Seafood House That Actually Gets Wine
· Tacoma · Seafood · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · September 3, 2026
RagingWine reviewed The Lobster Shop’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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Wingman Metrics
Seventeen wines, all by the glass — no bottles-only gatekeeping, no intimidating list to decode. For a waterfront seafood spot in Tacoma, this is not what you expect, and that's a compliment. Someone here put actual thought into this.
The list is compact but punches above its weight class. Whites dominate, which makes total sense for a seafood menu — you've got a Petit Chablis from Domaine Louis Moreau, an Alsatian Gewürztraminer from Dopff & Irion, and a Viognier from Isenhower Cellars all sharing space with Pacific Northwest workhorses like Seven Hills Pinot Gris and Walla Walla Vintners Sauvignon Blanc. Reds are clearly an afterthought — a Gamay from Chénas, Vietti Barbera, a Malbec, and an Amavi Cab — but at least they picked interesting ones instead of defaulting to a generic Napa Cab and calling it a day. The sparkling category earns points for including Schramsberg Mirabelle alongside the more casual Bisol Jeio and a funky Frappato Spumante Rosé from Santa Tresa.
Every single wine on the list is available by the glass, which is rare and genuinely useful when you want to drink white through your lobster and something lighter with dessert. Prices run $12 to $19, which is honest money for Tacoma. The range is weighted toward whites and sparklers — exactly where a seafood restaurant should be spending its energy.
Vietti Barbera D'Asti 2023 — $13/glass
Vietti is a serious Piedmont producer making wine that sells for multiples of this at retail. Getting a glass of their Barbera for $13 at a seafood restaurant is a quiet steal — earthy, bright acidity, goes with anything on the menu.
Les Caves du Prieuré Gamay Noir Chénas 2022
Chénas is one of Beaujolais' most overlooked crus, and most people at a seafood restaurant will walk right past it for the Pinot Noir. Don't. This is structured, food-friendly, and interesting in a way the Illahe Pinot just isn't going to be.
Textbook Merlot 2022
The name says it all. It's fine, it's inoffensive, and it belongs on a hotel banquet list. At a restaurant with a Gamay from Chénas and Vietti Barbera on the same list, ordering the Textbook Merlot is a missed opportunity you will not get back.
Dopff & Irion Cuvée René Dopff Gewürztraminer 2023 + Dungeness Crab
Alsatian Gewürztraminer and Dungeness crab is a classic PNW play — the wine's aromatic richness and slight sweetness match the briny, sweet crab meat without overwhelming it. At $14 a glass, it's the smartest pour at the table.
The Bottom Line
The Lobster Shop's wine list is doing more than it has to, and doing it at prices that won't make you wince. If you're eating seafood in Tacoma, this is a better glass situation than you'd find at most spots with ten times the ambition.
· Tacoma · Northwest seafood & steak
Copper & Salt isn't trying to be a wine destination, but it's working harder than most Northwest kitchen-and-bar concepts to give you something worth drinking. The regional focus is genuine, the by-the-glass selection is unusually generous, and the pricing won't make you wince — send a friend here with confidence.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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Field is punching way above its weight for a Tacoma bar — a focused, affordable list that rewards curiosity instead of punishing it. If you care even a little about interesting wine, this is worth making a detour for.
Small but Thoughtful
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Sumner · Tacoma · Wine Bar & Gelato Shop
Valley Social is the kind of wine bar that a town like Sumner needs: thoughtful enough to reward attention, casual enough to not require it. Send your friends here for a flight and some gelato — they'll be glad you did.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
· Tacoma · Wine bar & bottle shop
Gig Harbor Wine Co. is a one-brand wine bar that somehow doesn't feel like a vanity project — the range is thoughtful, the prices are honest, and the whole setup rewards locals who want to drink well without the markup theater. If you're open to going all-in on a single producer for a night, this is a genuinely fun place to do it.
Small but Thoughtful
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
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Proper
· Tacoma · French-inspired bistro & wine bar
Corbéau is doing something genuinely rare in the Pacific Northwest: building a wine list with actual curatorial courage at prices that don't make you wince. If you're within driving distance of Tacoma, this is worth the trip.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Tacoma · Wine bar & bottle shop
Tacoma Wine Merchants is doing something quietly remarkable: a bottle shop and enoteca with Bartolo Mascarello on the shelf and a $17 Rosso Conero next to it, all priced like they actually want to move wine. If you're anywhere near Tacoma, this is worth a detour.
Deep & Eclectic
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
· Stamford · Seafood
Crab Shell's wine list won't win any awards, but it's priced fairly, matched to the menu, and doesn't try to be something it isn't. Send a friend here for cold seafood and a bottle of the Macon-Lugny — they'll be happy.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Toledo · Seafood
Real Seafood Company clearly puts its energy into the kitchen, and the wine list reflects exactly how much attention is left over — which is almost none. Order the Rotari if you want bubbles, or honestly, just get a cocktail and move on.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Carmel · Carmel By The Sea · Seafood
Catch is a dependable wine stop for a seafood dinner in Carmel — nothing here will disappoint you, but nothing will surprise you either. If you go in with calibrated expectations and order the Schramsberg with your crab, you'll leave happy.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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