Butch's Dry Dock
West Michigan's best wine secret, no passport required
Holland · Holland · American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 8, 2026
Wingman Metrics
First Impression
You walk into a cozy nautical bistro on a quiet Michigan main street and the wine list hits you like a left hook — 200-plus selections, Gaja Barbaresco, Opus One, Antinori Super Tuscans. This is not what you expected from Holland, Michigan. Someone here genuinely cares.
Selection Deep Dive
The California anchors are exactly what upscale American diners want — Caymus, Jordan, Silver Oak, Stag's Leap, Duckhorn — but the list earns its Best of Award of Excellence (held since 2005, no fluke) by not stopping there. France shows up seriously with Louis Jadot Burgundy and Château Margaux on the high end, while Italy brings Antinori's Super Tuscans and Gaja Barbaresco to give the list genuine depth and some old-world credibility. The $35-to-$200-plus price spread means there's a real entry point for everyone, not just the table ordering the bone-in ribeye. Matthew Campbell is the sommelier on staff, and you feel that — this list reads like someone actually built it with intention rather than just ordering whatever the distributor pushed.
By the Glass
Twenty to thirty-five glass pours is an uncommonly strong program for a mid-size Midwest bistro, and with Rombauer Chardonnay and selections from the California and French core likely rotating through, you're not stuck choosing between three uninspired options. Wednesday's half-price wine night means those pours become some of the best deals in the state — show up, order well, don't overthink it.
Domaine Serene Evenstad Reserve Pinot Noir 2020 — $85
Domaine Serene's Evenstad Reserve is a consistently serious Oregon Pinot that retails close to $60-65 — at $85 in a restaurant with this caliber of list and service, that's a fair pour. It's the kind of wine that quietly outperforms everything around it at the price point.
Gaja Barbaresco
Most tables here are going straight for the Caymus or Silver Oak, which means the Gaja Barbaresco is sitting there undisturbed. Gaja is one of the most important names in Italian wine — Barbaresco at this level is a genuine experience, and the people ordering the Dry Dock Burger are leaving it on the table.
Château Margaux 2018
At $750, this is trophy wine territory — and unless it's a very specific occasion, you're paying a premium to have a famous label on the table rather than to drink better wine. There are far more interesting bottles in the $85-$145 range on this list that will actually make your dinner.
Duckhorn Napa Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 + Seared Scallops
Counterintuitive on paper, but Duckhorn's Napa Cab has enough plush fruit and restrained tannin that it doesn't bulldoze delicate proteins the way an aggressive Cab would — and the slight sweetness in seared scallops plays off the wine's ripe dark fruit without either one losing ground.
Wednesday — Half-price wine night every Wednesday — applies to bottles and makes an already fair list genuinely exceptional value.
🔥 The Bottom Line
Butch's Dry Dock is the kind of wine program that makes you recalibrate your assumptions about small-city dining — a committed sommelier, a list with real range and fair pricing, and a Wednesday half-price night that should be illegal. Yes, send your friends here for wine.
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