Umi Japanese Steakhouse & Sushi

You open the drink menu at Umi and the wine section is basically a footnote. Twenty-two labels total, and the list reads like a supermarket endcap — familiar names, zero surprises, nothing that makes you feel like wine was part of the plan here.

The list leans almost entirely on California Cabernet Sauvignon, which is a curious call for a Japanese steakhouse where lighter reds, sake, and crisp whites would actually make sense with the food. Robert Mondavi and Louis M. Martini anchor the program, and while both are perfectly drinkable, they're also the kind of wines you grab when you're late to a potluck. There's no detectable regional curiosity here — no domestic Pinot, no Riesling, no anything that nods to the cuisine on the other side of the menu. The gaps aren't interesting; they're just gaps.

Sixteen by-the-glass options sounds generous until you realize the list is only 22 bottles deep — meaning most of the program lives on the glass menu by default, not by design. House pours run $8.50 to $9 a glass, which is reasonable for Winston-Salem, but don't expect rotation or anything poured with intention. What's there is there, and it'll stay there.