Indian food finally gets a serious wine list
Cow Hollow / Marina District · San Francisco · Indian · Visit Website ↗
Updated September 2026
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 10, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Tiya’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Walking into Tiya, the wine list is the last thing you'd expect to be interesting — and that's exactly what makes it interesting. A contemporary Indian restaurant in the Marina with Ridge Monte Bello and Kistler on the list? That's not an accident, that's a statement. Wine Spectator handed them an Award of Excellence in 2025, and honestly, it tracks.
The list runs 80 to 120 bottles with a clear California-and-France backbone, which is a smart call given the cuisine. Ridge Vineyards Monte Bello Cabernet and Kistler Chardonnay anchor the California side with real credibility, while the French selections — Domaine Weinbach Alsace Riesling, Domaine Leflaive Mâcon-Verzé, and Au Bon Climat Pinot Noir — show someone actually thought about what works with spice and aromatics. Tablas Creek's Rhône blends round things out nicely and feel genuinely considered rather than filler. There are gaps — don't come looking for Champagne depth or an adventurous natural wine section — but what's here is well-chosen.
Ten to sixteen pours is a solid by-the-glass program for a restaurant this size, and the $12–$18 price range keeps it accessible without feeling like a race to the bottom. We'd love to see the Domaine Weinbach Riesling available by the glass consistently — it's practically purpose-built for this menu. Rotation frequency is unclear, but the baseline selection appears thoughtful enough to find something worth drinking on any given night.
Au Bon Climat Pinot Noir — $45–$55 (bottle range estimate based on list tier)
Au Bon Climat is one of California's most reliably underpriced Pinot producers. It drinks with genuine Burgundian restraint, making it the rare red that actually plays well with spiced Indian dishes rather than fighting them.
Domaine Leflaive Mâcon-Verzé
Most people skip to the Kistler or go straight red, but Leflaive's Mâcon-Verzé is the sleeper here. It's a fraction of the price of their Puligny-Montrachet, made with the same obsessive farming, and it's phenomenal with anything cream- or yogurt-based on this menu.
Ridge Vineyards Monte Bello Cabernet Sauvignon
Monte Bello is a legendary wine and we love Ridge unconditionally — but a big, tannic Cabernet at a premium price point is genuinely the wrong call for spice-forward Indian food. You'll be fighting the bottle all night. Save Monte Bello for a steakhouse.
Domaine Weinbach Alsace Riesling + Keema-style jackfruit with crunchy potato
Alsatian Riesling has the aromatic intensity to match the spice, enough residual sweetness to cool things down, and the acidity to cut through the richness of the potato. It's one of the great wine-and-spice combinations in the world, and Weinbach is among the best producers doing it.
The Bottom Line
Tiya is the rare Indian restaurant where the wine list deserves actual attention — not because it's enormous, but because someone clearly cared. If you're tired of defaulting to beer or mango lassi with your curry, this is your sign to order a bottle of Riesling and never look back.
Embarcadero · San Francisco · Peruvian Seafood
La Mar is a great dinner — the ceviche alone is worth the trip — but the wine list is along for the ride rather than driving it. Order something crisp and cold, enjoy the view, and don't overthink it.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Union Square · San Francisco · American
The Rotunda is a lunch experience first and a wine destination a distant second — the list is safe, the markup is real, and you're largely paying for the address and the atmosphere. Come for the crab salad and the occasion, order something bubbly, and don't go in expecting a serious wine program.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
San Francisco · San Francisco · Wine bar & bottle shop
Bodega SF is what happens when someone actually gives a damn about the list instead of just checking a box. Twenty-six bottles, almost all pourable by the glass, priced fairly, and built around grapes most wine bars wouldn't dare touch — send your adventurous friends here and tell them to skip the safe picks.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
San Francisco · San Francisco · Wine bar
Fig & Thistle is for people who trust a short menu built by someone with a point of view — thirteen bottles, all pouring, all worth talking about. If you need a fallback Cab or a recognizable label to feel safe, this isn't your spot. If you don't, this absolutely is.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
San Francisco · San Francisco · Steakhouse
STK San Francisco has the bones of a wine program and the ambition of a hotel minibar. With only three by-the-glass pours, a list built entirely around safe brand names, and steep markups baked into the concept, this is a place to order a cocktail or splurge on a specific bottle you already know you want.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· San Francisco · Wine Tavern
Big Finish is doing something genuinely different — an all-glass list built around obscure varietals, serious fortified wine, and pricing that doesn't punish curiosity. Send anyone here who wants to drink something they've never tried before and walk away feeling like they learned something.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Lafayette Street · Canandaigua · Indian
Flavors isn't a wine destination, but it's not pretending to be one either — the list is honest, the prices are fair, and the Fox Run Riesling alone justifies ordering a bottle. Come for the food, drink the Riesling, and don't overthink it.
Plays It Safe
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown / Near Falls · Niagara Falls · Indian
Zaika isn't a wine destination, but the Niagara half of this list is a legitimate reason to skip the mango lassi and explore what's growing 20 minutes away. For Falls-area dining, that's more than we expected.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown · Duluth · Indian
India Palace is a genuinely solid spot for Indian food in Duluth, but the wine program is collecting dust. Steep markups, a California-only list that ignores everything that actually works with spiced cuisine, and zero signs of anyone caring enough to change it — order a mango lassi and save the wine for somewhere else.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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