Houlihan's – Columbus Airport Area
Airport Chain Wine: Exactly What You'd Expect
Airport / East Columbus · Columbus · American Bar & Grill · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed June 28, 2026
Wingman Metrics
First Impression
The wine list at this DoubleTree-adjacent Houlihan's is exactly what you'd expect from a chain restaurant catering to travelers who just want something familiar after a long flight. It's a laminated insert of greatest hits — the kind of list assembled by a corporate committee somewhere in Kansas City, not by anyone who actually cares about wine. If you're hoping for a surprise, keep moving.
Selection Deep Dive
The list clocks in around 25-35 labels and covers California, New Zealand, Italy, and Washington State, which sounds broader than it actually is. In practice, it's a parade of grocery store shelf-talker favorites — Kim Crawford, Kendall-Jackson, La Marca — brands engineered for mass recognition, not for drinking well. There's no depth here, no grower Champagne tucked in the corner, no interesting regional American producer. It's a list that exists to minimize friction, not to offer anything worth talking about.
By the Glass
Eight to twelve by-the-glass options sound reasonable until you realize they're all pulling from the same short bench of commercial producers. Prices run $8–$14 a glass, which feels acceptable until you remember you can buy most of these bottles at Kroger for $12–$15 retail. The markup math doesn't pencil out in your favor.
La Marca Prosecco — $8
If you're going to drink here, bubbles are your safest escape hatch. La Marca is a crowd-pleaser Prosecco that's at least refreshing and hard to mess up. At the low end of the glass price range, it's the least painful option on the list.
Louis M. Martini Cabernet Sauvignon
Martini is one of the oldest Napa producers and their Sonoma Cab regularly punches above its price class. Most people at a place like this will grab the Kendall-Jackson out of habit, but the Martini is the more interesting bottle if you're going red.
Kendall-Jackson Chardonnay
KJ Chardonnay is a $14 retail bottle dressed up in restaurant pricing. You've had it a hundred times, it offers nothing new, and you're paying a significant premium for the privilege of drinking something you could grab at any gas station with a wine section.
Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc + Spinach Artichoke Dip
Kim Crawford's trademark citrus and grassy bite cuts through the richness of a cream-heavy dip better than anything else on this list. It's not a profound pairing, but it's a functional one — and at Houlihan's, functional is the ceiling.
❌ The Bottom Line
This is airport-adjacent chain wine, full stop — familiar labels at inflated prices for a captive audience that mostly wants something cold and wet after traveling. Order a cocktail instead, or hit the hotel bar and call it a night.
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