Safe Pours in a Bourbon Town
Summit at Fritz Farm · Lexington · New American / Southern · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed June 4, 2026
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at 33 Staves reads exactly like you'd expect from a polished hotel restaurant in a bourbon-first city — recognizable labels, zero surprises, nothing that'll make you put down your Woodford Reserve. It's a list built for guests who want something familiar alongside their shrimp and grits, and it delivers on that narrow brief.
California dominates, with France and Italy showing up to round things out. The roster leans hard on brands that move fast in hotel dining rooms — Josh Cellars, Meiomi, Stag's Leap, Whispering Angel — which tells you this program was curated for ease of recognition rather than depth of discovery. There's nothing wrong with what's here, but the Pacific Northwest and Italy feel like afterthoughts rather than genuine commitments. If you're hoping to stumble onto a grower Champagne or a Willamette Valley outlier, you won't find it.
Ten to sixteen options by the glass is a reasonable spread for this kind of room, and the price range of $10–$18 is consistent with hotel dining in a mid-market city. The selections mirror the bottle list — crowd-friendly, brand-forward, no rotation surprises. Don't expect the pours to change with the seasons.
Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Chardonnay Napa Valley — $38
Stag's Leap carries serious name recognition and consistent quality. If the bottle lands at the lower end of their pricing tier, it's the most credible wine on the list relative to what you're paying.
La Marca Prosecco
It's not glamorous, but ordering bubbles at a bourbon-centric hotel restaurant is an underrated move — La Marca is clean, food-friendly, and flies under the radar here while everyone else defaults to red.
Whispering Angel Rosé Provence
Whispering Angel carries a lifestyle premium that hotels love to exploit. You're paying for the bottle design as much as the wine, and hotel markup on an already overpriced brand is a losing proposition.
Meiomi Pinot Noir California + Shrimp and Grits
Meiomi runs ripe and soft with enough fruit to hold up against a creamy, smoky shrimp and grits without overwhelming it — and it's the kind of easy red that won't polarize a table.
✔️ The Bottom Line
33 Staves is a perfectly competent hotel wine list in a city where nobody's really coming for the wine. Drink it for what it is, keep your expectations calibrated, and save the serious bottle hunting for somewhere else.
South Lexington / Harrodsburg Road · Lexington · Italian, Contemporary Italian, Seafood
Giuseppe's isn't a wine destination, but Monday night half-price bottles make it one of the better value plays in Lexington — show up then, lean on the seafood, and you'll leave happy. Any other night, the markups ask a lot and the list doesn't ask you to think very hard.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
Lansdowne / Nicholasville Road · Lexington · Italian-American
Sutton's isn't a wine destination, but it's a perfectly reasonable place to drink a bottle of Chianti while someone else handles the cooking. The Tignanello alone earns this list a second look if you know to ask for it.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown / Gratz Park · Lexington · New American / Southern
Jonathan at Gratz Park is the kind of reliable wine room you'd expect from a historic inn with a real sommelier — competent, well-stocked, and leaning safe. Pricing is on the steeper side and the list won't surprise you, but in Lexington, this is still one of the better places to order a full bottle with dinner.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Palomar / Harrodsburg Road · Lexington · Italian, Seasonal American-Influenced
Bella Notte isn't a wine destination, but it's a reliable neighborhood spot with one genuinely smart move: Thursday half-price bottles turn a steep list into a real value play. Go on a Thursday, order the Decoy Cab with a wood-grilled steak, and you'll leave happy.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
Downtown · Lexington · Italian
ItalX is a dependable Italian wine list for a night out downtown — not exciting, but not embarrassing either. Send a friend here knowing they'll drink well enough, as long as they steer toward the Italian reds and away from the obvious tourist traps.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown · Lexington · Contemporary American
Lockbox is the wine list of a restaurant that cares about wine but hasn't fully committed to obsessing over it — solid producers, a bit steep on price, and playing it safe where it could take chances. Send a friend here knowing they'll drink well; just tell them to skip the rosé and go straight for the Jadot.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.