Hawaii's Most Serious Wine Program, Full Stop
· Honolulu · Tasting Menu · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · October 3, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Senia’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Senia doesn't announce itself as a wine destination — it announces itself as a restaurant that takes everything seriously, and the wine list follows accordingly. The focus leans Old World, with Burgundy and the Northern Rhône getting real attention rather than token placement. For Honolulu, that alone is a statement.
The program has a clear point of view: France first, with Burgundy and Northern Rhône as the anchors. That kind of editorial restraint is either confident or limiting depending on your palate, but at Senia it reads as confident — a sommelier made real choices here rather than building a menu to please everyone. We don't have the full list in front of us, but the regional focus suggests depth over breadth, which we generally respect more than a 200-bottle parade with no soul. New World drinkers may find their options narrower than expected, but that's the trade-off when a kitchen and cellar are working in the same direction.
By-the-glass details aren't publicly listed, so we can't tell you exactly what's pouring tonight — but a sommelier-run program with this kind of focus typically keeps the BTG selection tight and intentional. What we do know: Wednesday is the night to come if you want to explore with less financial commitment.
Wednesday — Selected bottles priced at $65 and under are half price, hand-picked by the sommelier. Includes a special tasting flight showcasing different wine perspectives.
The Bottom Line
Senia's wine program is one of the more thoughtful in the state — sommelier on staff, an Old World-focused list, and a Wednesday night deal where bottles at $65 and under get cut in half plus a tasting flight. If you're serious about what's in your glass, this is where you go in Honolulu. Book a Wednesday if you can.
Waikiki · Honolulu · Seafood
Azure is a genuinely lovely place to drink wine — the setting does a lot of heavy lifting and the France-Italy-Hawaii focus is a sensible match for the island seafood menu. Just go in knowing resort markup is real, and if the tasting menu with wine pairing is available, that's likely your best shot at getting something memorable poured without having to guess blind from the list.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Honolulu · Italian-American
53 By The Sea plays an interesting game: a short, all-glass list that punches well above its weight in the mid-range, anchored by a custom Failla Pinot and some genuinely thoughtful picks from Austria and southern Italy. Markups lean steep, especially as you climb the tiers, and the absence of bottle service means you're always buying by the glass. But if you stick to the $12–$31 range, this is one of the more curated pours you'll find in Honolulu — and that Grüner alone is worth the visit.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Honolulu · Steakhouse
The Capital Grille Hawaii's wine list does what the brand does everywhere — it's safe, corporate, and priced to capture resort-market margins. The Champagne selection is genuinely deep and includes some worthwhile picks like the Paul Bara and the Llopart Cava, but markups are steep and there's little here to excite anyone looking beyond the obvious. If you're here for a steak and want bubbles, you'll find something that works — just don't expect the list to dazzle you.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Waikiki · Honolulu · Steakhouse
BLT Steak Waikiki is a competent, crowd-pleasing steakhouse wine list in a setting where you're mostly paying for the view and the popovers. If wine is central to your evening, call ahead and ask what's actually open — the list's documented depth isn't enough to guarantee a great bottle without some homework. Come for the porterhouse, manage your wine expectations.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Honolulu · Hawaii Regional
Mud Hen Water's wine list is small, smart, and priced without the island markup you'd expect. It won't overwhelm you with options, but the options it has are well-chosen — and the ability to glass-pour every single bottle means you can explore freely. If you're eating there, skip the default and work through the whites.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Honolulu · Vietnamese
The Pig and the Lady is running one of the most thoughtful small wine lists in Honolulu, and the fact that it's attached to a Vietnamese restaurant makes it even more interesting. If you show up expecting a standard Southeast Asian wine afterthought and find Domaine Huet Chenin Blanc and a Hungarian pet-nat, you should probably order both. This is the Wild Card badge in its purest form — surprising, intentional, and worth your attention.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Sandy Springs · Sandy Springs · Tasting Menu
Bacchanalia's wine program is doing something genuinely difficult: running a 35-option by-the-glass list with real range and intention inside a tasting menu format, priced at levels that don't feel punitive. The $20 Raventos and the $24 Carl Loewen Riesling are the kind of pours that make you trust the people who built this list. If you're eating in Atlanta and care about what's in your glass, this is the room.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Seasonal Rotation
Proper
Carlsbad · San Diego · Tasting Menu
Lilo is the kind of place that earns a Wild Card badge not because it's rough around the edges, but because nobody expects to find this level of polish — Michelin star included — in Carlsbad. The France-and-Champagne wine focus is a smart, committed match for the seafood tasting menu, and the intimate counter format means you're likely getting attentive, knowledgeable service on the wine side. We'd recommend calling ahead if you want to explore outside the pairing format, but if you're going for the full experience, lean into the Champagne and don't look back.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Buford Highway Corridor (Chamblee) · Atlanta · Tasting Menu
The Alden pairs a $175 seven-course tasting menu with a $95 wine journey through Slovenia, Portugal, the Loire, and beyond. Michelin-recommended and unlike anything else on the Buford Highway corridor.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Seasonal Rotation
Proper
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