The Wine List Your Layover Deserves, Unfortunately
Airport / East Columbus · Columbus · Hotel Restaurant · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed June 28, 2026
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.
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
Midtown · Columbus · Upscale American Sports Bar
The Office is a solid sports bar with a real food program, but the wine list is an afterthought at best — two house pours do not constitute a program. Come for the pork chops and live music, order a cocktail or a beer, and don't expect anyone on staff to talk you through a vintage.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
North Columbus · Columbus · American and Tex-Mex chain restaurant
Chili's Columbus is not a wine destination — it's a margarita destination that happens to stock two anonymous house wines for guests who forgot to order a cocktail. Drink accordingly.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
North Columbus · Columbus · Steakhouse / Casual
Outback Columbus isn't a wine destination, and it's not trying to be — but the pricing is fair, the pours are recognizable, and you won't be stuck drinking something terrible with your steak. Order the Chateau Ste. Michelle or the 14 Hands and call it a night.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.