A remote island cellar worth the ferry ride
Lummi Island (regional destination) · Bellingham · Fine Dining / Farm-to-Table · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 10, 2026
RagingWine reviewed The Willows Inn’s wine list and gave it The Rager — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
You take a ferry to get here, and the wine list makes you feel like that was a reasonable decision. The Willows Inn operates as a full destination experience — tasting menu, inn, and a wine program that clearly has someone with strong opinions behind it. Walking in, the list signals immediately that this place is playing at a different level than anything else on Puget Sound.
The list runs 150 to 300 deep and covers serious ground: Pacific Northwest heavyweights like Leonetti Cellar and Andrew Will sit alongside Burgundy royalty and Northern Rhône anchors. The presence of Sine Qua Non tells you whoever built this list has range and isn't afraid to go California cult when it earns its spot. Eyrie Vineyards Pinot Gris nods to Oregon's roots and gives the PNW section some historical texture. Champagne rounds out the top of the list in what feels like a deliberate fine-dining arc — there are no accidental wines here.
By-the-glass specifics weren't available during our research, and given the tasting-menu format, it's likely the experience skews toward pairings or bottles rather than a deep glass pour program. If you're going, budget for a pairing or a bottle — this is not the spot to peck through two-ounce pours.
Eyrie Vineyards Pinot Gris — Unknown
Eyrie is the godfather of Oregon Pinot Gris and still wildly underpriced relative to its historical significance. On a list full of prestige names, this one likely won't shock your card — and it's a genuinely great wine that fits the hyper-local, Pacific Northwest ethos of the whole meal.
Andrew Will Cabernet Franc
Most people on this island came for Pinot Noir adjacent territory, and Andrew Will's Cab Franc gets overlooked as a result. It's one of Washington's most compelling takes on the grape — tighter and more savory than its Napa counterparts — and most tables will walk right past it.
Domaine de la Romanée-Conti
Yes, it's DRC. Yes, it's extraordinary. But at a destination restaurant already commanding serious dinner prices, you're paying full prestige markup on top of an already expensive evening. Unless someone else is signing the bill, the value math falls apart fast.
Sine Qua Non + Wood-fired seafood course
Sine Qua Non's Rhône-style whites — rich, smoky, and textured — hit differently against anything that's seen fire and salt air. The Willows Inn is built around wood and sea, and SQN's intensity doesn't get lost in that conversation the way a lighter white would.
🔥 The Bottom Line
The Willows Inn is as serious about wine as it is about the 14 ingredients it sourced from within a mile of your table. You're paying destination prices across the board, but the list delivers at that level — this is a once-in-a-while splurge that earns it.
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Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
Downtown Waterfront · Bellingham · Seafood / Oyster Bar
Roe isn't a wine destination, but it's not trying to be — the list is fair, the pricing is reasonable, and if you know to order the Riesling, you're eating and drinking well on the water. Send a friend here for oysters; just don't send them expecting a deep cellar.
Plays It Safe
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown · Bellingham · Brewpub / American pub fare
Aslan Depot shouldn't have a wine list this good, and yet here we are. If you're in Bellingham and want natural wines in a no-fuss setting, this is the move.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown · Bellingham · New American / Wood-Fired Seasonal
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Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown · Bellingham · Pizza
Come to La Fiamma for the wood-fired pizza and the vibe — both are worth it. Come for the wine and you'll be disappointed. Order a cocktail or a beer and revisit when they decide the list deserves the same care as the kitchen.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Fairhaven · Bellingham · Italian
Mambo Italiano isn't a destination wine list, but it's an honest one — fair prices, genuine Italian representation, and a few bottles worth seeking out. Send your friends here for a casual Tuesday pasta night and tell them to order the Cannonau.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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