Tokyo Elegance Meets Napa and Burgundy Firepower
The Strip · Las Vegas · Japanese · Visit Website ↗
Updated June 2026
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 17, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Wakuda’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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Wingman Metrics
Walking into Wakuda, you half-expect the wine list to be an afterthought — a few sakes and some Champagne to keep the Strip crowd happy. Instead, you find 200-plus selections anchored in California and France, put together with genuine intent. This is a serious list hiding inside a very beautiful room.
The list leans hard into California and Burgundy, which makes sense given the Wine Spectator nod, and the heavy hitters are real — Opus One, Caymus Special Selection, Ridge Monte Bello, Kistler, and Domaine Leroy aren't filler names. France shows up with substance too: Louis Jadot Puligny-Montrachet and Domaine Faiveley Gevrey-Chambertin give the Burgundy section actual credibility beyond the obvious labels. The range runs roughly $60 to $600-plus, which in Las Vegas is genuinely not shocking, though you'll feel the Strip premium on anything trophy-adjacent. What's missing is some textural contrast — a little more Loire, Rhône, or even Italian to give the Japanese menu more interesting play partners.
Fifteen to twenty-five by-the-glass options at $18–$45 is a respectable spread for a restaurant of this caliber, and the upper end of that range reportedly includes access to premium pours worth the ask. There's no evidence of aggressive rotation or a standout BTG program, but the presence of sommelier Luis Guillen on staff means you're more likely to get a straight answer than a shrug when you ask what's actually good tonight.
Louis Jadot Puligny-Montrachet — $60+
White Burgundy from a reliable négociant at the entry price point is the move here — mineral, precise, and built for the trout and sashimi that define this menu. It's the most food-friendly bottle on the list for the money.
Domaine Faiveley Gevrey-Chambertin
Most tables at a place like this are reaching for the Opus or the Caymus. Faiveley's Gevrey-Chambertin is a quieter choice — earthy, structured, proper Côte de Nuits — and it's exactly the kind of wine that holds its own against Wagyu without bulldozing everything else on the table.
Caymus Vineyards Special Selection Cabernet Sauvignon
It's fine wine, no argument there, but Caymus Special Selection is one of the most aggressively marked-up bottles in Las Vegas dining rooms. You're paying Strip real estate tax on top of an already premium retail price, and frankly Ridge Monte Bello does the California Cabernet story better for anyone actually paying attention.
Kistler Chardonnay + Confit of Tasmanian Ocean Trout with konbu and daikon
Kistler's weight and richness mirror the silky, oil-poached texture of the trout while the wine's acidity cuts right through the brine of the konbu. It's the kind of match that makes you stop mid-bite.
The Bottom Line
Wakuda isn't a wine destination in the way a dedicated wine bar is, but it's doing something genuinely interesting — pairing a focused, high-quality California-and-Burgundy list with Japanese cuisine that actually rewards that combination. If you're eating here, drink the wine; Luis Guillen knows what he's doing.
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Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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Solid Range
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
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Solid Range
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Active Program
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Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
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Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
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Las Vegas Strip · Las Vegas · Seafood, Steakhouse
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Solid Range
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
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Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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