Cincinnati's Most Serious French Wine Program
OTR · Cincinnati · French · Visit Website ↗
Updated June 2026
Reviewed March 28, 2026
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Colette hits you like walking into a well-stocked cave in the Loire — specific, opinionated, and clearly built by someone who actually cares. This isn't a list assembled by a corporate consultant hitting a checklist; it's a 75-120 bottle argument for why France still runs the table. OTR doesn't exactly have a reputation as a wine destination, but Colette is quietly changing that.
The French focus here is surgical — Loire Valley, Burgundy, Alsace, Rhône, Provence, Languedoc, Corsica, and even Lorraine and Sud Ouest all show up with purpose. Producers like Thierry Germain, Alain Graillot, and Pierre Morey aren't names you throw on a list to fill space; these are growers with serious reputations and limited allocations. The natural wine thread running through the list — pét-nats, skin-contact, low-intervention — sits alongside more classical picks without ever feeling like a gimmick. The only gap worth noting is a near-total absence of non-French bottles, which will delight the Francophile and mildly frustrate anyone looking for an Italian or Spanish anchor.
The by-the-glass program runs 12-20 options and reflects the same terroir-obsessed curation as the bottle list — you're not just getting a house white here, you're choosing between a Muscadet from Jérémie Huchet and a Chablis from Château de Béru. That's genuinely rare for Cincinnati, or frankly most mid-sized American cities. Rotation appears intentional rather than reactive, which suggests the team is actively managing the glass program rather than just dumping slow-moving bottles into it.
Sauvignon Blanc Dom. Vincent Ricard Touraine 'Pierre á Feu' Loire '23 — Unknown
Touraine Sauvignon Blanc is one of the steals of the Loire — all the bright, stony character of Sancerre at a fraction of the cost. Ricard is a solid producer and this vintage is drinking well right now. If Colette is pricing it fairly (and all signs suggest they are), this is the move for the table that wants a crisp white without the Sancerre markup.
Vermentinu Clos Venturi '1769' Corsica '23
Most people see Corsica on a wine list and skip past it entirely — their loss. Clos Venturi is one of the island's benchmark producers, and Vermentinu in their hands has a saline, herbal tension that's unlike almost anything else on the list. It's the kind of bottle that makes you feel like you discovered something.
Chardonnay Dom. Pierre Morey Côte d'Or Burgundy '22
Pierre Morey is a respected name in Burgundy and this is a genuinely good wine — but Côte d'Or Chardonnay at a fine dining restaurant is where markups tend to stack up fast. At a $$$ price point restaurant, you're almost certainly paying a significant premium over retail for the Burgundy pedigree. The Rijckaert Bourgogne Blanc Vieilles Vignes or the Château de Béru Chablis will get you into comparable Burgundy terroir territory with less sticker shock.
Marsanne+ Alain Graillot Croze-Hermitage Rhône '23 + French-leaning fish or seafood preparation
Graillot's Croze-Hermitage white is rich and structured with that waxy, stone-fruit character Marsanne does in the northern Rhône — it can stand up to cream sauces, roasted fish, or anything with a little weight to it. At a French restaurant of this caliber, there's almost certainly something on the menu that wants exactly this wine.
🔥 The Bottom Line
Colette is the best wine list in Cincinnati and it's not close — a focused, intelligent French program with real producers, a sommelier who clearly wrote the list rather than inherited it, and pricing that doesn't punish you for drinking well. Send your wine-curious friends here without hesitation.
Downtown · Cincinnati · Steakhouse
Ruth's Chris Cincinnati is a reliable, well-stocked steakhouse list that delivers exactly what it promises — big California reds, proper storage, and a bottle for every budget above $50. Just don't come expecting discovery; come expecting execution.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
Over-the-Rhine · Cincinnati · Tapas / Mediterranean-inspired small plates
Abigail Street is a Wild Card because nobody walks into a tapas spot in OTR expecting Lebanese orange wines and Champagne from Bollinger — but here we are. The markup math on the tap program stings, but the top half of this list is doing real work and earns a recommendation.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
North / Kenwood area · Cincinnati · New American / Grill & Wine Bar
Seasons 52 Cincinnati is a chain wine program that punches above its weight class on volume and actually tries — Monday half-price bottles are a legitimate reason to show up on a specific night. Just go in knowing this is a crowd-pleaser list, not a discovery list, and you'll leave satisfied.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
Mason · Cincinnati · West Coast–style American (brunch-focused cafe)
Maplewood Mason isn't a wine destination, but it's not trying to be — the list is fair, accessible, and has just enough personality (Stolpman, Jezebel Blanc) to keep it from being totally forgettable. If you're here for brunch, grab a glass and don't overthink it.
Plays It Safe
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Hyde Park · Cincinnati · Italian (housemade pasta, wood-fired pizza)
Forno Hyde Park is a reliable neighborhood wine program that doesn't embarrass itself — solid Italian range, reasonable glass pours, and a Wood-Down Wednesday deal that genuinely changes the math on the better bottles. The markups on everyday bottles are hard to ignore, but if you time it right and order smart, there's a real dinner here.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
Newport (Greater Cincinnati Riverfront) · Cincinnati · Seafood
Chart House delivers exactly what it promises: a reliable, unadventurous wine list in a spectacular waterfront setting. Come for the view and the lobster bisque — just don't expect the wine list to match the scenery.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
West Hartford Center · Hartford · French
Avert is a reliable wine stop if you're already going for the duck confit and don't want to overthink it — the French-focused list is competent and the by-the-glass count is genuinely impressive for West Hartford. Just watch the top end of the bottle list, where markups quietly get away from you.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Gainesville · Gainesville · French
Alpin Bistro is doing something genuinely rare in North Florida: building a focused, France-first wine list with real producers and fair pricing on the bottles that matter. The Wednesday BOGO is the best wine deal in Gainesville — show up with a friend and let the Loire Valley do its thing.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
College Hill · Wichita · French
Georges is doing something genuinely impressive for its market — a focused, honest French wine list in a city where that's not a given. It's not a deep cellar and the BTG program could use more energy, but as a neighborhood bistro wine experience, it punches well above its zip code.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
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.