Cleveland's Seafood Anchor, Wine List Included
Historic Warehouse District · Cleveland · Seafood · Visit Website ↗
Updated April 2026
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · March 22, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Blue Point Grille’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 Blue Point Grille, the antique bar and floor-to-ceiling windows over the Cleveland skyline do most of the heavy lifting before you even crack the wine list. The list itself feels like a high-end steakhouse's Chardonnay-forward cousin — serious, well-curated, and not particularly surprising. It's a list that knows its audience and doesn't try to impress anyone who wasn't already impressed.
With 150-200 bottles and a clear lean into California whites and Champagne, this list is built for a seafood house crowd that wants familiarity at a premium. Chalk Hill, Cakebread, and Rombauer dominate the Chardonnay section — all crowd-pleasing, recognizable names that move bottles but don't exactly push anyone's boundaries. There's a Champagne presence that fits the room's occasion-dining energy, but explorers looking for Burgundy grower producers or coastal Italian whites may come up short. The global framing hints at broader ambition, but the execution stays safely in the lane of well-known California and French stalwarts.
Twenty to thirty by-the-glass options is a genuinely strong number for a Cleveland seafood restaurant, and with a sommelier on staff, the selection isn't just a random grab-bag. Expect the usual suspects — expect Rombauer to be pouring, expect a Champagne or two to appear — but the depth of the glass program means you can build a solid evening without committing to a bottle. No evidence of active rotation or nightly specials, which is a missed opportunity given the kitchen's seasonal menu.
Chalk Hill Chardonnay — null
Of the Chardonnay trio on this list, Chalk Hill offers the most complexity per dollar relative to the Cakebread and Rombauer entries — it's a Sonoma Coast wine with real texture that tends to be priced a step below its showier neighbors. If you're committing to a bottle with the Nag's Head Grouper, this is where to land.
Duckhorn Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc
Everyone's eyes go straight to the Chardonnays in a seafood house, and Duckhorn's Sauvignon Blanc gets overlooked as a result. It's brighter, leaner, and frankly a better technical match for shellfish and lighter fish dishes — and in a room full of butter-forward Chardonnay drinkers, you'll be the smartest person at your table.
Rombauer Chardonnay
Rombauer is everywhere, which means restaurants know they can charge a premium for it simply because guests recognize the name. In a $$$-$$$$ pricing environment, you're almost certainly paying a significant markup on a wine you could grab at any wine shop — the buzz doesn't justify the restaurant price when better values sit right next to it on the same list.
Duckhorn Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc + Lobster Bisque
The bisque's richness needs something with enough acidity to cut through the cream without steamrolling the lobster itself — Duckhorn's Sauvignon Blanc brings citrus and herbaceous lift that does exactly that, keeping each bite fresh rather than heavy.
The Bottom Line
Blue Point Grille is a reliable, well-run wine program that prioritizes comfort over adventure — and in Cleveland's downtown dining scene, that's not a knock. Send a friend here for a celebratory bottle and solid stemware, but tell them to skip the Rombauer and go straight for the Duckhorn.
University Circle · Cleveland · Regional
Table 45 is a dependable hotel wine list that punches above its Cleveland zip code — it's not adventurous, but it's not embarrassing either. Send a friend here if they want recognizable, quality bottles in a proper setting; steer them toward Jordan and Drouhin and away from the obvious crowd-pleasers.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
Flats East Bank · Cleveland · Italian
Lago East Bank is a legitimately strong Italian wine program in a city that doesn't always get credit for having them — the WS Award of Excellence since 2023 is earned. Markups keep it from being a great value play, but if you're going to drop money on a bottle of Barolo anywhere in Cleveland, this is the room to do it.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
Shaker Square · Cleveland · French
Edwins is one of the most genuinely interesting restaurant stories in Cleveland — a fine-dining French program run by people earning their place in the industry — and the wine list is good enough to stand on its own merits, mission aside. Send a friend here and tell them to order French across the board, from the escargot to the bottle.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Woodmere · Cleveland · American Steakhouse
J. Gilbert's is a reliable, well-stocked steakhouse list that plays it safe with California heavyweights and charges accordingly — nothing groundbreaking, but the Sunday wine deal is one of the better recurring specials in Cleveland and reason enough to plan around it. Come for the filet, drink better than you expected to.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
Gateway District · Cleveland · Italian, American, Steakhouse
The Centro is a reliable pour for downtown Cleveland — the list won't surprise you, the prices will sting a little, but it's a competent wine program for a hotel steakhouse anchored in a beautiful room. Send a friend here if they want familiar bottles and a good steak; steer them elsewhere if they're looking for anything off the beaten path.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Unknown · Cleveland · American Grill
J. Alexander's has no business having this good of a markup on their wine list, but here we are. It's a chain, it's comfortable, and it's offering pours like Austin Hope Cabernet at prices that would embarrass half the independent restaurants in Cleveland — send a friend here without hesitation.
Crowd Pleasers
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Carmel · Carmel By The Sea · Seafood
Catch is a dependable wine stop for a seafood dinner in Carmel — nothing here will disappoint you, but nothing will surprise you either. If you go in with calibrated expectations and order the Schramsberg with your crab, you'll leave happy.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Hood River · Hood River · Seafood
Votum is operating a world-class wine program in a town most people only stop through on the way to a hike — the depth of this cellar belongs in a major city restaurant, and the sommelier presence means you're not navigating it alone. The markups on the prestige bottles will sting, but find your entry point and this list rewards serious attention.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Bowen's Wharf · Newport · Seafood
The Lobster Bar isn't a wine destination, but it's a perfectly competent list for what the restaurant is — a casual waterfront spot where the lobster is the star. Order the Sancerre, eat the oysters, watch the boats.
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.
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