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 →
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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.
The Square / Downtown · West Palm Beach · Italian trattoria
Il Bellagio is a perfectly decent place to drink Italian wine with Italian food on a warm West Palm Beach evening — just don't expect the list to surprise you, and steer clear of the Santa Margherita markup. Order the Chianti, grab a table on the plaza, and call it a reliable night out.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
The Square / Downtown · West Palm Beach · Plant-based/vegan, contemporary
PLANTA West Palm Beach won't disappoint you on wine, but it won't thrill you either — the list is safe, the markups are mostly steep, and the picks are designed for consensus. Come for the food, order the Whispering Angel, and don't overthink it.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
The Square / Downtown · West Palm Beach · Tuscan-inspired Italian, coastal Italian
Felice earns its keep with a genuinely Italy-focused list, a Tignanello markup that won't make you wince, and a Monday wine program that should be on your weekly calendar. Not groundbreaking, but reliably good — and in this neighborhood, that's not nothing.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
CityPlace / Downtown · West Palm Beach · Classic American Steakhouse
Abe & Louie's is a dependable, well-stocked steakhouse wine program with real depth and knowledgeable staff — it just charges accordingly and rarely colors outside the lines. Send a friend here for a serious bottle of Cab with a prime steak, but tell them to ask the sommelier to find something off the beaten path.
Solid Range
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Northwood Village · West Palm Beach · Italian
Grato is a reliable wine list for a neighborhood Italian that punches above its weight in by-the-glass options and producer selection — just know the markups skew steep on anything recognizable. Send a friend here for the Pinot and the pasta, not the prestige bottles.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
West Palm Beach · West Palm Beach · Wine bar with global small plates
The Blind Monk is the kind of place West Palm Beach didn't know it needed — a genuine natural wine bar with a thoughtful list and a low-key atmosphere that makes you want to stay for another pour. The markups keep it from being a true Rager, but as a Wild Card in a city not exactly known for its wine culture, it absolutely earns a visit.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
· Plano · Steakhouse
Steve Fields clearly puts its energy into the kitchen, not the cellar — and at these price points, that imbalance is hard to ignore. Order the Evesham Wood if it's still there, and otherwise come for the steak, not the wine list.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· San Diego · Steakhouse
Greystone is a reliable, if predictable, steakhouse wine list — the kind where you can always find something decent but you'll rarely be surprised. Skip the Opus splurge, order the Paradigm, and you'll walk out satisfied.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· San Diego · Steakhouse
Morton's San Diego is spending more energy on the wedge salad than the wine list, and it shows. Come for the steak, order carefully, and don't expect much beyond the obvious.
Crowd Pleasers
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.
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