Downtown Bakersfield's Honest, No-Fuss Pour
Downtown · Bakersfield · American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed June 23, 2026
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at The 18hundred is short, California-forward, and refreshingly unpretentious — exactly what you'd expect from a downtown craft bar that cares more about feeding you well than impressing you with obscure Burgundy producers. At $7–$10 a glass, the pricing alone makes you want to order a second round before you've finished the first. This isn't a destination wine list, but it's honest, and in Bakersfield, that counts for a lot.
The list runs 25–40 bottles deep and leans hard on California — Three Thieves, Cline, Vina Robles, and Chamisal Vineyards all make appearances, with Paso Robles and Lodi getting the most love. There's no real old-world presence here, no adventurous skin-contact stuff, no obscure Rhône varieties — just approachable, crowd-friendly California juice served without pretense. The Chamisal Vineyards Chardonnay is the one bottle that punches above the list's weight class, offering genuine Edna Valley quality in a sea of reliable-but-basic pours. Gaps in Pinot Noir depth and zero international representation keep this from being anything more than a solid neighborhood list.
There are 8–12 pours available by the glass, which is a respectable spread for a casual bar-restaurant of this size. The glass program covers the basics — Cabernet, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and at least one Zinfandel that reviewers have flagged as a pleasant surprise. Rotation doesn't appear to happen much, so what you see is what you get, but at these prices, you're not exactly taking a risk.
Vina Robles Chardonnay — $10/glass
A Paso Robles Chardonnay retailing around $15 served by the glass for $10 — that's a markup so fair it almost feels accidental. A solid pour at a price that makes ordering a second glass a no-brainer.
Chamisal Vineyards Chardonnay
At $30 a bottle, this Edna Valley Chardonnay retails for $17 — yes, the bottle markup is steeper in relative terms, but Chamisal is a genuinely quality producer that most people at a casual downtown spot will walk right past. Don't. It's the best thing on the bottle list.
Three Thieves Cabernet Sauvignon
Three Thieves is a perfectly fine jug-wine brand, but it's the kind of Cabernet you can grab at a gas station in a Tetra Pak. There's better on this list for the same money — spend the $10 somewhere else.
Unnamed Zinfandel (by the glass) + Grass-fed Angus Beef Burger
California Zinfandel and a juicy grass-fed beef burger is a no-brainer match — the wine's fruit-forward boldness and peppery backbone cut right through the fat and stand up to the char. It's the most satisfying $7–$10 decision you'll make all night.
✔️ The Bottom Line
The 18hundred won't blow any wine lovers' minds, but it treats its guests fairly — honest California pours at prices that don't make you wince, in a casual downtown spot that gets the basics right. If you're eating here, order the Chamisal, skip the Three Thieves, and enjoy the fact that your wine bill won't hurt tomorrow.
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