Sherry and half-price bottles in a nautical hideout
Downtown · Bellingham · Nautical-themed American contemporary / comfort food · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 10, 2026
RagingWine reviewed The Admiralty Lounge’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Tucked next to the Mt. Baker Theatre in downtown Bellingham, The Admiralty Lounge hits you first as a cocktail bar that remembered wine exists — and then surprises you. The list is short, but it's curated with enough intention that it doesn't feel like an afterthought. Pacific Northwest roots, a French sparkling option, and actual Sherry on the menu? Someone here is paying attention.
The list leans small — we're talking a focused by-the-glass program with a Pacific Northwest backbone anchored by Illahe Vineyards out of Oregon. California gets a seat at the table via Jupiter Wine Co., and France chips in with Maison Moillard NV sparkling. It's not deep, and you won't find a serious Burgundy or an aged Rioja lurking anywhere. But the inclusion of fortified wines — Blanco, Roja, and Fino Sherry — is genuinely unexpected for a comfort-food lounge in Bellingham and earns real credit.
Eight to ten options by the glass in the $11–$15 range is a respectable spread for a bar of this size and vibe. Nothing here is going to blow your mind, but the pricing is honest and the selection covers the bases — white, sparkling, and a regional Oregon anchor. Rotation frequency is unclear, which keeps this from being a true by-the-glass hero.
Illahe Vineyards NV, Oregon — $13
Illahe is a legitimately good Oregon producer doing estate work in the Willamette Valley. Finding them by the glass at a nautical lounge bar in Bellingham at this price point is a win — order this before the cocktail crowd discovers it.
Fino Sherry
Most people at a bar like this are ordering a whiskey sour or a craft cocktail with a rum name. But a crisp, bone-dry Fino Sherry at $10 during happy hour is one of the best food-and-drink plays in the building — especially alongside anything salty or briny on the snack menu. Almost nobody orders it. That's their loss.
Maison Moillard NV, France
Maison Moillard is a high-volume Burgundy négociant that shows up everywhere and impresses almost nobody. As the lone French sparkling/white option here, it's doing a job, but it's not a wine worth seeking out. Save your glass pour for something with more regional soul.
Illahe Vineyards NV, Oregon + Elevated bar snacks and small plates
Oregon white wines tend to have enough acid and restraint to cut through rich, comfort-forward bites without overwhelming them. Illahe's house style plays well against anything creamy, savory, or cheese-adjacent on the rotating small plates menu — it's a clean, versatile pour that won't fight the food.
Happy Hour — All wine bottles half price during happy hour; fortified wines (Blanco, Roja, or Fino Sherry) available at $10 flat.
The Bottom Line
The Admiralty Lounge isn't a wine destination, but it's doing more with a short list than most bars in its class — half-price bottles at happy hour and actual Sherry on the menu are the kind of moves that earn goodwill. Come for the cocktails, stay for the Fino.
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