Finger Lakes Heart in a Hotel Shell
Downtown / The Commons · Ithaca · American / Hotel Bistro · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 22, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Monks on the Commons’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 wine list at Monks feels exactly like the room it lives in — comfortable, predictable, and not trying to surprise you. It's a hotel bistro menu that checked the wine boxes: bubbles, whites, rosés, reds, done. What saves it from full mediocrity is a genuine nod to the Finger Lakes, which sits right in its backyard.
Eighteen labels, all available by the glass — which is either a sign of a thoughtful pour-first philosophy or a very short list, and here it's firmly the latter. California heavyweights like Meiomi, Sonoma Cutrer, and J. Lohr anchor the reds and whites, playing it safe for the hotel-guest crowd who wants something familiar. The Finger Lakes representation — Thirsty Owl Riesling, Dr. Konstantin Frank Gewurztraminer, Sheldrake Rosé, and Glenora Brut — is genuinely the bright spot, and it's more local love than most hotel bars bother with. Don't come looking for Burgundy, Barolo, or anything remotely obscure; this list is built for the path of least resistance.
All 18 bottles pour by the glass, which means zero friction if you want to mix and match across a meal — and that's actually a real win in a casual, all-day spot like this. The glass price range runs $11 to $19, which feels a touch high for what's on offer, but the Finger Lakes pours are the ones worth reaching for. No rotating BTG program that we can find — what you see is what you get, indefinitely.
Thirsty Owl Dry Riesling FLX NY — $11/glass
The cheapest glass on the list is also the most interesting wine on it. Thirsty Owl makes solid, food-friendly Riesling from the Finger Lakes — and at $11, it's the one pour that actually earns its keep.
Dr. Konstantin Frank Gewurztraminer FLX NY
Most people at a hotel bar gloss past Gewurztraminer without a second look, but Dr. Frank is one of the Finger Lakes' founding estates and they do this grape seriously. It's aromatic, slightly off-dry, and nothing else on this list comes close to its character.
Meiomi Pinot Noir CA
At $19 a glass or $73 a bottle, you're paying a steep premium for a mass-produced, heavily sweetened California Pinot that retails for around $15-18. The markup here is hard to justify when the wine itself is built for grocery store shelves, not a dinner table.
Sheldrake Rose FLX NY + Burger
Monks is known for its burgers, and a dry Finger Lakes rosé from Sheldrake — bright, slightly tart, local — cuts through the fat and richness in a way that a glass of Malbec never quite manages at lunch.
✔️ The Bottom Line
Monks won't wow wine-curious diners, but it does right by the Finger Lakes in a way hotel bars rarely bother to. Stick to the local pours, avoid the marked-up California staples, and you'll have a perfectly fine glass with your burger on the Commons.
South Hill / Elmira Road corridor · Ithaca · Steakhouse
Texas Roadhouse Ithaca is not a wine destination, and it's not trying to be — the list is short, the producers are supermarket-tier, and the markups on house pours are quietly aggressive. Come for the bread and the steak; if you need wine, order one glass and make peace with it.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Occasional
Acceptable
Downtown / The Commons · Ithaca · Irish pub, Irish-American gastropub
Kilpatrick's is never going to make a wine list worth traveling to Ithaca for, but it's a fair, unpretentious pour program that respects your wallet and quietly sneaks in a Pouilly-Fuissé and a proper Hugel Riesling. Come for the shepherd's pie, stay for the Alsace.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown / State Street · Ithaca · Cocktail Bar
The Watershed is a cocktail bar that accidentally has a decent wine list, and we mean that as a compliment. If you're in Ithaca and want a low-key glass of something thoughtfully chosen without paying downtown Manhattan prices, this is your spot.
Small but Thoughtful
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
West End / State Street · Ithaca · Wine Shop & Tasting Room
The Falls Wine Room is the kind of neighborhood spot that makes you realize how low the bar usually is — thoughtful list, honest prices, and a genuine point of view on what wine should be. If you're in Ithaca and you care even a little about what's in your glass, you owe this place a visit.
Small but Thoughtful
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Seasonal Rotation
Proper
Downtown / Aurora Street · Ithaca · Fine Dining / International
Mahogany Grill is a fine restaurant that hasn't extended that care to its wine program — the list is mass-market, the Finger Lakes is a ghost, and the fine dining pricing makes it sting. Order the shrimp cocktail, drink the Bully Hill, and temper your expectations.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
East State Street / East Hill · Ithaca · Italian (Tuscan-inspired, inventive Italian)
Gola is punching well above its weight class for an Ithaca side street — the Italian regional depth here would hold up at a serious wine bar in any major city. If you're driving through the Finger Lakes and think you're just stopping for dinner, plan to stay a while.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
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