Spain's Greatest Hits, Orange County's Best Secret
South Coast Metro · Santa Ana · Modern Spanish Tapas and Steakhouse · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed June 24, 2026
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You're in Costa Mesa, next to a performing arts center, surrounded by pre-show diners — and somehow the wine list is a love letter to the Iberian Peninsula done right. Vaca's list hits differently than anything else in Orange County. This isn't a Spanish restaurant that grabbed a few Riojas to check a box; this is a program with a point of view.
The Spain-first focus is serious and specific — we're talking a list estimated at 300 to 500 selections that digs deep into regions most OC diners couldn't find on a map. Rioja and Ribera del Duero are well represented, but the list earns its reputation by going further: expect Priorat, Galicia, and serious sherry selections that Vaca has been recognized for by the Sherry Wine Regulatory Council. The producers are the real deal — Miguel Torres, one of Spain's most important winemaking families, gets featured in dedicated wine dinners here, which tells you where the restaurant's priorities are. The gap, if there is one, is that guests unfamiliar with Spanish wine may need a nudge from staff to navigate it confidently.
With an estimated 15 to 25 pours running $14 to $28 a glass, the BTG program is one of the stronger ones in the county. The range should cover everything from crisp Albariño for the ceviche crowd to structured Tempranillo for the dry-aged steak table. Rotation and curation appear to track the kitchen's seasonal direction, though a more aggressive glass program would push this into Rager territory.
1994 Rioja Gran Reserva — $98
A nearly 30-year-old Gran Reserva at $98, with retail comps around $60, is as close to fair as aged Spanish wine gets in a restaurant. You're paying for the storage, the service, and the experience of drinking a wine that's already done the hard work for you.
Sherry Program Selections
Vaca has been formally recognized by the Sherry Wine Regulatory Council as a top sherry destination — that's not a marketing claim, it's a certification. Most tables walk right past the sherry section; don't be most tables. Order a glass with the charcuterie and reassess your entire relationship with Spanish wine.
Generic Tempranillo (house-tier)
At $60 on a list with real depth, a no-name Tempranillo with no producer or vintage attribution is a lazy order. The markup math works out fine on paper, but you're leaving too much upside on the table when the bottles around it are far more interesting for similar or only slightly higher prices.
1994 Rioja Gran Reserva + Dry-Aged Steak
Gran Reserva Rioja — earthy, brick-red, with that signature dried cherry and leather character — is one of the few wines that can hold its ground against a heavily aged, intensely flavored steak without trying to outmuscle it. This is the pairing the list was built for.
🎲 The Bottom Line
Vaca is the best Spanish wine list in Orange County and it isn't particularly close — a sommelier-driven program with real range, fair pricing on serious bottles, and a sherry selection that alone justifies the trip. Send your friends here, especially the ones who think they don't like Spanish wine.
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