Safe Bet for a Special Night Out
Downtown · Grand Rapids · Seafood / Fine Dining · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed June 28, 2026
Wingman Metrics
The list at Leo's reads like a greatest hits album of upscale American dining — Duckhorn, Far Niente, Moët, Santa Margherita. Nothing surprising, nothing wrong. You know exactly what you're getting before you even sit down.
Thirty-eight labels cover the bases you'd expect at a white-tablecloth seafood spot: California Chardonnay and Cab dominate, with a nod to Burgundy via Louis Jadot and a gesture toward Italy through Santa Margherita and Tolaini. The lone Michigan representative — Chateau Grand Traverse Semi-Dry Riesling — is a smart local touch worth noticing. What's missing is any real depth in Old World options, anything from the Southern Hemisphere, or a producer that would make a wine nerd lean forward in their chair. The non-alcoholic section is genuinely extensive, with four NA options including Selbach Riesling and Freixenet Sparkling Rosé — a real commitment to inclusivity that deserves credit.
Thirty options by the glass is an impressive headline number for a list of only 38 labels — it means almost the entire list is pourable by the glass, which is great for table flexibility. The pours skew predictable: Fetzer Chardonnay is doing a lot of heavy lifting on the approachable end, while Waugh Cellars Russian River Chardonnay gives you something worth ordering. Don't expect anything that changes your life, but you won't be stuck drinking something embarrassing either.
Chateau Grand Traverse Semi-Dry Riesling, Michigan — null
The only Michigan wine on the list and easily the most interesting pour for the table. Semi-dry Riesling is a natural partner for seafood, and supporting a local producer at a downtown Grand Rapids restaurant just makes sense. Skip the predictable California Chardonnay and order this instead.
Louis Jadot Unoaked Chardonnay, Beaune, France
Everyone at this table is going to order the oaky California Chardonnay on autopilot. The Louis Jadot Unoaked is the smarter move — cleaner, more precise, and a genuinely better match for delicate seafood. It's Burgundy at a reasonable entry point, and most tables will walk right past it.
Fetzer Chardonnay, California
Fetzer is a $12 grocery store bottle. At a restaurant charging $30–$50 per entrée, you're almost certainly paying a painful markup for something you could grab off a supermarket shelf. The list has better options at every price point — use them.
Waugh Cellars Chardonnay, Russian River Valley + Salmon entrée
Russian River Chardonnay brings enough richness to match salmon's weight without the oak bomb that would flatten the fish. It's the Goldilocks pour here — structured enough for a fatty cut, but with the acidity to cut through it cleanly.
✔️ The Bottom Line
Leo's wine list is exactly what you'd expect from a downtown fine dining seafood spot that wants to please everyone and surprise no one. It does its job reliably — just don't come here looking for discovery, and watch the markup on the entry-level pours.
Downtown / Amway Grand Plaza · Grand Rapids · Spanish / Modern European
MDRD is a Wild Card because it earns its badge the hard way: a hotel rooftop in the Midwest has no business carrying Bodega Chacra or a thoughtful local Michigan Pinot, and yet here we are. Markups keep it from being a destination wine list, but if you're already up there for the views and the paella, there are worse ways to spend your glass pours.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown · Grand Rapids · New American / Teaching Restaurant
A teaching restaurant that could embarrass a few actual restaurants on the wine front — fair prices, genuine producers, and a France-meets-Michigan list that has more intention behind it than most spots charging twice as much. Go in without expectations and leave genuinely impressed.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
Downtown · Grand Rapids · Fondue-focused American/Swiss-style chain
The Melting Pot's wine list is the dining equivalent of a reliable sedan — it gets you where you're going without any surprises, good or bad. Send a friend here for the experience, not the wine, but reassure them they won't be embarrassed by what's in the glass.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Kentwood / Southeast · Grand Rapids · Upscale Casual American
Cooper's Hawk Kentwood is exactly what it is — a well-run chain winery restaurant with fair prices, a crowd-pleasing list, and staff that's enthusiastic if not deeply expert. Don't come here expecting to find your new favorite grower Champagne; do come here knowing you'll drink something decent without getting gouged.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
Midtown · Grand Rapids · Gastro Pub / Contemporary American Comfort Food
The Friesian is a neighborhood pub that happens to have wine — and there's nothing wrong with that. Come on a Wednesday when glasses are half price, order the Tempranillo or the Malbec, and stop overthinking it.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
Downtown · Grand Rapids · Casual Italian-American, Sports Bar
Uccello's Downtown is a perfectly solid place to watch a game and eat a pizza — just don't show up expecting the wine list to match the ambition of the kitchen. Order the Nero d'Avola, grab it during happy hour if you can, and save your serious wine drinking for somewhere else.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Occasional
Acceptable
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