A Short List That Plays It Very Safe
· Stowe · Vermont American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · September 27, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Green Mountain Inn Dining Room’s wine list and gave it The Lazy List — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Ten bottles. That's the list. At a historic inn in Stowe — a destination where people drive hours to relax and spend money — ten bottles feels less like curation and more like someone filled out a wine order form in five minutes. The price range runs from $39 to $137, which sounds fine until you look at what's in between.
The list covers all the obvious bases: a couple of sparklers, a few whites, a few reds, a Malbec for the person who always orders Malbec. What's missing is any sense of place, adventure, or editorial point of view. There are no Vermont producers, no old-world depth, and nothing that suggests someone at this restaurant thinks hard about wine. Alois Lageder Pinot Grigio is a decent Alto Adige producer and the one moment of genuine quality here, but it's surrounded by workhorse brands like Tree Fort and Charles & Charles that belong more on a chain restaurant menu than an inn dining room. The Le Mesnil Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru at $137 is the lone outlier — a legitimate bottle — but it sits awkwardly atop a list that otherwise doesn't earn it.
By-the-glass options are not documented in available sources, so we can't tell you what's actually available to pour. Given the size of this list, assume limited options. If you're lucky, a couple of the whites and reds make it to the glass program — but don't count on it.
The Bottom Line
The Green Mountain Inn is a beloved Stowe institution, and the dining room presumably does fine work with Vermont ingredients — but the wine list is an afterthought. Ten bottles, no local producers, limited transparency on by-the-glass options, and a markup structure that doesn't reward loyalty. If wine matters to your dinner, this is not the reason you're staying here.
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Tipsy Trout is a solid resort wine program — not adventurous, not embarrassing, and priced exactly how you'd expect a mountain lodge with a view to price it. Come for the raw bar and the scenery; just don't expect the wine list to be the reason you made the reservation.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Mountain Road corridor · Stowe · Wine Bar
Dedalus Stowe is a legit wild card — a destination wine bar hiding in plain sight on a ski mountain road. If you care about what's in your glass, detour here before or after the slopes.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Stowe Village · Stowe · Breakfast and Dinner Cafe / American
Butler's Pantry isn't here to impress wine nerds — it's here to make sure your dinner in Stowe doesn't come with a bad pour. For that, it mostly delivers.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Trapp Hill Road / East Stowe · Stowe · Beer Hall, Austrian
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Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Topnotch / Mountain Road · Stowe · Resort Restaurant, American
Flannel is a beautiful room serving a wine list that couldn't care less about the room it's in. If you're here, order a cocktail or budget for the Santa Margherita and move on — there's no wine discovery happening tonight.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Mountain Road · Stowe · Italian
Trattoria La Festa is not a destination for the wine list — it's a destination for the atmosphere, the pasta, and crucially, Wednesday night, when every bottle under $100 goes half-price and suddenly a $50 Antinori feels like a very smart midweek decision. Go on a Wednesday, order the Bramito, and stop overthinking it.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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