Grasing's
Carmel's Crown Jewel Earns Every Bottle
Carmel By The Sea · Carmel By The Sea · American, Steakhouse · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 5, 2026
Wingman Metrics
First Impression
The wine list at Grasing's arrives with the kind of weight that makes you sit up straighter. Four hundred to six hundred selections spanning California cult producers to old-world royalty — this is not a list assembled by accident. Wine Spectator handed them a Grand Award in 2024, and honestly, one pass through the pages tells you why.
Selection Deep Dive
California is the obvious backbone here, and it's stacked: Kosta Browne, Sea Smoke, Aubert, Peter Michael, Opus One, Caymus Special Selection, and — yes — Harlan and Screaming Eagle for those willing to drop serious cash. The European depth is equally serious, with Domaine de la Romanée-Conti representing Burgundy at the absolute summit, Château Lafite anchoring Bordeaux, and Italy covered by Gaja Barbaresco and Sassicaia from Piedmont and Tuscany respectively. Spain gets a nod, though it feels like the weakest corner of an otherwise exceptional list. The range from approachable weeknight bottles up through trophy wine territory is genuinely impressive for a restaurant this size in a town this small.
By the Glass
Twenty to thirty-five pours by the glass is a generous program, and for Carmel that's practically a wine bar situation. We'd expect the glass list to rotate through some of the California heavy-hitters the cellar is built around, giving casual diners a real shot at quality without committing to a full bottle. The upside of a list this deep is that even the by-the-glass options likely outperform what you'd find at most comparable restaurants up and down Highway 1.
Sea Smoke Pinot Noir — $50
Sea Smoke is legitimately hard to get and commands premium prices at retail. Finding it on a restaurant list at an entry-level price point — if you can catch it before the steakhouse crowd does — is a genuine win for anyone who loves Santa Barbara Pinot.
Gaja Barbaresco
Most people at a California-focused steakhouse head straight for the Napa Cabs and Pinots. Gaja Barbaresco is one of Italy's most age-worthy and complex wines, and it's criminally underordered in rooms like this. With the rack of lamb on the table, it's a different level.
Caymus Vineyards Special Selection Cabernet Sauvignon
Look, Caymus Special Selection is a fine wine. It's also one of the most marked-up bottles in American restaurants because the name sells itself. In a list that has Harlan Estate and Peter Michael, spending big on Caymus feels like ordering the safe option at a place that's begging you not to.
Peter Michael Winery Chardonnay + Pan-roasted local fish
Peter Michael's Chardonnay — rich, precise, with enough acidity to stay alive on the palate — is made for exactly this moment. Local fish from the Monterey coast, roasted until the skin crisps up, against a wine built in the hills above Sonoma. This is the Carmel experience done right.
🔥 The Bottom Line
Grasing's is the real deal — a Grand Award wine list in a genuinely beautiful setting, with the kind of cellar depth that justifies the drive to Carmel all on its own. Go with a budget, go with someone who loves wine, and don't order the Caymus.
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