Finger Lakes views, serious wine, real surprises
Fairport · Fairport · American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 18, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Horizons Modern Kitchen + Wine Bar’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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Wingman Metrics
You're on top of the highest point in Monroe County, looking out at rolling Finger Lakes hills and the Rochester skyline, and somehow the wine list keeps pace with the scenery. This isn't a hotel bar coasting on the view — the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence since 2023 tells you something real is happening here. Two named sommeliers on staff is not a thing most suburban New York restaurants can say.
The 100-150 bottle list covers California, France, Italy, and New York with enough conviction to justify the range. You've got Kistler Chardonnay and Jordan Cab holding down the California end, Antinori Tignanello pulling serious weight on the Italian side, and Louis Jadot keeping France honest. The real sleeper move is the Finger Lakes representation — Scarbrough Wine Co. and Red Newt Cellars sitting alongside those bigger names signals that someone here actually gives a damn about what's growing 30 miles away. Gaps exist — the list doesn't go especially deep into Burgundy or Rhône — but for Fairport, New York, this is genuinely impressive.
Twenty to thirty pours by the glass is an ambitious program for this market, and the $12–$18 price window is honest for the quality level on offer. We'd expect the Finger Lakes options to anchor the local section, with California and France filling out the rest — a solid daily rotation without a lot of adventure, but well-curated. If the sommeliers are steering the BTG program, there's a good chance what's open is fresh and worth drinking.
Red Newt Cellars Finger Lakes Riesling — $12
Finger Lakes Riesling at a restaurant with a real wine program and panoramic views of the same hills the grapes grow on? That's not just good value, that's the whole experience in a glass. Red Newt makes honest, food-friendly Riesling and you're not going to find it cheaper anywhere with this kind of ambiance.
Scarbrough Wine Co.
Most people at this table are ordering Caymus without looking up. Don't be that person. Scarbrough is a small Finger Lakes producer that most diners outside the region haven't encountered — and here it is, sitting right on the list of a restaurant that could've taken the easy route and ignored local entirely. Order it, ask Carrie or Alise about it, and feel good about your choices.
Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon
Caymus is fine. It's also on every steakhouse list in America at a markup that reflects the name recognition more than what's in the bottle. When there's Kistler, Jordan, and Tignanello on the same list — not to mention genuinely interesting local producers — reaching for Caymus is leaving something better on the table.
Domaine Drouhin Oregon Pinot Noir + Pan-seared duck breast
Duck wants something with enough fruit to match the richness but enough acidity and earth to cut through the fat. Domaine Drouhin Oregon Pinot Noir hits exactly that mark — Old World discipline, New World fruit, and the kind of structure that makes a proper duck dish sing.
🎲 The Bottom Line
Horizons earns its Wild Card badge by being genuinely better than it has any right to be for its zip code — two sommeliers, Finger Lakes pride, and a list that can keep up with a killer view. Send your wine-curious friends here and let them be surprised.
Downtown / Mamaroneck Avenue · White Plains · American
The Brazen Fox is a great place to watch a game and eat a burger — just don't come here for the wine list. Order a craft beer, save the wine night for somewhere else.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown / Fallsview Area · Niagara Falls · American
Order a cocktail. The wine list exists because restaurants are expected to have one, not because anyone here cares about what's in your glass. If you want to drink wine in Niagara Falls, cross the bridge and find a winery.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
North Avenue · Grand Junction · American
We're not here to pile on a chain restaurant — Applebee's knows exactly what it is. But if wine matters to you even a little, order a cocktail and save your wine night for somewhere that's actually trying.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.