Historic Hotel Charm, Serious About the Finish
Downtown Bethlehem · Allentown · Upscale American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 4, 2026
RagingWine reviewed 1741 on the Terrace at Hotel Bethlehem’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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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.
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Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
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Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Seasonal Rotation
Proper
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Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Seasonal Rotation
Proper
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Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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