Small List, Big Personality, Zero Apologies
· San Francisco · Wine Bar & New American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · August 15, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Ungrafted’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Take Vibe Match and we’ll tell you what to order here.
Wingman Metrics
Six bottles. That's it. You either trust this place immediately or you walk out — and if you walk out, that's on you. Ungrafted isn't trying to impress you with a tome; it's handing you a tightly curated argument for exactly what they think you should be drinking right now.
The list reads like someone raided the cellar of a very plugged-in California wine nerd: Martha Stoumen's Zinfandel-Carignan blend sits next to Porter Creek's Old Vine Carignan, which tells you immediately that Carignan is having a moment here and they want you to notice. Talley and Scribe covering Chardonnay from opposite ends of the California spectrum — Talley's Arroyo Grande restraint versus Scribe's Carneros cool-climate thing — is a genuinely interesting juxtaposition for six total bottles. The Beaucanon Estate Cabernet Franc 2010 gives the list some age and gravitas, and a Nerello Mascalese thrown in for good measure proves they're not afraid to go Sicilian when everyone else is still pointing at Napa. The gaps are real — no sparkling, no white Burgundy, no Rhône — but that's the point; this isn't a list, it's a statement.
By-the-glass specifics aren't confirmed from our research, which is frustrating given how much the pours could change the calculus here. With only six labels on the list, there's a real chance most or all are available by the glass — that would make this one of the more interesting BTG programs in the city. We'd ask the staff directly rather than assume.
The Bottom Line
Ungrafted is not for the indecisive or the wine-by-committee crowd — it's for people who want someone to just tell them what's good and trust that they've thought about it. Six bottles, confidently chosen, is a flex when it works, and here it mostly does.
Jackson Square · San Francisco · New American Tasting Menu
Trestle earns its reputation as a neighborhood gem for the food, and the wine list seems to hold up its end of the deal without trying too hard. We'd feel comfortable here on a date night — just go in ready to ask questions, because we can't promise the list will speak for itself.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Nob Hill / Van Ness Corridor · San Francisco · American Steakhouse
House of Prime Rib is one of San Francisco's great dining institutions and the wine list knows its assignment — California Cabs to drink with California beef, no fuss. It won't thrill anyone looking for adventure, but it won't embarrass anyone either, and for a night built around tableside carving and Yorkshire pudding, that's probably enough.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Noe Valley · San Francisco · Sardinian Italian
La Ciccia is the rare neighborhood restaurant where the wine list is genuinely part of the experience, not an afterthought stapled to a food menu. If you care about Italian wine — especially anything off the beaten Tuscany-Piedmont path — you should be making reservations here.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Seasonal Rotation
Proper
SoMa · San Francisco · Steakhouse with Japanese influence
Alexander's is a serious wine destination dressed up as a steakhouse — the list is deep, the staff knows it, and the room supports it. Just go in eyes open: this is a splurge-or-go-home situation, and the markups reflect exactly where you are.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Embarcadero · San Francisco · Steakhouse, American
EPIC Steak is a reliable, well-executed steakhouse wine program that earns its stripes with real depth, a sommelier who cares, and a few smart curveballs buried in the list. The markups will sting, but if you know where to look — and now you do — there's genuinely good drinking to be had with that view.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Occasional
Proper
Embarcadero · San Francisco · Seafood, Coastal American
Waterbar is doing the work — a genuinely broad list with smart coastal instincts, fair happy hour pricing, and a dessert wine program that most full-service wine bars would envy. Send your friends here; just make sure they stay through dessert.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Occasional
Proper
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