program is more thoughtful than most places at this level bother to be — at a three-star tasting menu restaurant, the bottle is usually the assumed destination. Expect the pours to skew classical: think Burgundy, Champagne, and northern Italian whites that track with whatever Chef Tusk is running through the kitchen. Pricing by the glass won't be casual, but you're not here for casual.
Leroy Bourgogne — $80
In the context of this list, entry-level Leroy is the move for someone who wants a taste of one of Burgundy's most iconic domaines without committing to a four-figure outlay. It drinks above its appellation label every single time.
Château Rayas Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Most eyes on this list go straight to Burgundy or Bordeaux, which means Rayas often gets overlooked. That's a mistake — this is one of the most singular wines in the Rhône, made almost entirely from old-vine Grenache on sandy soils, and it shows up here in the shadow of bigger names. Order it before someone else at your table figures it out.
Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon
The wine is technically brilliant, but at whatever eye-watering markup a three-star restaurant puts on it, you're paying as much for the label as the liquid. There are deeper, more interesting California choices on this list — Screaming Eagle is a flex bottle, not a discovery.
Rousseau Gevrey-Chambertin + Sonoma duck with foie gras
Rousseau's Gevrey is structured enough to cut through the richness of duck fat and foie gras, but the red fruit and earthy depth keep the conversation going through every bite. It's the kind of match that makes the tasting menu format make sense.
The Bottom Line
Quince is the rare restaurant where the wine list genuinely matches the ambition of the kitchen — a Best of Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator only confirms what the list itself announces on page one. Yes, you'll spend real money here, but you're getting access to bottles that don't show up at dinner tables very often.
Embarcadero · San Francisco · Peruvian Seafood
La Mar is a great dinner — the ceviche alone is worth the trip — but the wine list is along for the ride rather than driving it. Order something crisp and cold, enjoy the view, and don't overthink it.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Union Square · San Francisco · American
The Rotunda is a lunch experience first and a wine destination a distant second — the list is safe, the markup is real, and you're largely paying for the address and the atmosphere. Come for the crab salad and the occasion, order something bubbly, and don't go in expecting a serious wine program.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
San Francisco · San Francisco · Wine bar & bottle shop
Bodega SF is what happens when someone actually gives a damn about the list instead of just checking a box. Twenty-six bottles, almost all pourable by the glass, priced fairly, and built around grapes most wine bars wouldn't dare touch — send your adventurous friends here and tell them to skip the safe picks.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
San Francisco · San Francisco · Wine bar
Fig & Thistle is for people who trust a short menu built by someone with a point of view — thirteen bottles, all pouring, all worth talking about. If you need a fallback Cab or a recognizable label to feel safe, this isn't your spot. If you don't, this absolutely is.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
San Francisco · San Francisco · Steakhouse
STK San Francisco has the bones of a wine program and the ambition of a hotel minibar. With only three by-the-glass pours, a list built entirely around safe brand names, and steep markups baked into the concept, this is a place to order a cocktail or splurge on a specific bottle you already know you want.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· San Francisco · Wine Tavern
Big Finish is doing something genuinely different — an all-glass list built around obscure varietals, serious fortified wine, and pricing that doesn't punish curiosity. Send anyone here who wants to drink something they've never tried before and walk away feeling like they learned something.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Jackson · Jackson · Californian, Italian
Bravo has held a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence since 1997, and you can feel that institutional steadiness in a list that doesn't overreach but doesn't disappoint. If you're in Jackson and want a solid California-forward bottle with dinner, this is your spot.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
St. Helena · St. Helena · Californian, Italian
Cook St. Helena is exactly what a neighborhood wine list in wine country should be — focused, local-proud, and built to drink well with food. It's not the most adventurous list in the valley, but it earns its Award of Excellence by doing the basics right, consistently.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
Santa Monica · Santa Monica · Californian, Italian
1Pico is a genuinely pleasant place to drink wine, especially if California and France are your comfort zone and the Pacific Ocean is your preferred backdrop. The markups keep it from being a destination list, but the bones are solid enough that a knowledgeable friend would send you here without apology.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
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