Trophy Bottles, Harbor Views, Pay Accordingly
Downtown Waterfront · Newport · Contemporary American Steak and Seafood · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 23, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Forty 1° North – The Grill’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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Wingman Metrics
The wine list at The Grill lands the way the marina views do — impressive at first glance, clearly designed to impress. At roughly 175 labels with a price ceiling that climbs into four figures, this is a list built for people who want to drop serious money on a special occasion. Whether that money is well spent is a different conversation.
The cellar hits the expected luxury checkpoints: Burgundy (including a 2014 DRC Echezeaux), Champagne royalty from Krug to Cristal to Dom Pérignon, Napa heavyweights like Opus One, and Italian icons such as Ornellaia 2011 and Vietti Brunate Barolo 2012. Vega Sicilia Unico 2002 is a genuine flex — that bottle belongs on any serious list. Willamette Valley and Provence round out the geography, keeping Oregon Pinot and rosé drinkers in the game. The gaps show, though: natural wine is absent, the under-$60 tier feels thin, and the list reads more like a greatest-hits collection than a curated perspective.
By-the-glass specifics aren't confirmed, which is itself a mild yellow flag — a list this size should be shouting its glass program from the rooftop bar. If you're not ordering a bottle, ask your server what's open; a place with this inventory should have something worth pouring. Don't default to the obvious.
Vietti Brunate Barolo 2012 — null
Vietti's Brunate is one of the great single-vineyard Barolos — structured, age-worthy, and still approachable at 12 years out. On a list full of hype bottles, this one quietly delivers the most wine per dollar of the prestige tier. Price not confirmed, but it's the move if you're spending big and want substance over status.
Tenuta dell'Ornellaia Ornellaia Bolgheri 2011
Bolgheri gets overshadowed by Burgundy and Napa on lists like this, but the 2011 Ornellaia is a sleeper hit — a Bordeaux-style Super Tuscan that's hitting its stride right now. Guests fixated on the DRC and Opus One walk right past it. Their loss.
Veuve Clicquot Brut Champagne NV
At $110 a bottle, you're paying a steep premium for a label that costs half that at any decent wine shop. Veuve is reliable, sure, but this is a list with actual Champagne worth drinking — Krug, Cristal, Dom Pérignon. If you're going Champagne here, go all the way or skip it entirely.
Chateau d'Yquem Bordeaux 1999 + Local Oysters
Classic move, and it earns its reputation. The 1999 d'Yquem is honeyed and electric with acidity — it plays off the brine of Newport oysters in a way that feels almost unfair. Yes, it's $490. Yes, it's worth it if you're already at the table.
✔️ The Bottom Line
The Grill is a reliable stop for a well-heeled special occasion — the trophy bottles are real, the setting is legitimately great, and the food program backs up the ambition. Just know you're paying Newport waterfront prices with Newport waterfront markups, so choose your bottle wisely.
Outskirts / North End · Newport · Farm-to-Table / Winery Restaurant
Brix isn't trying to be a destination wine list — it's trying to be a great ambassador for one vineyard's work, and it mostly succeeds. Send your curious friends here; send your Burgundy obsessives somewhere else.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Lower Thames · Newport · Farm-to-Table / New American
TSK is quietly one of the better wine lists in Newport, which is a town that doesn't exactly set a high bar — but this one would hold its own in most cities. If you're eating farm-to-table food and want a bottle that actually matches the kitchen's ethos, this is your spot.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Lower Thames / Residential Edge · Newport · Classic Italian
Mamma Luisa isn't a wine destination, but it's a solid, honest Italian list that does right by the food coming out of the kitchen. Send a friend here for a bottle of Barbera and a bowl of homemade pasta and they'll thank you.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Lower Thames · Newport · Italian (Apulian/Seafood-Focused)
Vieste isn't a destination wine list, but it's a genuinely honest one — a small, region-focused selection that actually matches the food and the room. Send a friend here if they're curious about Southern Italian grapes and tired of the same ten wines on every Newport menu.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown / Bannister's Wharf Area · Newport · New American small plates with Mediterranean and raw bar focus
Stoneacre Garden punches above its weight for a patio bar on the Newport waterfront — it's not a destination wine list, but it's a thoughtful one built around the food, and that's rarer than it should be. If you're here for oysters and small plates, you'll drink well without overthinking it.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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
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