Hotel Wine List Playing It Extremely Safe
Downtown / Hilton West Palm Beach · West Palm Beach · Steakhouse · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 5, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Proper Grit’s wine list and gave it The Lazy List — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Proper Grit reads like someone handed a hotel F&B manager a distributor's greatest hits catalog and said 'just pick the ones everyone recognizes.' It's a list built entirely around familiarity — nothing here will surprise you, and that's very much by design. The modern Southern aesthetic of the space deserves better than what's in the glass.
Sixty to eighty labels sounds respectable until you realize you've seen every single one of them at a TGI Friday's or an airport bar. The California-heavy lineup leans hard on mass-market names: Prisoner, Meiomi, Kim Crawford, Jordan, Santa Margherita. There's no regional curiosity, no emerging producers, no nod to the fact that Florida diners in 2024 are increasingly wine-literate. The list skews red-and-white basics with a Veuve Clicquot on the Champagne end to signal 'occasion,' but the gap between that and everything else is a chasm.
Ten to fourteen pours sounds generous, but when the selection is built around brands you recognize from grocery store endcaps, quantity doesn't save it. Expect the usual suspects rotating in predictable fashion — no real seasonal rotation, no interesting one-off pours to reward repeat visitors. Glass prices between $12 and $22 feel acceptable until you check what these bottles actually cost at retail.
Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley — $135
It's the least-bad value on the list — Jordan is at least a legitimate producer making genuinely good Cab, and while 107% over retail stings, it's the closest thing to honest pricing here. By Proper Grit standards, that almost qualifies as a deal.
Veuve Clicquot Brut Champagne
Not exactly obscure, but if you're looking for something to actually celebrate with, Veuve holds up better than anything else on this list. In a sea of grocery-store wines, a proper Champagne house is the most defensible choice on the menu.
Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough
At $48 a bottle — 167% over a retail price of $18 — this is the most egregious markup on the list. Kim Crawford is an $18 bottle everywhere on earth. Ordering it here is paying nearly three times what it's worth for a wine that's available at every gas station in Marlborough. Hard pass.
Prisoner Red Blend + Short Rib
The Prisoner's jammy, fruit-forward California blend — Zinfandel-led with Cab, Syrah, and Petite Sirah — has enough weight and sweetness to match the richness of a braised short rib without overwhelming the Southern-style preparation. It's not a sophisticated pairing, but it works, and it's one of the more food-friendly bottles on the list.
The Bottom Line
Proper Grit is a good-looking restaurant with a wine list that doesn't match its ambitions — steep markups on brands you can buy at Publix aren't a wine program, they're a tax on people not paying attention. Order a cocktail, or bring your own if the corkage is reasonable.
Palm Beach Gardens · West Palm Beach · Steakhouse
The Capital Grille Palm Beach Gardens is a reliable wine stop if you're already there for the steak — just don't expect the list to excite you. Lean toward the glass pours, chase the value picks, and avoid the temptation to drop $30 on that Orin Swift.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Worth Avenue · West Palm Beach · French / Bistro
Le Bilboquet Palm Beach is a safe, French-focused list that suits its dressed-up crowd without pushing anyone toward something new or surprising. Send a friend here for the vibe and the steak frites — just go in knowing the wine spend will feel steeper than it probably should.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· West Palm Beach · Wine Bar / Tasting Room
If you want to spend an afternoon actually understanding Willamette Valley wine across a single focused producer, there's no better setup in West Palm Beach. Just don't show up expecting a world tour — this room has a point of view and it's Oregon, all the way down.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· West Palm Beach · Italian
Cafe Sapori's wine list is a reliable Italian-leaning companion — not adventurous, not cheap, but curated enough that the right picks reward you. Skip the Whispering Angel, dig into the Tuscans, and you'll leave satisfied.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· West Palm Beach · New American
Kitchen West Palm has no business having the Casanova di Neri Brunello and the Ménard-Geborit Muscadet on the same 13-bottle list — and yet here we are. It's small, priced fairly, and clearly curated by someone who actually drinks wine. Send a friend, order the Ridge.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· West Palm Beach · Wine Bar / Lounge
Le Bar is a stripped-down concept that works because the six bottles it chose are actually worth drinking — unusual for a lounge where wine is often an afterthought. If you want depth, go elsewhere. If you want a smart glass of something Italian while you decompress, this earns its keep.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Honolulu · Steakhouse
The Capital Grille Hawaii's wine list does what the brand does everywhere — it's safe, corporate, and priced to capture resort-market margins. The Champagne selection is genuinely deep and includes some worthwhile picks like the Paul Bara and the Llopart Cava, but markups are steep and there's little here to excite anyone looking beyond the obvious. If you're here for a steak and want bubbles, you'll find something that works — just don't expect the list to dazzle you.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Waikiki · Honolulu · Steakhouse
BLT Steak Waikiki is a competent, crowd-pleasing steakhouse wine list in a setting where you're mostly paying for the view and the popovers. If wine is central to your evening, call ahead and ask what's actually open — the list's documented depth isn't enough to guarantee a great bottle without some homework. Come for the porterhouse, manage your wine expectations.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Decatur · Steakhouse
Kevin Rathbun Steak has built a by-the-glass program that takes wine seriously enough to include Chablis, Oregon Pinot, and Realm Cellars on the same list — that's not nothing. Markups trend steep at the top end, and without verified dish information we can't tell you what to order with what. But if you're eating here and skipping the wine list entirely, you're leaving the best part of the menu alone.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
List Variety
Markup
Glassware
Staff
Specials & Deals
Storage & Temp
