A Dessert Wine Collection That Defies Reality
Montecito · Santa Barbara · Fine Dining · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 10, 2026
RagingWine reviewed The Stonehouse Restaurant’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
You open the wine list at The Stonehouse expecting a standard Santa Barbara Pinot-heavy spread and instead find yourself staring at a Madeira bottled during the Grover Cleveland administration. This list is not trying to please everyone — it is curated with a singular, almost obsessive focus on aged fortified and dessert wines that you simply do not encounter at a restaurant like this. It stops you mid-sentence.
The list is small — 27 labels — but every one of them feels deliberate. The backbone is an extraordinary collection of D'Oliveira and Graham's Madeiras stretching back to 1977, alongside a Port lineup that runs from Dow's 10 Year Tawny all the way to a Taylor Fladgate Single Harvest 1896. Sauternes gets serious representation with both Château Les Justices and a 2006 Château d'Yquem, while Tokaji fans will find Royal Tokaji's Nyulászó 6 Puttonyos Aszú and Essencia side by side — a rare pairing. The one notable gap is any meaningful dry table wine presence; if you want a Burgundy or a Barolo with dinner, you're largely out of luck.
Twenty-four of the 27 labels are available by the glass, which is remarkable given what's on this list — pouring a 1882 Graham's Ne Oublie by the glass is not something most restaurants would dare to do. Prices range from $15 to $650 per glass, so the range is genuinely massive. The program rewards curiosity: you can build a tasting flight through decades of Madeira history without committing to a full bottle.
Dow's 10 Year Tawny Port — $15
At the low end of the price range and the entry point into a serious fortified program, this is the glass that lets you dip a toe in without the sticker shock of the vintage pours sitting next to it on the list.
Musella Recioto della Valpolicella 2017
Most guests will fixate on the Port and Madeira, which means this rich, dried-grape red from Valpolicella gets overlooked every night. Recioto is the sweeter, less famous sibling of Amarone — and Musella makes a beautiful one. Order it before someone else figures it out.
Château d'Yquem Sauternes 2006
It's d'Yquem, so it's never truly a bad choice — but at bottle prices pushing the top of a $900–$1,300 range, you're paying a significant luxury premium for a wine you can find at retail for a fraction of what this list implies. With something this iconic, the markup stings more than usual.
Royal Tokaji Co. Nyulászó 6 Puttonyos Aszú 2017 + Foie Gras
Tokaji Aszú at 6 Puttonyos has the acidity to cut through foie gras's richness while its apricot and honeyed complexity mirrors the unctuous, savory character of the dish. It's one of the great classical pairings in European gastronomy and this list gives you the genuine article to do it right.
The Bottom Line
The Stonehouse is not a wine list for everyone, and that's exactly the point — if you have even a passing interest in aged Madeira, rare Port, or dessert wines of serious pedigree, this place belongs on your list. Come for the experience, not the value.
Funk Zone · Santa Barbara · Mediterranean-Influenced New American
Blackbird has the bones of a wine program worth your attention — sommelier-led, regionally grounded in Santa Barbara County, and sitting inside a hotel that clearly invested in the dining experience. The catch is that hotel adjacency typically means markups that outpace the neighborhood, so go in with your eyes open and ask your server to point you toward the local producers. We'd send a friend here for a polished night out, with the caveat to let the staff guide you rather than defaulting to the familiar names on the list.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
· Santa Barbara · Wine Bar / Small Plates
Villa Wine Bar runs a focused, well-priced list built around Santa Barbara County producers who actually deserve the spotlight — Beckmen, Babcock, Storm, and Alma Rosa are all doing real work. The by-the-glass program is nearly comprehensive, the bottle prices are fair, and the regional identity is clear. If you're in Santa Barbara and want to drink local without getting gouged, this is a reliable call.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Funk Zone · Santa Barbara · Wine Bar / Tasting Room with Food Options
If you're passing through the Funk Zone and want to actually understand what Santa Barbara wine country is about, this is a better use of an hour than most tasting rooms you'll pay more to visit. It's not a deep-list destination, but as a regional introduction it punches well above its square footage.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
Santa Maria Valley · Santa Barbara · Winery Tasting Room / Charcuterie
Presqu'ile is the rare tasting room that feels like a destination rather than a sales pitch — the Aligoté and Gamay alone tell you this team is thinking beyond the obvious, and the pricing won't make you wince. If you're driving through Santa Maria Valley and you skip this, you made a mistake.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Downtown Santa Barbara · Santa Barbara · Wine Bar / Tasting Room
This is a focused, confident single-producer tasting room that earns its Wild Card badge by going deep on Rhône varieties and aromatic whites in a market that usually just wants Pinot and Chardonnay. If you're staying at Hotel Californian or exploring downtown Santa Barbara, skipping this would be a mistake.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
· Santa Barbara · Seafood / Coastal Californian
SeaVenture's wine list won't blow any minds, but it's priced fairly, leans into the right regional story, and gives you everything by the glass — which is exactly what a seafood spot on the California coast should do. Send a friend here knowing they'll drink well without getting gouged.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Gilbert · Fine Dining
The Wrigley Mansion wine program is doing something genuinely unusual — a fully by-the-glass list with serious producers like Cédric Mousse, Peay, and A Tribute to Grace mixed in with accessible entry points around $13. The pricing skews steep in places and the sheer number of open bottles creates real questions about freshness and consistency, but if you stick to the $15–$22 range, you'll find more to like here than almost anywhere else in the East Valley. Come for the Grenache and the Riesling; skip the Dom Pé by the glass.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Corvallis · Fine Dining
Sybaris Bistro's wine list is seven bottles of pure intention — if you came for Pinot Grigio, you're in the wrong place, but if you're even slightly curious about fortified wines, this tiny list in Corvallis is worth your time and your $9. Send a friend who thinks they don't like Port.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown / The Little Nell · Aspen · Fine Dining
The Little Nell's wine program is the real deal — one of the deepest cellars you'll find anywhere in the mountain West, staffed by people who actually know what they're talking about. The markups will sting and there's no bargain-hunter's night to soften the blow, but if you're eating here, you already knew what you signed up for.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
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