Champagne obsessives built a restaurant wine list
· San Francisco · American Brasserie · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed May 29, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed Zuni Café’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Zuni Café reads like someone handed a Champagne fanatic a budget and told them to go wild — and we mean that as the highest possible compliment. Sixty-five labels isn't a long list, but the depth of grower Champagne and serious California whites packed into it is genuinely surprising. This is not a list that was assembled by clicking "add to cart" on a distributor's bestseller sheet.
The spine of this list is grower Champagne, and it's curated with real conviction — Ulysse Collin, Bérêche & Fils, Benoît Lahaye, Laherte Frères, Jacques Lassaigne. These are names that show up on serious wine bar lists in Paris, not in most San Francisco restaurants. The California whites hold their own too: Rootdown Wine Cellars' Cole Ranch Savagnin and Morgen Long's X Omni Vineyard Chardonnay are small-production, soil-focused producers that reward attention. The red wine section is present but clearly not the point here — if you came for a deep Pinot or Cabernet list, Zuni isn't your spot. What gaps exist are clearly intentional; this is a list that knows exactly what it is.
Five by-the-glass options is lean, and the prices reflect the quality of what's being poured — expect to spend accordingly. Given the list's strengths, we'd hope the glass program rotates through the grower Champagne section rather than defaulting to safe crowd-pleasers. No confirmed rotation program, so ask your server what's currently open before committing.
Roederer Estate Brut Anderson Valley — $58
The entry point on the bottle list and likely the most accessible price on the menu — Roederer Estate consistently punches above its weight as one of California's best sparkling producers, and it's a fair landing pad before you start climbing into the grower Champagne stratosphere.
Rootdown Wine Cellars 'Cole Ranch' Savagnin 2023
Cole Ranch in Mendocino is one of California's most unusual AVAs — tiny, high-elevation, obscure — and Savagnin is a grape most diners at Zuni will walk right past. That's a mistake. This is the kind of weird, nerdy, genuinely interesting white wine that Zuni's list was built to showcase.
Billecart-Salmon Brut Rosé
It's a fine Champagne, but on a list loaded with grower producers at comparable or lower prices, Billecart Rosé is the safe, brand-recognition pick that restaurant lists lean on when they need a name everyone recognizes. On this particular list, you can do better for the money.
Laherte Frères Blanc de Blancs Brut Nature + Zuni's brick-oven roast chicken
The zero-dosage tension and bright Chardonnay-driven acidity in this Champagne cuts right through the rendered fat of Zuni's legendary roast chicken while amplifying the herbs and char from the wood oven. It's the kind of pairing that makes you slow down mid-bite.
The Bottom Line
Zuni Café's wine list is a small, sharply focused document with a clear point of view — if grower Champagne and thoughtful California whites are your thing, this list will make you very happy. Markups keep it from being a steal, but the curation earns its keep.
West Portal · San Francisco · Italian wine bar and small plates
A wine-bar list built around Italian bottles, with prices from $41 to $600 on the Wine List page. Start with the Firmino Miotti Breganze Cabernet 2015 at $18/64 from the glass section, or take the Raina Le Campette Montefalco Rosso 2020 at $42 if you want a bottle, and confirm prices since neither page is dated. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Fillmore · San Francisco · Indian, Regional
A South Indian dinner menu with two wine PDFs behind it: 17 pours on the glass PDF from 15 to 32, then a bottle PDF that starts with grower Champagne. Start with the chilled Florèz God's Own at 15 or the Aldo Viola Moretto at 17, and confirm both lists, since the PDFs are undated and the website Wines tab names some different producers. This unrated guide covers the posted wine lists, not service, storage or markups.
Hayes Valley · San Francisco · Wine bar with California/Italian-leaning small plates
A wine-bar list that ranges from Lebanese sparkling and orange wine to Jura bottles and sherry by the 3 or 4 oz. Start with the Pardusco 2024 chilled red at $14 / $56 or the Apátsági 2022 juhfark at $17, and confirm prices, since the page itself points you to the wine wall for more. This unrated guide covers the posted drinks and bottle lists, not service, storage or markups.
North Beach · San Francisco · Italian
A pizzeria wine list with real range: 24 wines under the Glasses heading, Italian reds sorted by region, and New World reds that include Napa and Paso Robles Cabernet. Start with the $10/$40 house Chianti Superiore, or try the $13/$52 Planeta Ceresuolo with a Margherita, and confirm vintages and prices before you order. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Union Square · San Francisco · French
A 66-page list that starts with a 20-pour glass page and moves quickly into Burgundy, Rhône and Bordeaux bottles priced in the hundreds and thousands, so decide early whether you are drinking by the glass or committing to a bottle. Start with the $20 Chablis or the $23 Corsican red, and confirm today's list because it carries no print date. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Potrero Hill · San Francisco · Italian
A list with two speeds: 29 glass pours from $13 to $45, and a bottle book that runs from $44 to $2,100. Start with the $13 Il Frappato or the $18 Vietti Perbacco Nebbiolo, then look at the Etna Rosso bottles (Tenuta delle Terre Nere 2023 is $82) if you want a bottle. This unrated guide covers the posted drinks list, not service, storage or markups.
North Scottsdale · Scottsdale · American Brasserie
A California-led list with a real glass tier under the big Cabernet bottles: 20 wines carry labeled 6 oz, 9 oz and bottle prices, starting at $13. Start with the Thomas Schmitt Riesling Kabinett at $13 for 6 oz or the Massican Sauvignon Blanc at $18 for 6 oz, and confirm prices because the menu is undated. This unrated guide covers the posted beverage menu, not service, storage or markups.
Fox Point · Providence · American Brasserie
A compact list with three pour sizes: 17 wines come as 6 oz, 9 oz or bottle, and bottles run from $30 to $125. Start with the $10 Chateau Roc de Segur Bordeaux or the $11 Marqués De Valor Albariño, and confirm prices because the list is undated. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Chinatown · Honolulu · American Brasserie
Livestock Tavern is a genuinely good neighborhood hang with a wine list that supports the food without embarrassing itself. The pricing skews steep for Honolulu (not unusual in Hawaii), and the program won't wow a devoted wine nerd — but if you're going for the smoked prime rib or the tavern burger, there's something on this list that'll do the job. Go for the atmosphere and the kitchen; treat the wine as a reliable co-pilot, not the main event.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
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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