Ocean 44 Fayetteville
Nice Fish, Shame About the Wine Markups
South Fayetteville · Fayetteville · Seafood
Reviewed April 15, 2026
Wingman Metrics
First Impression
The wine list at Ocean 44 reads like a greatest hits compilation from a mid-2000s chain steakhouse — Cakebread, Duckhorn, Kim Crawford, Meiomi. It's recognizable, it's safe, and it's going to cost you. There are a few legitimate bright spots buried in there, but you have to want to find them.
Selection Deep Dive
California dominates, with the occasional French cameo to keep things from feeling completely one-dimensional. The standouts — Brewer-Clifton Sta. Rita Hills Chardonnay, Heitz 'Quartz Creek Vineyard' Oak Knoll Cab, and Dom Long-Depaquit 'Vaillons' Premier Cru Chablis — suggest someone on the buying side has actual taste. The problem is those picks are surrounded by grocery store regulars like Josh Cellars Cab and Meiomi Pinot, which belong nowhere near a seafood-focused fine dining list. The California-centric focus also means white Burgundy fans, Champagne lovers, and anyone who drinks outside the mainstream will be working with limited options.
By the Glass
By-the-glass specifics weren't available in our research, so we can't tell you exactly what's pouring. Given the bottle list skews heavily toward recognizable brands, expect the glass pours to follow suit — think La Crema, Kim Crawford, maybe a Meiomi if you're unlucky. Rotation appears to be minimal.
Dom Long-Depaquit 'Vaillons' 1er Cru Chablis — Unknown — check current menu
If you're eating seafood, this is the move. Premier Cru Chablis is exactly what oysters, halibut, and anything briny were made for — and Long-Depaquit is a serious Chablis producer. On a list this safe, it sticks out like a good idea at a bad meeting.
Brewer-Clifton 2023 Sta. Rita Hills Chardonnay
Most people at a seafood restaurant reach for the most familiar Chardonnay on the list. Don't. Brewer-Clifton out of Sta. Rita Hills makes Chardonnay with actual tension and minerality — nothing like the buttery California standard. It's the most interesting white on this list and most diners will scroll right past it.
Josh Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon 2022
At $38 for a bottle of Josh Cellars — a wine that retails for $12 at your grocery store — this is a 217% markup on a wine that has no business being on a restaurant list at all. Order literally anything else.
Dom Long-Depaquit 'Vaillons' 1er Cru Chablis + Fresh oysters or any roasted halibut preparation
Premier Cru Chablis and shellfish is one of the least controversial pairings in wine — the saline, flinty character of Vaillons cuts straight through the brine and fat of oysters or a butter-basted white fish. It's the one moment on this list where the wine program earns its keep.
Wednesday — Half-price bottles of wine all night on select list, dine-in only. This is the only time the markups become defensible — pencil it in.
❌ The Bottom Line
Ocean 44 has the bones of a good wine program — a few genuinely exciting producers fighting for attention amid a sea of supermarket staples — but the markups on the commodity bottles are hard to forgive. Come on Wednesday when bottles are half price, order the Brewer-Clifton or the Chablis, and pretend the Josh Cellars doesn't exist.
Comments
Get the Weekly Wingman
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.