Sky-High Spanish Vibes, Surprisingly Legit Pours
Downtown / Riverfront · Grand Rapids · Modern Spanish · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed June 29, 2026
Wingman Metrics
You step off the elevator onto the 27th floor and the Grand River is doing all the heavy lifting — panoramic views, a buzzy bar crowd, and a menu that leans hard into Spain. The wine list follows the concept more faithfully than most hotel restaurants bother to, which is already a win. It's not a deep cellar, but it's curated with actual intention.
MDRD earns points for building a list that actually matches the kitchen — Spanish producers anchor the selection, with Txakoli, Penedès cava, and Mencía from Ribeira Sacra all making appearances. There's a nod to California too, which feels a bit like a concession to the crowd that orders Sauvignon Blanc on autopilot, but the Twomey doesn't embarrass anyone. The Bodega Chacra Patagonian Pinot Noir is an interesting outlier — unexpected, and genuinely interesting. The list isn't wide, but the picks show someone at least glanced at a map of the Iberian Peninsula before hitting print.
Glass options include the Raventós i Blanc Blanc de Blancs and the Aitztoi Txakoli, both of which are exactly what you want open on a rooftop in summer — bright, mineral, and light enough to keep going through round three of tapas. The Twomey Sauvignon Blanc rounds out the by-the-glass whites for those who want something more familiar. Full by-the-glass count isn't confirmed, but what's available skews toward the right call for the food.
Aitztoi Hondarribi Zuri (Getariako Txakolina, Spain) — Glass pricing listed on OpenTable menu
Txakoli is one of the most food-friendly wines on earth — low alcohol, high acid, slight spritz — and it's almost criminally good alongside anything from the sea or a plate of jamón. Finding it by the glass at a Grand Rapids rooftop bar is genuinely surprising. Order it first.
Bodega Chacra 'CincuentayCinco' Pinot Noir 2019 (Patagonia, Argentina)
Most people at MDRD are going to order Spanish reds or stick to California. The Chacra is sitting there quietly being one of the more serious Pinot Noirs on the list — farmed biodynamically in Patagonia, made with old vines from 1955, and legitimately compelling. At $137 the markup is real, but the wine itself is worth knowing about.
Stranger Wine Co. Pinot Noir 2022 (Lake Michigan Shore, MI)
Local pride is a good instinct, but $72 for a bottle that retails around $30 is a 140% markup — and this isn't a wine that warrants that kind of premium. The Chacra costs more but at least gives you something to talk about. This one just stings.
Raventós i Blanc 'Blanc de Blancs' (Penedès, Spain) + Paella Mixta
Cava from a serious Penedès producer cuts right through the richness of a saffron-loaded paella — the bubbles scrub the palate, the acidity keeps everything lively, and you're not overwhelming the seafood. It's the most Spanish thing you can do at this table and it works.
🎲 The Bottom Line
MDRD is a hotel rooftop bar that actually tried with its wine list, and in Grand Rapids — or anywhere, really — that clears the bar. The markups have some sharp edges and the list is short, but the Spanish focus is genuine and the Txakoli alone makes it worth a visit.
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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