Burgundy Meets the Med, Four Seasons Deep
Downtown Minneapolis · Minneapolis · Mediterranean · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed March 29, 2026
Wingman Metrics
Walking into a Four Seasons restaurant, you brace for the usual corporate wine list — safely expensive, quietly boring. Mara flips that script fast. The list reads like someone with actual opinions put it together: Hirsch Vineyards Sonoma Coast Pinots alongside Vosne-Romanée and Muscadet from the Loire, all under one Mediterranean-inspired roof.
The backbone here is serious Burgundy — Puligny-Montrachet, Vosne-Romanée, Savigny-lès-Beaune, Saint-Romain — and it's backed up by a sharp California-Oregon corridor anchored by Hirsch Vineyards and Drouhin across both their Burgundy and Willamette Valley bottles. Presqu'ile out of Santa Maria Valley brings a left-field California angle with Syrah alongside their Pinot and Chardonnay, which is a nice curveball. The Mediterranean reach — Spain, Sicily, Greece — maps directly onto the food menu rather than feeling like a bolt-on afterthought. The Loire Valley showing, from Sancerre and Muscadet through Chinon Cab Franc and Anjou Chenin Blanc, is genuinely impressive for a hotel restaurant in the Upper Midwest.
Glass pours run $15–$35, which is about right for this zip code and this kitchen. The spread across sparkling, white, and red means you're not stuck choosing between a Prosecco and a Cab — there's actual range. We'd love a clearer view into rotation frequency, but with a sommelier on staff and a Cellar Series program actively running, the glass list doesn't feel like a static afterthought.
Zardetto Prosecco Private Cuvee Brut NV — $16
A 25% markup on a clean, food-friendly Prosecco is practically giving it away at a Four Seasons. Open a bottle of this with the mezze plates and you're winning the room.
Presqu'ile Winery Syrah, Santa Maria Valley
Everyone at this table is going to order Pinot Noir, and that's fine. But the Presqu'ile Syrah from Santa Maria Valley is cooler-climate, leaner, and way more interesting with lamb or wood-fired anything than most people expect from California Syrah. Don't sleep on it.
Laurent Perrier La Cuvée Brut NV
A 100% markup on a widely distributed NV Champagne is a lot to ask. You can find this bottle at retail for $25 all day — paying $50 here when the Raventos i Blanc Brut Rosé is sitting right there at a much fairer mark is a tough sell.
Hirsch Vineyards West Ridge Pinot Noir + Wood-fired Octopus
West Ridge is the earthier, more savory side of Hirsch's Sonoma Coast lineup — there's a mineral tension and red fruit restraint that doesn't bulldoze the char and brine of wood-fired octopus the way a bigger red would. It's the kind of pairing that makes you put your fork down for a second.
🔥 The Bottom Line
Mara is doing something genuinely rare: running a hotel restaurant wine program that a serious wine person would actually seek out, not just tolerate. The Burgundy depth, the fair pours by the glass, and the Mediterranean variety make this one of the better lists in Minneapolis, full stop.
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Porzana punches above its class for a Minneapolis steakhouse — the Italian and Argentine selections show genuine curation, and the Fenocchio Barolo alone justifies a serious wine order. Just go in with eyes open on markups and skip the entry-level bottles unless you're pouring by the glass.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Lowry Hill · Minneapolis · Steakhouse and Wood-Fired Pizza
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Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Downtown / North Loop · Minneapolis · New American / Contemporary American
112 Eatery's wine list is punching well above its weight for a Minneapolis neighborhood bistro, with a genuinely distinctive Old World focus and producers that belong on serious lists anywhere in the country. The markups sting on a few bottles, but the curation earns enough goodwill to keep us coming back.
Deep & Eclectic
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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Cafe Lurcat is a reliable, well-staffed wine program in one of Minneapolis's prettiest dining rooms — just know you're paying a premium for the address and the ambiance. Ask the sommelier for help navigating the list and you'll drink well; go on autopilot and order the obvious Napa Cab and you'll leave having spent more than you should have.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Southwest Minneapolis (Fulton) · Minneapolis · Italian, fresh housemade pasta
Broders' Pasta Bar isn't a wine destination, but it's exactly the kind of neighborhood spot that gets the wine list right by staying in its lane. Fair prices, Italian focus, solid glass pours — bring a friend who orders by the bottle and you're in good shape.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Central McAllen · McAllen · Mediterranean
The kitchen is clearly doing its job — the wine list just isn't. Skip the bottle, order a cocktail, and hope the restaurant rethinks this list before your next visit.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Naperville · Naperville · Mediterranean
Vasili's isn't trying to be a wine destination, but the Greek-focused list has enough genuine producers and interesting grapes to reward curious drinkers — especially on Tuesdays when the bottles go half-price. Watch the markups on the Agiorgitiko, lean into the northern Greek reds and the Malagousia, and you'll eat and drink very well along that riverwalk.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
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The Adriatic Grill is the kind of neighborhood restaurant that earns a loyal following by doing the right things quietly — a thoughtful wine list, fair pricing, and a Wine Wednesday program that is frankly one of the better deals in Tacoma. If you can get there on a Wednesday with a group and a hunger for lamb, you're having a great night.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
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