Coastal Concept, Chain-Hotel Wine Execution
Park Avenue · Rochester · Seafood · Visit Website ↗
Updated October 2026
Reviewed April 8, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed Sea’s wine list and gave it The Lazy List — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Sea looks the part — upscale seafood room on Park Ave, menu full of oysters and whole fish — and then you open the wine list and watch the illusion crack. There are some genuinely interesting coastal whites lurking in here, but they're buried under a pile of recognizable labels that scream 'we ordered from the Sysco wine catalog.' The pricing makes it worse.
To be fair, whoever built this list knew what a seafood restaurant should be drinking: Muscadet Sèvre et Maine, Sancerre, Albariño, and Merry Edwards Sauvignon Blanc are all legitimate calls that show some actual thought. The problem is that the rest of the list reads like a greatest-hits of American supermarket wine — Meiomi, Kim Crawford, Duckhorn, La Crema — with markups that feel like a toll road. The Loire and Galicia picks hint at a wine program that could be genuinely compelling, but it never fully commits to that identity. You get the impression someone made a few smart buys and then filled the rest of the card on autopilot.
By-the-glass options clock in somewhere between 8 and 14 pours, which is a respectable count for Rochester. If the Muscadet or Albariño make it onto the glass list, that's your move — easy, correct, cheap to produce. But there's no evidence of active rotation or a seasonal program, so what you see today is probably what you'll see in six months.
Muscadet Sèvre et Maine — N/A
No bottle price confirmed in the data, but Muscadet is almost always the best value call at a seafood-focused list — it's inexpensive to buy, historically undermarked, and it's basically made for oysters and light fish. Order this over anything Californian on this card.
Albariño
Most tables at a place like this reach for the Sancerre because it's a name they recognize. The Albariño — assuming it's a decent Galician producer — is doing the same job at a lower profile and likely a lower price point. Saline, citrusy, built for shellfish. Skip the crowd and grab this.
Meiomi Pinot Noir 2022
At $58 a bottle, you're paying nearly three times retail for a wine that costs $22 at any grocery store in America. Meiomi is a fine Tuesday-night couch wine, but it has no business on a seafood list at this price. There is no version of this that makes sense.
Merry Edwards Sauvignon Blanc + Pan-seared scallops
Merry Edwards Russian River Sauvignon Blanc has enough texture and citrus weight to stand up to the butter and caramelization on a seared scallop without bulldozing the sweetness of the shellfish. It's the most interesting bottle on the list and this is exactly the dish to drink it with.
The Bottom Line
Sea has the bones of a wine list worth respecting — a few smart coastal picks that actually match the food — but the rest of the card is overpriced crowd-pleasers that suggest the wine program is an afterthought. Come for the seafood, order the Muscadet or Albariño, and don't touch the California reds.
Downtown · Rochester · Spanish & Mediterranean
A list of 14 wines posted with paired, unlabeled numbers and 14 bottles from $40 to $100, two of them from the Finger Lakes. Start with the Columna Albariño alongside the patatas bravas, or order the $40 Mille Reves Vouvray if you want a bottle for the table, and ask what the paired numbers in the Wine section stand for. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Park Ave · Rochester · Gastro-pub
A short, familiar 11-wine list for a gastro pub, with every price between $10 and $13 and no unit posted. Pair the Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling or The Show Malbec with the Jumbo Chicken Wings, and ask whether those prices are per glass. This unrated guide covers the posted drinks selection, not service, storage or markups.
South Wedge · Rochester · Italian
A one-page, Italy-first list of 31 wines where the two-price house pours run $10 to $12 and $36 to $42, and the top price is $90 for The Prisoner Cabernet. Start with the $40 Brancher Valdobbiadene Prosecco, and ask which price on the slash entries is the pour. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups, and the list is undated.
Woodcliff Hotel & Spa · Rochester · New American
A broad online list with a real Finger Lakes section and a few friendly glass pours. Order the $10 Hahn Pinot Noir or the $15 Apollo's Praise Scheurebe by the glass, or pick a New York bottle like the $35 Thirsty Owl Dry Riesling, and confirm current prices because the list is a live online menu. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Pittsford / Monroe Ave Corridor · Rochester · Upscale Steakhouse and Seafood
A steakhouse list built on familiar names, with a few surprises like a Finger Lakes Riesling, and no prices posted online. Order the 14 oz ribeye with the Jordan Cabernet from the Coravin list, or open with the Riesling, and ask for prices before you order. This unrated guide covers the posted wine program, not service, storage or retail markups.
Pittsford Plaza · Rochester · Sushi and Japanese-inspired contemporary dining
Start with the $15 glass of Bandol rosé or Green Rows Pinot Noir, and keep the $55 Green Rows bottle in mind if the table wants red. Confirm current availability and prices, since the menu is stamped 8-14-26. This unrated guide covers the posted drinks selection, not service, storage or markups.
· Flowery Branch · Seafood
Fish Tales is on Lake Lanier, which should be a natural setting for a thoughtful selection of cold, crisp whites. Instead, the wine program is a single bottle of heavily buttered California Chardonnay. We'd recommend sticking to whatever's on tap and revisiting the wine situation if anything changes.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
MIA
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Perimeter Center · Dunwoody · Seafood
Louisiana Bistreaux is genuinely worth visiting for the food — the seafood is the draw, full stop. But if wine is part of your evening, don't come here expecting the list to match the kitchen's ambition. Order the crawfish ravioli, get a cocktail or a cold beer, and save the wine exploration for somewhere that's put in the work.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Cartersville · Seafood
Maine Street Coastal Cuisine is a seafood spot that doesn't take wine seriously, and the five-label, all-$7, no-producer list makes that clear without apology. If you're here for the food, drink the cocktails or crack a beer — the wine list isn't worth the conversation.
Grocery Store
Fair
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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