White Burgundy and Raw Bars, Done Right
Downtown Los Angeles · Los Angeles · Seafood · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · June 21, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Water Grill’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Water Grill arrives feeling serious — 400 to 600 bottles deep, clearly built with a point of view. That point of view is white wine, full stop. Burgundy and California Chardonnay dominate, and when you're looking at a tower of oysters and a bowl of Dungeness, that's exactly what you want.
White Burgundy and California Chardonnay anchor this list, with names like Domaine Leflaive Mâcon-Verzé and Kistler Les Noisetiers sitting alongside crowd-pleasers like Rombauer and Cakebread. Alsace gets a respectful nod — the Trimbach Clos Sainte Hune is one of the finest dry Rieslings on earth, and the fact that it's here says something about whoever built this list. Champagne shows up the way it should at a serious seafood house. Red wine exists on this list, but it's clearly not why you're here.
Twenty pours by the glass is a healthy number for a restaurant of this focus. We'd expect the Chardonnay-heavy selections to do the heavy lifting on the glass program, and at a downtown power-lunch destination that makes total sense. Rotation and freshness are the question marks — a sommelier on staff helps, but we'd ask when each bottle was opened before committing.
Domaine Leflaive Mâcon-Verzé — Unknown
Leflaive's village-level Mâcon is one of the best overachievers in white Burgundy. You're getting the house's winemaking DNA at a fraction of the Puligny price. At a restaurant where Kistler and Cakebread are the gravitational center, this one tends to get overlooked — and that's your opening.
Trimbach Riesling Clos Sainte Hune
Most tables at Water Grill will order Chardonnay on autopilot, and that's a shame when this bottle is on the list. Clos Sainte Hune is a single-vineyard grand cru-level Riesling from Alsace with the kind of precision and mineral tension that makes a plate of oysters taste like a revelation. It's underordered, almost certainly, and that's a missed opportunity every single night.
Rombauer Chardonnay Carneros
Rombauer is a perfectly fine wine that's become a restaurant markup machine. You're paying a significant premium for a label that's easy to find at retail, and the butter-and-vanilla profile, while crowd-pleasing, doesn't do the delicate seafood on your plate any favors. Pick the Leflaive or spend up to the Kistler — either direction beats this middle ground.
Trimbach Riesling Clos Sainte Hune + Oysters on the Half Shell
Clos Sainte Hune's razor-sharp acidity and saline mineral character are essentially built for raw oysters. The wine cuts through the brine, amplifies the ocean flavor, and leaves your palate completely clean. It's one of those pairings that makes both the wine and the food taste better than they do alone.
The Bottom Line
Water Grill is a reliable choice for serious wine with serious seafood — the list is deep enough to reward exploration, and the sommelier presence means you can actually ask for help. The markups sting, but this is Downtown LA and you knew that walking in.
Downtown Los Angeles · Los Angeles · French-inspired, New American
Perch is a place people go for the view, the scene, and the Instagram moment — the wine list knows this and doesn't try very hard. Order something simple, enjoy the skyline, and save your serious wine drinking for a restaurant that wants to earn it.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Hollywood · Los Angeles · Upscale Italian, Seafood
Marino is a reliable, well-curated Italian wine list that earns its stripes on selection and staff knowledge, even if the pricing makes you wince on the everyday bottles. Send a friend here for the Guidalberto and the Franciacorta — just steer them away from anything under $60.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Hollywood · Los Angeles · Neapolitan Italian, Pizza
Da Michele's wine list is narrow by design and better for it — a focused, fairly priced tour through Southern Italy that most pizza spots in LA wouldn't dare attempt. If you're even mildly curious about Campanian wine, this is one of the better excuses in the city to start learning.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Bel-Air · Los Angeles · Modern Californian with European/Mediterranean influences
This is a serious wine list dressed in a garden party — the depth is real, the sommelier is engaged, and if you're willing to pay the Bel-Air premium, the experience delivers. Just go in knowing the bill will reflect the hedge-lined address.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Beverly Grove / West Hollywood · Los Angeles · Greek / Mediterranean
Kassi Club is a party restaurant with a wine list that punches above its vibe — if you ignore the markup and order Greek, you're going to drink well. Send a friend here specifically to work through the indigenous varietals; just tell them to skip the Chablis.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Fashion District / Downtown LA · Los Angeles · Latin-inspired / Pan-Latin
DAMA is a great place to drink a cocktail in a beautiful room — and that's genuinely not a bad night. But if you came for wine, the list charges Fashion District prices for grocery store ambition, and that's a deal we can't recommend.
Crowd Pleasers
Gouge
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Occasional
Acceptable
Downtown Carmel · Carmel By The Sea · Seafood
Catch is a dependable wine stop for a seafood dinner in Carmel — nothing here will disappoint you, but nothing will surprise you either. If you go in with calibrated expectations and order the Schramsberg with your crab, you'll leave happy.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Hood River · Hood River · Seafood
Votum is operating a world-class wine program in a town most people only stop through on the way to a hike — the depth of this cellar belongs in a major city restaurant, and the sommelier presence means you're not navigating it alone. The markups on the prestige bottles will sting, but find your entry point and this list rewards serious attention.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Bowen's Wharf · Newport · Seafood
The Lobster Bar isn't a wine destination, but it's a perfectly competent list for what the restaurant is — a casual waterfront spot where the lobster is the star. Order the Sancerre, eat the oysters, watch the boats.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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