Deep Cellar at the Edge of the World
Deer Isle · Portland · Seafood Fine Dining · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed May 1, 2026
Wingman Metrics
You drive forty-five minutes down a peninsula to get here, and then the wine list lands on the table with 820 selections. It stops you cold. This isn't a resort wine list padded with crowd-pleasers — it's a genuine cellar built by someone who cares deeply about what ends up in your glass.
France dominates the serious end of the list, with Burgundy and Champagne carrying the most weight, backed by strong Loire and Piedmont representation — exactly the regions you want when the kitchen is running local Maine shellfish and charcuterie all night. DRC and Opus One are on there for the flex buyers, but the list earns its reputation well below those price points. California shows up with Kistler and Caymus Special Selection anchoring the domestic side, which keeps West Coast loyalists happy without the list leaning on them as a crutch. The gaps are minor; this is as complete a wine program as you'll find anywhere on the Maine coast, full stop.
Twelve to twenty by-the-glass options is a respectable spread for a destination restaurant of this size, and the markups on glass pours are notably restrained — the Folle Noire at $14 and the Portuguese reds in the low teens suggest real thought went into accessibility. We'd like to see more rotation to keep regulars guessing, but what's there is solid and fairly priced.
Aragónez — $45/bottle
A $20 retail bottle on the list for $45 is genuinely fair by fine dining standards, and Aragónez — the Portuguese name for Tempranillo — brings enough structure and dark fruit to hold its own next to a rich lobster preparation. It's an honest pour at an honest price.
Folle Noire
Most tables will walk right past this and reach for something French or Californian, which is exactly why you shouldn't. Folle Noire is an obscure, low-production variety that rarely shows up on any list, let alone one in coastal Maine. At $55 a bottle it's one of the more interesting calls you can make here.
Caymus Special Selection
Caymus Special Selection is fine wine, but it's also one of the most reliably over-ordered, over-allocated bottles in American restaurants. You're at one of the best seafood programs in New England with 820 bottles to choose from — ordering the Caymus is like driving to the coast and getting a cheeseburger.
Folle Noire + Maine lobster
The earthy, slightly rustic character of Folle Noire cuts against the richness of Maine lobster in a way that a buttery California Chardonnay just doesn't. It's an unexpected call that the kitchen and the cellar both seem built to reward.
🔥 The Bottom Line
Aragosta is the rare case where the wine program matches the remoteness of the drive — you come all the way out here and find a 3,475-bottle cellar waiting for you. Yes, send your friends. Send everyone.
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