The Wine List Your Layover Deserves, Unfortunately
Airport / East Columbus · Columbus · Hotel Restaurant · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · June 28, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Houlihan's – DoubleTree Hotel Columbus’s wine list and gave it The Lazy List — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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Wingman Metrics
You flip open the wine section and it reads like a greatest hits album from 2009 — Kim Crawford, Kendall Jackson, La Marca. There's nothing offensive here, but nothing that makes you feel like anyone actually thought about this list beyond running down a corporate approved checklist. This is wine as an afterthought, dressed up in a hotel bar setting.
About 30 labels spread across the usual suspects: Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling holding it down for Washington, Dona Paula Estate Malbec for the Malbec crowd, and Etude Lyric Pinot Noir as probably the most interesting bottle in the room. The regional breadth looks decent on paper — California, Washington, Argentina, Italy — but the producers are all high-volume, widely distributed names you'd find at any grocery store with a wine aisle. Katherine Goldschmidt Cabernet is a modest step up in ambition, but the list never pushes past safe. There are no grower Champagnes, no regional surprises, no bottles that would make a wine-curious diner lean in.
The BTG program runs 10 to 14 options depending on the day, which is a reasonable count for a chain bar-grill. What you get is the predictable rotation: Bertani Velante Pinot Grigio, Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc, Kendall Jackson Chardonnay — crowd pleasers built for volume, not discovery. The two sangria pours at $14 a glass are the house's way of monetizing the least interesting wine on the list, so skip those.
Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling — null
Washington Riesling at a hotel bar is almost always drinkable and versatile. Ste. Michelle is consistent year in and year out, and it'll hold its own against most of the food on this menu without demanding much from the kitchen or your wallet. If pricing is in line with the rest of the list it's your best bet for a clean, low-drama pour.
Etude Lyric Pinot Noir
Etude is a serious Carneros producer and the Lyric label is their approachable tier — but it still comes with actual winemaking intent behind it. In a list full of grocery-store standbys, this is the one bottle where someone on the sourcing team may have blinked and made a decent call. Most people will order the Louis Martini Cab by default and never know this exists.
Pinot Noir Red Sangria
Fourteen dollars for a sangria made from a blended Pinot Noir base is a creative use of the word 'value.' You're paying bar-drink prices for a sweetened wine cocktail built around the cheapest pour on the list. Order literally anything else.
Dona Paula Estate Malbec + Burgers
Argentine Malbec and a burger is a cliché for a reason — it works. The Dona Paula has enough fruit weight and soft tannin to stand up to beef without requiring anything fancy from either side of the equation. At a hotel bar grill, this is the move.
Wednesday — Corporate Wine Wednesday promo offers $10 off bottles or potentially up to half-off at participating locations — but Columbus DoubleTree participation is not individually confirmed. Call ahead before you plan your evening around it.
The Bottom Line
If you're stuck at the DoubleTree and the flight is delayed, Houlihan's will keep you fed and adequately watered — but don't mistake that for a wine program worth seeking out. Order the Etude Pinot or the Malbec, skip the sangria, and manage your expectations accordingly.
Midtown Columbus · Columbus · Seafood
Red Lobster 13th St. is not a wine destination — it's a seafood chain where wine exists because a menu has to have one. Order the Riesling with your lobster tail, enjoy the Cheddar Bay Biscuits, and make your peace with it.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Riverwalk / Downtown Columbus · Columbus · American
Denim & Oak isn't going to make anyone's wine pilgrimage list, but for Columbus, Georgia, it's a legitimately decent place to drink — fair prices, a deep BTG program, and Wine Down Wednesday as a reason to come back. Just steer clear of the Concha y Toro and head straight for the Orin Swift or the Oregon section.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
North Columbus · Columbus · American Barbecue and Grill
Smokey Bones is a perfectly fine place to eat ribs and watch a game — just don't come here for the wine. Order a cold beer, save your wine budget for somewhere that cares.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
MIA
Set & Forget
Acceptable
North Columbus / Whittlesey Boulevard · Columbus · Modern American
Ivory & Oak is a reliable wine stop in a city that isn't exactly crawling with serious lists — the room is great, the pours are familiar, and the markup is the main thing holding it back from something better. Go for the steak, order the Merlot, and don't expect to be challenged.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Airport / East Columbus · Columbus · American Bar & Grill
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.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Uptown · Columbus · Pub
The Rail Pub is not here to advance your wine education, and that's fine — it's a pub, it sells beer, and the wine list exists as an afterthought for the table that didn't want beer. Order the J. Lohr if you need a glass of something real; otherwise, get a pint and stop looking at the wine menu.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
MIA
Set & Forget
Acceptable
OSU Campus · Corvallis · Hotel Restaurant
Garfield's wine list is fine if you need a glass of something recognizable after a long drive to Corvallis — it won't embarrass itself, but it won't impress anyone either. If wine actually matters to you tonight, this probably isn't your stop.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
North Livermore / Airport Area · Livermore · Hotel Restaurant
If you're staying at the hotel and can't make it out to an actual Livermore Valley winery, show up on Wine Wednesday, grab a half-price bottle, and keep your expectations calibrated accordingly. For anything resembling a real wine experience, get in the car.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
West Lansing · Lansing · Hotel Restaurant
If you're staying at the Crowne Plaza or just need a reliable glass of wine before a meeting in Lansing, Kindred Table won't let you down — prices are fair, the producers are legitimate, and nobody's trying to fleece you. Just don't come expecting discovery.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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