Visit the Hawaiian islands, Whitehall Lane Winery style

Aloha, ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to Whitehall Lane Air.

In this post, we’re going wheels up and heading to the balmy Hawaiian Islands. With so many Whitehall Lane enthusiasts visiting the Aloha State during these high-season months, we thought we’d showcase some of our restaurant partners so folks don’t have to go without their favorite Whitehall pours while they’re in the islands.

As we hope they say in Hawaii — Whitehall Lane no ka oi!

Oahu

Stage Restaurant at Honolulu Design Center, 1250 Kapiolani Blvd., second floor, Honolulu, 808-237-5429, www.stagerestauranthawaii.com

Stage Restaurant calls itself a fusion of fashion and contemporary Asian-American cuisine. The restaurant’s soaring space, a little bit of Vegas amid the palms, features a stylish brew of lighting, artwork and furnishings deployed to make a statement. Look to pair robust ’09 Napa Valley Merlot, served by the glass, with a peppered pastrami sandwich (the merlot’s fruit nicely playing off the pepper and chili aïoli). Over at AMUSE Wine Bar, bottles from Stage’s cellar are poured by the ounce from gleaming silver dispensers. Insert your wine card to try the ’10 Tre Leoni, the inaugural release of this ferociously drinkable proprietary red blend.

3660 on the Rise, 3660 Waialae Ave., Honolulu, 808-737-1177, www.3660.com

This restaurant has served its highly regarded mingling of European, Asian and local island cuisines for more than 20 years. Longevity like that is rare in the restaurant business. Sit at the bar, sip lively ’11 Napa Valley Sauvignon Banc by the glass, and graze on starters like chilled oysters on the half shell sprinkled with salty pops of tobiko or ahi katsu spiked with wasabi-ginger sauce. From the main menu, you might pair the ’09 Napa Valley Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, fashioned from Whitehall’s finest vineyard blocks, with macadamia nut-crusted rack of lamb or Certified Angus Beef New York steak massaged with Hawaiian salt.

Maui

Gannon’s, 100 Wailea Golf Club Drive, Wailea, 808-875-8080, www.gannonsrestaurant.com

Gannon’s, perched on a hillside, offers ridiculously beautiful views of Maui, the Pacific and the setting sun. Chef-owner Bev Gannon is a James Beard Award nominee. Like several other restaurants on Maui, Gannon’s serves Whitehall’s ’09 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. At lunch, you might match the wine’s rich, plentiful fruit to Korean short rib (bulgogi) sandwiches or to Hali’imaile ribs with Asian slaw (Hali’imaile General Store is Gannon’s first restaurant on Maui). Hawaiian salt-crusted rib-eye simply cries out for the ’09 Cab at dinner.

Lahaina Prime Rib & Fish Co., 831 Front St., Lahaina, 808-661-3472, www.lahainaprimeribandfishco.com

Short of slurping opihi (Hawaiian limpets) on a rock, it would be difficult to dine more oceanfront than at Lahaina Prime Rib and Fish — the waves literally lap at the pylons supporting the restaurant. Inside, the menu delivers plenty of pairings for the ’09 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon: a primo burger whose grilled pineapple picks up both the fruit and the tannins in the wine, Maui-style pork ribs, Hawaiian-style beef kabobs bathed in sweet soy sauce marinade (another complement to the wine’s lush fruit), and four cuts of Certified Angus Beef prime rib. The relaxed vibe at Lahaina Prime Rib is as approachable as the wine.