Hotel wine list that earns its keep
· St. Paul · Steak / Seafood / Italian · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · August 16, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Lela’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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Wingman Metrics
The list at Lela is short — 19 labels, all by the glass — which in a hotel steakhouse either signals a tight, curated program or just a kitchen that treats wine as an afterthought. Here it's somewhere in between: the hits are familiar, the pricing leans hotel-room-minibar, but there's enough range to work with if you know where to look.
Every red, white, and bubble you'd expect at a steakhouse is present and accounted for — Rombauer Chardonnay, Caymus Cab, Decoy Merlot — the kind of lineup that plays well to a crowd but doesn't take any risks. The whites show a little more curiosity: a Wittmann Riesling from Rheinhessen and a Les Chasseignes Sancerre give the list some legitimate backbone beyond the California comfort zone. Reds lean heavily Pacific Coast with Cooper Mountain, Crossbarn, and Ancient Peak filling out the lower end alongside the obligatory Caymus anchoring the top. The Catena Malbec and Parallele 45 Rouge are the only real nods to anywhere outside the US, which feels thin for a menu that bills itself as Italian-leaning.
The entire list is by the glass, which is either generous or a signal that no one's ordering bottles — hard to say. Nineteen options across sparkling, white, rosé, and red gives you enough to build a meal around, and the $13–$20 range covers most of it. The $30 Caymus pour is the only true splurge, and at that price you're paying the name tax hard.
Les Chasseignes Sancerre — $20/glass
Sancerre at $20 a glass in a hotel restaurant is a relative win — this is the kind of pour that runs $22–26 glass elsewhere, and it's the most interesting white on the list by a mile. Order it.
Wittmann Riesling
Nobody at the table is ordering the Riesling, which means more for you. Wittmann is a respected Rheinhessen producer making dry, mineral-driven wine that has zero business being on a steakhouse list — and that's exactly why you should grab it.
Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon
Thirty dollars a glass for Caymus is a lot to ask. It's a fine, crowd-friendly Cab, but you're paying heavy hotel markup on a bottle that retails for $80 — meaning this pour is priced like the bottle costs $150+. The Treana Cab at $16 gets you most of the way there.
Ancient Peak Zinfandel + A ribeye or any red-meat-forward entrée
Zinfandel and a well-marbled steak is a reliable play — the fruit-forward, slightly spicy profile of Ancient Peak stands up to fat and char without bullying the plate the way a big Cab sometimes can.
The Bottom Line
Lela's wine list is competent hotel work — nothing that'll surprise you, but enough to get through a steak dinner without regret. Lean into the Sancerre or Riesling, avoid the Caymus markup, and you'll be fine.
· St. Paul · Fine Dining American
Lake Elmo Inn has a wine list that earns genuine respect — fair prices, a real by-the-glass program, and a Coravin setup that shows they're thinking beyond the ordinary. It's not destination wine territory, but if you're already going for dinner, you're in good hands.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
Mill District · St. Paul · Wine Bar / Bistro
Milly's is for the curious drinker who wants to understand wine, not just drink it, and the comparative flight format makes that happen without any lecturing. If you're in St. Paul and want to actually learn something about what's in your glass, this is the move.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Active Program
Proper
· St. Paul · American / Sports-Adjacent Brasserie
Herbie's wine program is on autopilot — it gets the job done for guests who just want something familiar with their meal, but anyone who actually cares about what's in the glass should order a cocktail and move on. Send your wine-curious friends somewhere else.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· St. Paul · Cafe / Pizza / Bakery
Cafe Latte is the Wild Card because nobody expects a café in St. Paul to stock Ridge and Scribe alongside a Sancerre and a Quinta de Noval Port at these prices. Go for the pizza, stay because the wine list is quietly doing something right.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· St. Paul · Wine Bar
Small Hours is the rare Minneapolis wine bar that feels like it was built for people who actually love wine, not just the idea of it. If you're showing up for a bottle and some duck leg confit with a record on in the background, you're going to have a very good night.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
St. Paul · St. Paul · Wine Bar / Music Venue
Troubadour is a legit Wild Card — a music venue with enough wine ambition to surprise you, held back by steep markups and a list that plays it safe on the red side. Come for the Dolcetto and the Rimage, skip the Oaky California bottles, and enjoy the show.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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