Ritz-Level Expectations Without the Wine Intel
Ritz-Carlton Orlando · Orlando · Upscale Steakhouse · Visit Website ↗
Updated March 2026
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · February 27, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Knife & Spoon’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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Wingman Metrics
Walking into a Ritz-Carlton steakhouse, we expect the wine list to match the check average — and Knife & Spoon likely delivers on presentation if not personality. The list reads like a corporate playbook: safe California cabs, predictable Napa labels, maybe a token Bordeaux section that leans heavily on recognizable châteaux.
Based on the steakhouse blueprint and luxury hotel context, we're looking at a list built for expense accounts, not exploration. Expect heavy hitters from Napa (Silver Oak, Caymus, Jordan), some Sonoma Pinots for the lighter drinkers, and a Bordeaux section that prioritizes name recognition over depth. The Old World selection probably skews toward big-ticket Burgundy and Super Tuscans — wines that sound impressive in a boardroom but rarely deliver value at hotel markup. What's likely missing: natural wines, small producers, anything that requires explanation beyond the label.
The glass program at a place like this typically offers eight to twelve options, weighted toward crowd-pleasing reds that pair with steak. You'll find a safe Paso Robles cab, a Willamette Valley Pinot, maybe a Sancerre for the seafood starter. Rotation is minimal — these are pour-forever bottles chosen for broad appeal and kitchen compatibility, not seasonal excitement.
Flowers Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast — $85
If it's on the list, this delivers Burgundian elegance at half the price of the red Burgundy section's entry point — classic Ritz markup but quality holds
Alvaro Palacios 'Camins del Priorat'
Often buried in the Spanish section, this Priorat delivers intensity and complexity that cuts through the steakhouse richness better than another Napa cab
Silver Oak Alexander Valley Cabernet
Marked up 4x at a place like this, you're paying $200+ for a $50 retail bottle that tastes like vanilla extract and oak chips — order the ribeye rare instead
Domaine Huet Vouvray Sec + Bone-in ribeye with brown butter
The Chenin's acidity and minerality slice through the fat cap while the wine's texture matches the richness — a pairing that shows off both
✔️ The Bottom Line
Without concrete intel, we're calling this what it likely is: competent and corporate. The wine will be stored correctly and poured into proper stems, but you're paying luxury hotel prices for a list that plays it safe. If you're here, you're here for the scene, not the cellar.
Winter Park · Orlando · Greek, Mediterranean
AVA MediterrAegean earns its Wine Spectator recognition by doing something genuinely rare in Florida: building a Greek-forward wine program with real depth and the staff to back it up. If you're eating here and not exploring the Greek section, you're missing the whole point.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Downtown Orlando · Orlando · French, Regional
The Boheme is the best wine list in the kind of restaurant Downtown Orlando needs more of — it's not groundbreaking, but it's honest, properly focused, and worthy of its Wine Spectator recognition. Send your friends here for a date night, order the Chablis to start, and resist the urge to default to Caymus.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
International Drive · Orlando · Brazilian Churrascaria
Texas de Brazil isn't a wine destination, but it's a smarter wine program than the I-Drive zip code would suggest, and Wednesday's half-price bottles make it a legitimate value play. Come for the meat, stay for the Achaval Ferrer.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
Grande Lakes · Orlando · Italian, Mediterranean
Primo is a resort restaurant that takes its wine list seriously enough to back it up with a real sommelier and a WS credential — which puts it well ahead of most hotel dining rooms. Pricing is what it is in this zip code, but the Italian backbone and capable staff make it a genuinely good wine dinner if you pick smart.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Lake Nona · Orlando · Japanese
Nami is the kind of surprise that earns its Wine Spectator badge — a Japanese restaurant in Lake Nona that treats French wine with genuine seriousness, backed by a knowledgeable staff member who can actually guide you through it. Markups keep it from being a steal, but if you're eating omakase anyway, ordering from this list is the right call.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Orlando · Orlando · Brazilian Churrascaria
Chima's wine list does its job: it gives a celebratory crowd recognizable bottles that hold up to a carnivore's parade. If you're after discovery or value-hunting, look elsewhere — but if you want a solid Cab with your carved meats in a room that feels like a party, this delivers.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Beachside/Ocean Walk · Daytona Beach · Upscale Steakhouse
Hyde Park Prime Daytona is a dependable, well-run wine program in a room that knows what it wants to be — and mostly delivers. Markups will sting, but the sommelier, the depth, and the oceanfront setting make it the right call when the occasion calls for a serious bottle and a serious steak.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Occasional
Proper
Cool Springs · Franklin · Upscale Steakhouse
Ruth's Chris Franklin is a reliable wine execution at a chain price point — nobody's going home unhappy, but nobody's going home with a story either. Go on a Wednesday, hit the half-price bottle promotion, and drink better than the menu's markup would otherwise allow.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Proper
South Bend · South Bend · Upscale Steakhouse
Copper Rock is a casino steakhouse that's taken its wine program seriously enough to matter — 200 labels and 28 glass pours in South Bend, Indiana is legitimately impressive. The markups are steakhouse-standard steep and the list plays it safe, but if you're here for a prime cut and a bottle of California Cabernet, you're in good hands.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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