Bellevue's Seafood Throne Has the Wine to Match
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.
· Bellevue · Italian
Angelo's built a short, focused, all-Italian by-the-glass list and priced it fairly — that's a genuinely uncommon combination in the suburbs. We don't have enough intel on the food menu or staff to give it a full Rager endorsement, but the wine program alone earns a detour. If you're eating Italian in Bellevue and want something better than the usual suspects, this list rewards the curious.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Old Bellevue · Bellevue · Wine Bar
Valentina's is a genuinely pleasant neighborhood wine bar that earns its place in Old Bellevue — it's not breaking ground, but it's doing the basics with intention. Send a friend here for a date night glass; just don't expect a rabbit hole of discovery.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Bellevue · American
13 Coins Bellevue earns its Wild Card badge by being a late-night diner that actually cares enough about wine to stock a geographically diverse list — not groundbreaking, but genuinely unexpected for the format. If Sunday happy hour is your move, this place becomes a legitimately fun spot to drink Washington wine over a Caesar salad at 11pm, which is a sentence we didn't think we'd be writing.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
Downtown Bellevue · Bellevue · Hotel Lounge
BBellevue is the rare hotel bar that makes a real effort with wine, and it shows in the curation — Pacific Northwest producers, an orange pét-nat, and a Nebbiolo that shouldn't be this affordable. Markups are steep in places and the list won't change your life, but for a lobby bar in Bellevue, this is genuinely worth a stop.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Bellevue · Brazilian Steakhouse
Novilhos isn't a wine destination, but it's a fair, functional list that respects your wallet and doesn't embarrass itself next to the meat. Order the Rioja, finish with Port, and let the churrasco do the heavy lifting.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Bellevue · Steakhouse
STK Bellevue is a reliable place to drink wine you already know at prices you'd rather not think about. If you're entertaining clients or celebrating something and need a list that won't confuse anyone, it gets the job done — just don't come here looking for discovery.
Crowd Pleasers
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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