Hotel Wine List Playing It Extremely Safe
Downtown / Hilton West Palm Beach · West Palm Beach · Steakhouse · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed July 5, 2026
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.
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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
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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
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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
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Harry's wine list won't blow anyone away, but a few smart picks buried in a short lineup make it more than just a bottle-of-Cab-before-the-steak situation. If you know where to look, you'll drink well enough — just don't expect the list to do the work for you.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Bethlehem/Wind Creek Resort · Allentown · Steakhouse
Chop House does what a casino steakhouse wine list is supposed to do: it stocks the names people recognize, charges casino prices for them, and gets out of the way. If you're here for the prime ribeye and a bottle of Jordan, you'll leave happy — just don't look too hard at the markups.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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Cattleman's Exchange isn't a wine destination, but it's not a disaster either — it's a hotel steakhouse doing hotel steakhouse things. If you're in Abilene and need a Cab with your beef, you'll find something that works; just don't expect the list to surprise you.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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