Avenue

You're sitting ocean-side at the Jersey Shore and the wine list lands with real French backbone — Burgundy, Bordeaux, Rhône — not the usual coastal filler of Pinot Grigio and overpriced Malbec. The Wine Spectator Award of Excellence (earned in 2025) isn't just a plaque on the wall here; it tracks with what's actually in the book. This is a French-Mediterranean kitchen that built a list to match the food, not the zip code.

The 150-250 bottle list leans hard into France — and that's the right call. Burgundy anchors the program with names like Drouhin, Jadot, and Faiveley covering both Côte de Nuits and Côte de Beaune, while the Rhône shows up with Guigal and Chapoutier representing the full north-to-south spread. Bordeaux classified growths round out the Old World depth, and California Cabernet — Napa Valley focused — gives the New World crowd something to work with. Champagne is represented by the crowd-friendly Veuve Clicquot and Moët & Chandon, which won't surprise anyone but will make the table happy. The list doesn't push boundaries, but it supports the kitchen smartly.

Twelve to twenty pours by the glass is a solid spread for a Shore restaurant of this caliber, and the $12–$22 range keeps it accessible without dumbing it down. We'd expect the glass program to pull from the same French-California axis as the bottle list — which is exactly what you want when the menu leans bouillabaisse and duck confit. Rotation isn't confirmed, but with two sommeliers on staff, there's reason to believe someone is actually paying attention.