Historic Hotel Charm, Serious About the Finish
Downtown Bethlehem · Allentown · Upscale American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed July 4, 2026
Wingman Metrics
Walking into 1741 on the Terrace, the setting does a lot of the heavy lifting — Palladian windows, historic bones, the kind of room that makes you want to order something with a cork. The wine list arrives and matches the energy: polished, respectable, not trying to impress you with obscure producers, but clearly put together by someone who knows what they're doing.
The list sits comfortably in the 50-80 bottle range with a Americas-leaning backbone and enough global representation to keep things interesting. Where 1741 genuinely earns its keep is the dessert and fortified wine section — Dow's 2013 Quinta do Bomfim Vintage Porto, Smith Woodhouse 20 Year Old Tawny, Blandy's 5 Year Old Bual Madeira, and La Tour Blanche 'Emotions' Sauternes is a murderers' row of sweet wine options that most restaurants in this zip code wouldn't touch. The table wine selection plays it safe but competently — expect solid American producers with some international depth. There's a sommelier on staff, which shows in the curation even if the list doesn't swing for the fences.
Ten to sixteen options by the glass is a respectable spread for a hotel restaurant in the Lehigh Valley. The program doesn't appear to rotate aggressively — it feels curated once and maintained, rather than constantly refreshed. What's there is reliably good, but don't expect seasonal surprises on the pour list.
Smith Woodhouse 20 Year Old Tawny Port — null
A 20-year Tawny from Smith Woodhouse — a house that punches well above its name recognition — is the kind of pour most people walk right past. Aged Tawny at a historic hotel restaurant is exactly the right wine in exactly the right room. Order it as a digestif and feel appropriately civilized.
Blandy's 5 Year Old Bual Madeira
Madeira is one of the most underrated fortified wines on the planet — virtually indestructible, complex, and endlessly versatile. Blandy's is the benchmark producer and the Bual style sits in a beautiful medium-rich sweet spot. Most tables will ignore this. Those tables are wrong.
Russo 1899 Limoncello d'Amalfi Liqueur
At a fine dining restaurant with a fortified wine selection this strong, ordering a limoncello is a waste of the room. It's not bad — it's just the least interesting thing on a list that has actual Sauternes and Vintage Porto on it. Save the limoncello for the pizza place.
La Tour Blanche 'Emotions' Sauternes + Seasonal dessert from Chef Rodney Rivera's menu
La Tour Blanche is a first-growth Sauternes property and 'Emotions' is their approachable tier — honeyed, apricot-forward, with enough acidity to keep things lively. Set it against whatever seasonal dessert Rivera is running and you've got the kind of finish to a meal that makes the drive home feel shorter.
✔️ The Bottom Line
1741 on the Terrace isn't trying to be a wine destination, but the fortified and dessert wine program alone is worth the visit — it's genuinely rare to find this much care put into the end-of-meal pours. Come for the atmosphere, stay through dessert.
Bethlehem Historic District · Allentown · Upscale New American with French-Asian influences
Edge is a dependable night out for wine in a market that doesn't always take the glass seriously — the list won't dazzle you, but it won't embarrass you either. Send a friend here knowing they'll drink well; just steer them away from the rosé markup.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Bethlehem/Lehigh Valley region · Allentown · Fusion/Eclectic Bistro
Twisted Olive is a solid neighborhood wine stop — fair prices, familiar faces on the list, nothing that'll blow your mind but nothing that'll ruin your night either. Send a friend here for a casual Wednesday dinner, not a special occasion splurge.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Bethlehem/Wind Creek Resort · Allentown · Steakhouse
Chop House does what a casino steakhouse wine list is supposed to do: it stocks the names people recognize, charges casino prices for them, and gets out of the way. If you're here for the prime ribeye and a bottle of Jordan, you'll leave happy — just don't look too hard at the markups.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Bethlehem · Allentown · Contemporary American Rooftop
Zest isn't where you go to geek out on wine, but it is where you go to drink something decent while watching the sun dip over Bethlehem without dropping $100. For a rooftop bar, this list is honest, fairly priced, and does exactly what it promises.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
Seidersville / Allentown–Bethlehem Border · Allentown · Farm-to-Table New American
Bolete is the best wine list in the Lehigh Valley by a comfortable margin, and it would hold its own in most major cities. If you're driving 45 minutes for dinner, the wine list alone makes it worth the trip.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Seasonal Rotation
Proper
West End · Allentown · Contemporary American Steak and Seafood
Westside Grill is the dependable date-night wine list you've seen a hundred times — California hits, a few smart French imports, markups that lean steep but not insulting. It's not a destination for wine lovers, but it won't ruin your dinner either.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown · Topeka · Upscale American
Luis' Place isn't a wine destination, but for a small reservation-only room in downtown Topeka, it's doing something honest and intentional with a short Franco-Italian list that actually fits its format. Send a friend here for a special dinner — just know you're coming for the experience, not the cellar.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
Reynolda / North Winston-Salem · Winston Salem · Upscale American
Graylyn Estate is a genuinely beautiful place to have dinner, but the wine list is an afterthought in a room that deserves intention. Order the sea bass, grab the La Crema, and try not to think too hard about what this list could have been.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Belmont Shore · Long Beach · Upscale American
Nick's on 2nd is a dependable neighborhood wine stop — solid list, familiar producers, nothing that'll blow your mind but nothing that'll disappoint a table of mixed drinkers. Send a friend here for a date night, just tell them to order the Duckhorn and leave the Jordan for someone else.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.