South Beach Power Moves, Deep Cellar Included
Miami Beach · Miami Beach · Steak House · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 7, 2026
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Smith & Wollensky Miami Beach lands like a statement — thick, serious, and unapologetically California-forward. You're sitting on the water in South Beach, the room is buzzing, and the book in your hand has the weight of a small novel. This is a place that takes wine as seriously as it takes a dry-aged ribeye.
The 400-600 bottle list leans hard into the California-France-Italy triumvirate, and it does all three with conviction. On the California side, you've got the classics — Caymus, Silver Oak, Stag's Leap, Far Niente, Jordan, Duckhorn — the kind of roster a Prime cut deserves. France shows up with serious firepower: Château Margaux, Château Lynch-Bages, and even a Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Echezeaux for when someone at the table is feeling reckless. Italy rounds things out with Sassicaia and Tignanello anchoring the Super Tuscan section. Wine Spectator has handed this list a Best of Award of Excellence since 2023, and you can see why — there's genuine depth here, not just trophy bottles.
With 20-30 options by the glass, this isn't a token pour program — it's a real menu. The range covers enough ground that you can drink well from first sip to last without committing to a bottle, which matters when you're already staring down a three-figure steak. Rotation and quality appear well-managed under sommelier Henry Delgado, who keeps things moving.
Jordan Vineyard & Winery Cabernet Sauvignon — N/A — confirm current list price
Jordan punches above its price point in virtually every steakhouse context, and here it's the most approachable entry into serious Sonoma Cab without crossing into eye-watering territory. It's the move for the table that wants something impressive without going full Opus One.
Beringer Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
Most people at this table are ordering Silver Oak or Caymus on autopilot. The Beringer Private Reserve is consistently one of Napa's most underrated bottles — it's structured, age-worthy, and tends to get overshadowed by flashier names on lists like this one. That's your opening.
Caymus Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 2021
At $325 a bottle, Caymus is doing a lot of work on name recognition alone. It's a crowd-pleaser with a marketing budget, but at this price you can do significantly better elsewhere on this same list. The juice doesn't justify the markup when Jordan and Beringer are sitting right next to it.
Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon + Dry-Aged USDA Prime Bone-In Ribeye
Stag's Leap brings the structure and dark fruit that a bone-in ribeye demands, without the oak bomb that overwhelms the meat's natural character. The acidity cuts through the fat cleanly, and the finish is long enough to keep pace with every last bite.
Wednesday — Half-price wine night on Wednesdays — an excellent excuse to step up to bottles that would otherwise require a lengthy internal debate.
🔥 The Bottom Line
Smith & Wollensky Miami Beach earns its Best of Award of Excellence — this is a deep, well-managed list with a real sommelier and a Wednesday half-price program that makes serious bottles suddenly accessible. The markups on the trophy wines are steep, but if you know where to look, you can drink very well here.
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HaSalon is the last place you'd expect to find a serious Burgundy program, and that's exactly what makes it a Wild Card worth your time. Come for the dinner, stay for the dance party, and let Yoann Bagat point you toward something from the Côte d'Or you won't regret in the morning.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Miami Beach · Miami Beach · Seafood, Steakhouse
Papi Steak's wine list is built for the room — big, bold, and built to impress — and it does its job well enough to earn a Wine Spectator nod. Send a friend here if they love Cabernet, a good steak, and don't mind paying Miami prices for the privilege.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Miami Beach · Miami Beach · Italian
Macchialina is the rare Miami Beach restaurant where the wine list doesn't feel like an afterthought or a tourist trap — it's a focused, Italy-only program that rewards curious drinkers and won't empty your wallet before dessert. Send a friend here? Absolutely, but tell them to skip the Amarone.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Miami Beach · Miami Beach · Steak House
Prime 54 is the real deal — a cellar that earns the award on its wall, a sommelier who actually knows the list, and enough depth to reward repeat visits at multiple price points. Just go in with eyes open on the markup, pick your battles, and let Eugenia steer you past the obvious choices.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Miami Beach · Miami Beach · Japanese
Makoto is a genuinely surprising wine list hiding inside a beautiful Japanese restaurant by the ocean — the France and California depth is real, the Wednesday half-price night is a gift, and the Puligny from Leflaive alone is worth the detour. Just know that the markups climb fast once you move into trophy territory, and there's no dedicated sommelier to guide you through it.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Varietal Specific
Willing but Green
Occasional
Proper
Miami Beach · Miami Beach · Asian, Indian
JAYA is a serious wine destination wearing a beach hotel's clothes — the cellar is deep, the sommeliers know their stuff, and Wednesday half-price bottles make one of Miami Beach's best lists suddenly accessible. Markup is steep across the board, but if you pick smart, you'll drink very well here.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Active Program
Proper
Hartland · Hartland · Steak House
Palmer's is a reliable steakhouse wine list that delivers exactly what its suburban clientele wants — well-known California names, solid execution, and nothing too weird. If you're a wine adventurer, you'll want to temper expectations; if you're celebrating with a ribeye and a Jordan Cab, you'll leave satisfied.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Town Square · Jackson · Steak House
The Million Dollar Cowboy Steakhouse has a sommelier, a Wine Spectator credential, and a list that knows its audience — which is Jackson tourists who want great steak and great Napa Cab, full stop. Send a friend here if they want a proper California red with a serious piece of beef; just warn them to skip Opus One and let Jordan do the work.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Downtown Milwaukee · Milwaukee · Steak House
Ward's House of Prime is exactly what it says it is: a classic Milwaukee steakhouse with a wine list built to match big cuts of beef. The Wine Spectator Award of Excellence is well-earned, but don't come looking for adventure — come looking for a great California Cab and a slab of prime rib.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
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