The Windjammer Restaurant
Vermont's Nautical Institution Hides Serious Wine Chops
South Burlington · Burlington · Seafood · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 7, 2026
Wingman Metrics
First Impression
You walk into a seafood institution that's been anchored in South Burlington since before most of Vermont's wine bars existed, and the wine list is... actually pretty good? The nautical décor doesn't scream serious wine program, but the 60-plus bottle list and a Cruvinet preservation system out back tell a different story.
Selection Deep Dive
The list leans into a comfortable triangle of Napa, Burgundy, and Alsace — not adventurous, but executed with some real intention. You've got Albert Bichot Chablis and Trimbach Riesling holding down the French flank with credibility, while the Napa side runs from workhorses like Beaulieu Vineyard Cabernet up to the Post & Beam by Far Niente, which is a genuinely ambitious pour for a South Burlington seafood joint. Two Vermont labels — Shelburne Vineyards Lake View and Snow Farm's Snow White — show local pride without feeling tokenistic. The gaps are predictable: don't come looking for anything from Spain, Italy south of Tuscany, or anywhere remotely natural.
By the Glass
About 15 staple pours cover the usual ground, but the real story is the Cruvinet system, which lets the kitchen open higher-end bottles without losing them to oxidation. That means you can actually order a proper glass of something like the Post & Beam Napa Cabernet without committing to a full bottle — a real advantage at a place where one person at the table wants red and the other wants white with their lobster.
Trimbach Riesling 2020 — null
Trimbach is one of Alsace's most reliable names, and Riesling at a seafood restaurant is basically a cheat code. If the price is in the neighborhood of what this wine retails for, it's the smartest order on the list — especially against anything from the sea.
Shelburne Vineyards Lake View 2020
Most people here are going to reach for California or France, and that's exactly why you should order this. Shelburne Vineyards is quietly one of the better producers in Vermont, and ordering local in a state where wine tourism is still finding its footing feels like getting in early on something real.
Belle Glos 'Dairyman' Pinot Noir 2021
Belle Glos is wildly popular and wildly marked up everywhere it appears. It's a heavily extracted, oak-forward Pinot that's more Instagram than Burgundy, and at restaurant prices you can almost certainly do better on this list.
Albert Bichot Chablis 2022 + Lobster
Chablis and lobster is one of those combinations that feels like it was designed in a lab. The wine's lean minerality and citrus cut through the butter without fighting the sweetness of the meat. Bichot is a solid Chablis producer, and this is the no-brainer order when lobster hits the table.
🎲 The Bottom Line
The Windjammer shouldn't have a wine list this thoughtful, and yet here we are. It's not going to wow a serious collector, but for a reliable seafood dinner in South Burlington with a Cruvinet keeping your glass honest, it punches well above its zip code.
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