Beach bar wine that won't embarrass you
Perry Mill Wharf / Lower Thames · Newport · Casual American bar food and pizza · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 24, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Surf Club’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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Wingman Metrics
Eleven bottles, eleven by-the-glass options — they've committed to a fully by-the-glass program, which is exactly what a laid-back Thames Street bar should do. Nobody's coming here to crack open a vertical of Barolo, and Surf Club knows it. The list is short, unpretentious, and priced to move.
This is a crowd-pleaser list with a few quietly interesting choices hiding in plain sight. You've got your Italian stalwarts (Voga Pinot Grigio, La Marca Prosecco), your French basics (La Poule Blanche Sauv Blanc, The Pale Rosé), and a California contingent anchored by Wente Chardonnay and J. Lohr Hilltop Cab. What breaks the monotony is Stolpman's Sauvignon Blanc from Ballard Canyon — a producer doing serious work — and the Vajra Rosabella Rosé out of Piedmont, which is a genuinely thoughtful pick for a pizza-and-wings spot. The list won't win awards for depth, but it covers the bases without insulting anyone.
Everything on the bottle list is available by the glass, which is a win for tables that can't agree on a direction. Prices run $10–$14, which is very reasonable for Newport's tourist-heavy waterfront corridor. No obvious rotation or seasonal program — this list feels like it was set and left alone, but what's here is poured at honest prices.
Vajra Rosabella Rosé — $12/glass
G.D. Vajra is a legitimate Piedmont producer making serious Barolo and Barbera — this rosé is their casual sipper, and it's vastly more interesting than the generic Provence rosés clogging every other Newport menu. At $12 a glass next to a wood-fired pizza, it's a no-brainer.
Stolpman Sauvignon Blanc
Stolpman is a Ballard Canyon name that wine people recognize immediately and everyone else walks right past. Their SB is brighter and more structured than your typical California SB — at $14/glass it's the most interesting pour on the list and nobody at the next table is ordering it.
Wycliff Sparkling Rosé
Wycliff is a budget California sparkling brand built for grocery store shelves. At $10/glass it's not egregiously priced, but with a bottle of La Marca Prosecco or even the Lambrusco available, there's no reason to settle for this one.
Lambrusco Chilled Bubbly Red + Chicken wings
Chilled, slightly fizzy, a little fruit-forward — Lambrusco cuts through fatty fried wings better than almost anything else on this list. It's also fun, which matches the Surf Club energy exactly.
✔️ The Bottom Line
Surf Club isn't a wine destination, but it's a fair, unpretentious bar list with a couple of genuinely good picks tucked in. Order the Stolpman, grab a slice, and enjoy the lawn. That's the move.
Outskirts / North End · Newport · Farm-to-Table / Winery Restaurant
Brix isn't trying to be a destination wine list — it's trying to be a great ambassador for one vineyard's work, and it mostly succeeds. Send your curious friends here; send your Burgundy obsessives somewhere else.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Lower Thames · Newport · Farm-to-Table / New American
TSK is quietly one of the better wine lists in Newport, which is a town that doesn't exactly set a high bar — but this one would hold its own in most cities. If you're eating farm-to-table food and want a bottle that actually matches the kitchen's ethos, this is your spot.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Lower Thames / Residential Edge · Newport · Classic Italian
Mamma Luisa isn't a wine destination, but it's a solid, honest Italian list that does right by the food coming out of the kitchen. Send a friend here for a bottle of Barbera and a bowl of homemade pasta and they'll thank you.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Lower Thames · Newport · Italian (Apulian/Seafood-Focused)
Vieste isn't a destination wine list, but it's a genuinely honest one — a small, region-focused selection that actually matches the food and the room. Send a friend here if they're curious about Southern Italian grapes and tired of the same ten wines on every Newport menu.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown / Bannister's Wharf Area · Newport · New American small plates with Mediterranean and raw bar focus
Stoneacre Garden punches above its weight for a patio bar on the Newport waterfront — it's not a destination wine list, but it's a thoughtful one built around the food, and that's rarer than it should be. If you're here for oysters and small plates, you'll drink well without overthinking it.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Bowen's Wharf · Newport · Seafood
The Lobster Bar isn't a wine destination, but it's a perfectly competent list for what the restaurant is — a casual waterfront spot where the lobster is the star. Order the Sancerre, eat the oysters, watch the boats.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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