New York Steakhouse Energy, Aloha State Prices
Waikiki · Honolulu · American Steakhouse · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 7, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Wolfgang's Steakhouse by Wolfgang Zwiener’s wine list and gave it The Rager — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list lands on your table with the confidence of a place that knows exactly what it is: a New York steakhouse that happens to be sitting in the middle of Waikiki. Dark wood, white tablecloths, and a list pushing 500 bottles — this is not a place that cobbled its wine program together as an afterthought. Best of Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator eight years running backs that up.
The list is built around two pillars — California Cabernet and Bordeaux — and within those lanes it goes deep. You've got the full roll call of Napa royalty: Caymus Special Selection, Silver Oak, Jordan, Peter Michael, Stag's Leap Cask 23, and Opus One all present and accounted for. On the Bordeaux side, Margaux, Lafite, and Mouton Rothschild anchor a serious First Growths section that gives the list real gravitas. Where it's thinner is outside those two worlds — if you're hunting Burgundy, Rhône, or anything from the Southern Hemisphere, you'll find options but not depth. Sommelier Jon Biyajima keeps things curated and intentional rather than sprawling.
Fifteen to twenty-five options by the glass is a solid pour program for a steakhouse of this caliber, and the rotation reflects the list's California-heavy personality. You're not going to find esoteric natural wines here — expect Chardonnay, Cabernet, and a few crowd-pleasing reds that fit the dry-aged beef mandate. It's not a by-the-glass hero situation, but it gets the job done for a pre-dinner pour while you decide what bottle to commit to.
Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon — Not individually listed — ask staff
Jordan punches well above its price point in a list full of four-figure bottles. It's the move when you want serious Alexander Valley Cab without the Opus One hit to your credit card.
Patz & Hall Chardonnay
Everyone at a steakhouse is eyeing the Cabernets, and Patz & Hall gets overlooked. It's a genuinely great Sonoma Coast Chardonnay — restrained, site-driven, not the butter bomb people expect — and it's a smart call if you're splitting a table between red and white drinkers.
Pétrus 2019
At $4,800 a bottle in a restaurant setting, you are paying a massive premium on top of what is already one of the most expensive wines in the world. Unless someone else is picking up the check, this is a flex purchase, not a value play. The wine is extraordinary; the markup is not.
Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Cask 23 + Dry-Aged New York Strip Steak
Cask 23 is built for exactly this moment — it's structured enough to stand up to the intense, funky depth of dry-aged beef, but it has the elegance to not steamroll the meat. This is the pairing Wolfgang's was designed for.
Monday — Half-price wine night every Monday — the single best reason to plan your week around dinner here.
The Bottom Line
Wolfgang's Honolulu earns its Rager badge by delivering a genuinely serious wine program in a city where most restaurants are coasting on tourist traffic and markup. Monday half-price wine night is one of the best kept secrets in Waikiki — show up, order the strip, and let Jon point you toward something worth drinking.
· Honolulu · Steakhouse
Morton's Honolulu gives you a competent, Cabernet-saturated list that will reliably satisfy the guest who came for a big steak and a big red — just don't expect any surprises, and watch the markup on the entry-level bottles. Send a friend here if they want comfort, not if they want discovery.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Waikiki · Honolulu · Latin American / Tasting Menu
El Cielo earns its reputation on atmosphere and food, but the wine program is a black box — and in a city where you're already paying tourist-tier prices, a list you can't see or trust is a list you should probably skip. Order a cocktail and save the wine night for somewhere that wants to earn it.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Waikīkī · Honolulu · Steakhouse
Ruth's Chris Waikīkī is a dependable splurge for steak night, but the wine list is corporate comfort food — Napa-forward, markup-heavy, and unlikely to surprise you. If wine is the point of your evening, this isn't your destination; if steak is the point, it'll get the job done.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Proper
Waikiki · Honolulu · Seafood / Steak
Chart House Waikiki is giving you a safe harbor, not a destination — the list is functional, the by-the-glass selection is surprisingly broad, and a couple of smart picks exist if you know where to look. Come for the ocean views and the fish; just don't expect the wine list to match the scenery.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Honolulu · Honolulu · Hotel Wine Bar
Vintage 1901 is a well-organized hotel wine bar doing exactly what it should — giving visitors something better than the minibar without demanding too much effort or knowledge. The port program is legitimately great and worth your time; the rest of the list is competent, if a little sleepy on value.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Honolulu · Rooftop Wine Bar
Tchin Tchin is a perfectly pleasant place to drink wine with a view, and nearly everything being available by the glass means you can graze without committing to a bottle. Just don't come expecting discovery — come expecting a solid pour and a great sunset.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Norcross · American Steakhouse
The evidence here points to a wine dinner feature list, not an actual wine program — and even by wine dinner standards, five bottles with no pricing and a mystery sparkling wine isn't inspiring. If you're eating at J. Alexander's Peachtree Corners on a regular Tuesday, we genuinely don't know what's on the wine list, and that's not a great sign. Order a cocktail, ask your server what's actually available, and don't plan your evening around the wine.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown · Rochester · American Steakhouse
CHAR makes it easy to try Finger Lakes wine alongside the steakhouse standards. Our move is Hosmer Cabernet Franc at $16/glass, with Panizzi Vernaccia at $14 for anyone leaning white. Check the per-ounce pricing before ordering a Coravin pour.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Fort Worth · American Steakhouse
Del Frisco's Grille Fort Worth has a wine list the same way an airport newsstand has a wine section — technically true, practically limiting. Order the Tokaji for dessert, drink cocktails with dinner, and don't expect anyone to help you navigate the difference.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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