Bellevue's Seafood Throne Has the Wine to Match
Bellevue · Bellevue · Regional Seafood · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 9, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Seastar Restaurant & Raw Bar’s wine list and gave it The Rager — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Seastar lands with the kind of confidence you'd expect from a restaurant that's held a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence since 2006 — and hasn't gotten lazy about it. Four sommeliers on staff, 400-600 bottles deep, and a Monday half-price wine night that actually gives you a reason to show up mid-week. This is a serious program wearing a seafood bib.
California is the clear anchor here — Kistler, Far Niente, Caymus, Flowers, and Duckhorn all make appearances — but the list doesn't stop at the state line. Burgundy gets real attention with Louis Jadot and Domaine Leflaive's Puligny-Montrachet, Bordeaux checks in with Chateau Lynch-Bages and even a Chateau Margaux for the occasion-drinkers, and Champagne is handled properly with Veuve Clicquot holding down the bubbly column. The Domaine Weinbach Alsace Riesling is a quietly inspired pick for a seafood-forward menu — it shows someone here is actually thinking about what's on the plate. Where the list plays it a little safe is in the southern hemisphere and natural wine space, which is essentially absent.
Twenty to thirty-five by-the-glass options at $12–$22 is a legitimate pour program, not just a token gesture. The range covers enough ground that you can drink well whether you're settling in for a full raw bar spread or just grabbing a quick glass at the bar. We'd like to see more rotation and a few more adventurous picks in the glass lineup, but the depth is there.
Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs 2020 — $85
Schramsberg is one of California's most consistent sparkling producers, and at $85 it's the most approachable entry into the celebratory tier on this list. Order it with oysters before your entree arrives and you'll spend the rest of dinner trying to justify a second bottle.
Domaine Weinbach Alsace Riesling
Most tables at Seastar are going to reach for a Chardonnay or a Pinot Noir, which means this Alsatian Riesling from one of the region's benchmark producers is flying under the radar. It's textured, dry, and built for Pacific Northwest seafood in a way that most California whites simply aren't. The people ordering it know something the rest of the room doesn't.
Opus One 2019
At $525, you're paying a premium that has more to do with brand recognition than what's in your glass relative to other options on this list. Opus One is never a bad wine, but in a seafood-forward restaurant, it's an awkward fit — and the markup leaves little room to feel good about it. Save that spend for a return trip on a Monday.
Domaine Drouhin Oregon Pinot Noir 2020 + Cedar Plank Salmon
Drouhin's Oregon Pinot has the bright acidity and restrained fruit to stand up to the smokiness of the cedar plank without trampling the salmon itself. It's a Pacific Northwest handshake on the plate and in the glass, and at $95 it's one of the more honest prices on the list.
Monday — Half-price wine night every Monday — the single best reason to rearrange your week.
🔥 The Bottom Line
Seastar is the kind of wine program that earns its reputation rather than coasting on it — four sommeliers, a deep cellar, and a Monday half-price night make this one of the better reasons to drink well east of Seattle. Markups trend steep at the top end, but the list is curated with enough care that you'll find your spot in it.
Old Bellevue · Bellevue · Southern Italian
Carmine's is a dependable wine experience in a room that earns it — the Italian backbone is solid, the Marc Hébrart alone proves someone cared when building this list, and 13 by-the-glass options gives you real choices. Just mind the markups and steer away from the California name-drops.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Redmond Town Center · Bellevue · Steakhouse and Seafood
Matts' isn't a wine destination, but it's not pretending to be one either. The Pacific Northwest focus is smart, the by-the-glass picks punch above the room's casual energy, and $9 oyster bar pours during happy hour is a deal worth showing up for.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
Bellefield Office Park Area · Bellevue · Upscale American Steakhouse
Ruth's Chris Bellevue is a reliable machine for a certain kind of corporate dinner — but the wine list is a profit center dressed up as a wine program, and the markups make that clear. Order the Belle Glos, catch Ruth's Hour if you can, and save the serious wine drinking for somewhere that actually cares.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
Bellevue Square · Bellevue · Asian, Chinese-inspired
On a Wednesday, P.F. Chang's Bellevue is legitimately worth pulling up a chair for wine — half-price bottles with recognizable labels is a deal you won't find at most actual wine bars. Any other night, the list is competent but overpriced for what it is, and you'd be better off sticking to the cocktails.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Active Program
Acceptable
Lincoln Square · Bellevue · American, Global/International, Seafood
Earls Bellevue isn't going to wow any wine nerds, but it's a genuinely solid operation for what it is — fair prices, a few legitimately good bottles, and one of the best mid-week deals in Bellevue if you time your visit right. Come on a Tuesday or Wednesday and grab the Lingua Franca at half price; you'll leave happy.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
Old Bellevue · Bellevue · Contemporary Vietnamese
Monsoon Bellevue earns its Wild Card status: a focused Pacific Northwest wine list in a Vietnamese restaurant context is a genuinely smart move, and Wednesday half-price bottles make this one of the better midweek wine deals in Old Bellevue. Show up on a Wednesday, order the Pinot, and let the kitchen do the rest.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
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