Tokyo Ambition Meets Biscayne Bay Firepower
Downtown Miami · Miami · Japanese · Visit Website ↗
Updated October 2026
Reviewed April 7, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed Zuma’s wine list and gave it The Rager — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list arrives like the restaurant itself — confident, international, and not particularly interested in making it easy on you. Four hundred-plus selections at a Japanese izakaya on Biscayne Bay is a statement, and Zuma knows it. The France-California-Italy backbone is serious enough to earn the Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence it's held since 2022.
The French coverage is the heart of this list — Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet, Louis Jadot Gevrey-Chambertin, Domaine Faiveley Nuits-Saint-Georges, Pol Roger Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill — this is a cellar that respects Burgundy and Champagne without apology. California holds its own with Kistler Sonoma Coast Chardonnay, Opus One, Caymus Special Selection, and Schrader Old Sparky, which gives the high-rollers plenty of runway. Italy steps up with Sassicaia, Tignanello, and Gaja Barbaresco Sori Tildin — the holy trinity of Super Tuscans and Piedmont done right. The one honest gap is the rest of the world: if you're hunting for Iberian bottles, Southern Hemisphere, or anything remotely off the beaten path, you'll need to look elsewhere.
Twenty to thirty pours by the glass is ambitious for a restaurant that could easily coast on bottle sales to expense-account diners, and we respect the range. Glasses run $14–$28, which is honest for this ZIP code and this level of program. Billecart-Salmon Blanc de Blancs by the glass is the kind of move that earns loyalty — that's not a throwaway Champagne pour.
Domaine Drouhin Oregon Pinot Noir — null
On a list stacked with $300+ bottles, Domaine Drouhin Oregon Pinot Noir is a smart anchor — serious winemaking pedigree from a Burgundy family that transplanted their obsession to the Willamette Valley. It bridges the French focus of this list and the umami-forward food beautifully, and it won't crater your bill the way a Gevrey-Chambertin will.
Billecart-Salmon Blanc de Blancs Champagne
Most tables at Zuma go straight to the red and white list and miss this entirely. Blanc de Blancs Champagne — all Chardonnay, laser-focused acidity — is a genuinely excellent call with yellowtail sashimi or anything coming off the robata. It's not cheap, but it's the move that makes the whole meal click.
Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon Special Selection
Caymus Special Selection is a perfectly fine wine that every steakhouse in America already pours at a 3-4x markup. At Zuma, you're eating Japanese izakaya food in Miami — there are far more interesting bottles on this list that will actually work with the food. This one's here because people recognize the name, which is exactly why you should scroll past it.
Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet + Black cod marinated in yuzu miso
Leflaive's Puligny has that minerally, tightly wound Chardonnay structure that cuts through the richness of miso-glazed black cod without competing with the yuzu brightness. It's a genuinely great pairing — the kind of thing that makes you put your fork down for a second.
Wednesday — Half-price wine night every Wednesday — applies to bottles from the wine list. One of the better mid-week deals in Miami given the depth of this program.
The Bottom Line
Zuma is playing in a different league than most Miami restaurants — three named sommeliers, 400+ bottles, and a Wednesday half-price wine night that is frankly absurd on a list with Penfolds Grange on it. The markups are real and the list skews toward the usual suspects, but the depth, the staff, and the sheer ambition of pairing this wine program with a robata grill earn the Rager badge without much debate.
· Miami · French Brasserie
La Grande Boucherie Miami is a Champagne list wearing a restaurant costume — deep on grower producers, light on everything else, and priced like it knows it has you cornered. If you are here specifically to dig into a blanc de noirs from the Côte des Bar or split a bottle of Larmandier-Bernier ($190/bottle) over dinner, this is genuinely one of the more interesting Champagne programs in Miami. Everyone else should order the Chablis and move on.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Miami · Seafood Steakhouse
Truluck's Miami isn't a wine destination — it's a seafood restaurant that happens to have eight wines on a menu. If you're here for stone crab or a special occasion dinner, you'll find something adequate to drink, but you won't find anything to get excited about. Order a cocktail or bring your own expectations down a notch.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
South Beach · Miami · Asian
Lucky Cat Miami is currently closed according to its official website, which describes a seasonal pause. Bookings are unavailable, so do not plan a wine visit on the basis of this page's earlier recommendations. Check the restaurant's own notice for any reopening update.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Coral Gables · Miami · Italian
An Italy-first list built around Piedmont and Tuscany, with a four-vintage Burlotto Barolo vertical, three vintages of Sassicaia and a 16-bottle Brunello section plus special-vintage Brunellos. Start with a Coravin pour or a quartino, then ask for bottle prices, because this version of the list posts none and carries no printed date. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Miami · Miami · Italian
A long, Italian-first list where Barbaresco, Barolo and Brunello each get their own block and several producers list multiple older vintages. If you want a safe Tuscan red by the glass, ask for the Castello di Volpaia Chianti Classico 2020; if you want something stranger, ask about the Zidarich Vitovska, and ask the price either way because none is posted. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups. The list carries no printed date, so confirm current availability.
Jungle Island · Miami · Mediterranean Beach Club
A glass-first list with a top end that reaches Barolo at $29 a glass and Dom Pérignon at $95. Order the Bico da Ran Albariño with the Grilled Octopus, or ask about Sunset Hour for the $8 AIX Rosé: its menu says Monday through Friday, 4 to 7 pm at the bar and lounge, but the homepage lists Tuesday as closed and the Beach Lounge as closed Monday and Tuesday, so check before you go. Confirm prices before you go, since the PDFs carry no printed date. This unrated guide covers the posted glass list and Sunset Hour menu, not service, storage or markups.
· Duluth · Japanese
Haru Ichiban is not a wine destination, and that's fine — plenty of great Japanese restaurants aren't. But if wine matters to you at dinner, this list gives you nothing to work with: no producers, no prices, no effort. Come for the food, skip the wine, and maybe order the Choya Plum Wine if you want something that at least fits the vibe.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Roswell · Japanese
Tanaka's wine list is functional in the same way a vending machine is functional — it technically dispenses what you need, but no one's excited about it. The pricing is fair and the Umeshu is a genuine bright spot, but seven bottles at a sit-down Japanese restaurant in 2024 signals that wine just isn't a priority here. Order the sake, or bring your own if corkage allows.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Jersey City · Japanese
For a Japanese lounge with a 21-bottle list, Stingray is doing more work than it has any reason to. The Grüner, the Loire whites, and that Grand Cru Champagne are all legitimate finds at prices that won't sting. If you're nearby and want something better than the usual sushi-spot house white, this is worth the detour.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
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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