Solid Western pours in a sleek downtown room
North Columbus / Whittlesey Boulevard · Columbus · Modern American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · June 28, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Ivory & Oak’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The list reads like someone built it around what sells in a nice airport lounge — Duckhorn, Sonoma-Cutrer, La Crema — all names your parents recognize and your date won't argue with. It's polished, approachable, and completely predictable. Not a problem if you know what you're getting into.
California dominates here, with some Pacific Northwest representation and a nod toward Burgundy that feels more decorative than committed. The producers are bankable crowd favorites — Duckhorn Merlot and La Crema Pinot Noir show up like reliable regulars, and Sonoma-Cutrer anchors the Chardonnay side without much competition. What's missing is anything left of center: no natural wine, no skin-contact experiment, no small-production discovery hiding on page two. The list does its job, but it won't surprise you.
Twelve to twenty options by the glass is a respectable spread for Columbus, and the program seems purpose-built for a bar-forward room where guests linger over cocktails and want a decent pour without committing to a bottle. Rotation appears minimal — this feels like a static list that gets refreshed seasonally at best, not a by-the-glass program that's actively curated.
La Crema Pinot Noir — Unknown
La Crema is widely distributed and retails around $20-$22 — if Ivory & Oak is pricing bottles in a reasonable range for this tier, it's the list's most drinkable option and the one most likely to actually match the food. Note: exact pricing was not available in our research, so confirm at the table.
Duckhorn Merlot
Merlot gets ignored at most tables because the word still carries Sideways baggage, but Duckhorn's version is genuinely good — structured, fruit-forward, and built for exactly the kind of steak-forward menu Ivory & Oak runs. Most guests are ordering Pinot or Cab by reflex. Don't be most guests.
Sonoma-Cutrer Chardonnay
A perfectly fine wine at the grocery store for $22. At an upscale restaurant with steep markup, you're likely paying $14-$18 a glass for something you could grab at Costco on the way home. If Chardonnay is your move, push the staff to see if there's anything more interesting hiding on the list.
Duckhorn Merlot + Butcher's Cut Steak
Duckhorn Merlot has enough structure and dark fruit to hold up against a properly seasoned piece of beef without the tannin aggression of a big Cab. It's the kind of pairing that just works without requiring any explanation.
The Bottom Line
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.
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Surprising Depth
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
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Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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Crowd Pleasers
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Basic Stemmed
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Set & Forget
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Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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Crowd Pleasers
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Basic Stemmed
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Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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