Hotel Wine List, Hotel Wine Effort
Downtown / East Superior Street · Duluth · Hotel Restaurant / New American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 12, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Restaurant 301 at Sheraton Duluth Hotel’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 Restaurant 301 reads like it was assembled by someone who Googled 'popular wine brands' and called it a day. Sixteen labels total, heavy on California staples you've seen at every airport TGI Fridays between here and LAX. It's not offensive — it's just thoroughly uninspired.
The list leans hard into crowd-pleasing California reds — Josh Cellars Cab, Meiomi Pinot, Troublemaker Red Blend — with a few token gestures toward Washington State, Argentina, and New Zealand. There's no real depth here: no interesting producers, no regional curiosity, nothing that suggests anyone with actual wine knowledge had a hand in building this. The Duckhorn Cabernet is the lone name that carries real weight, but at $165 a bottle in a hotel dining room, it's doing a lot of heavy lifting for a list that otherwise tops out at grocery store shelf presence. Italy and New Zealand get a mention in the region focus, but the actual bottle selection doesn't do much to prove it.
Fourteen of sixteen wines available by the glass is genuinely impressive on paper — you can try almost anything on the list without committing to a bottle. In practice, though, that's fourteen variations on the same safe theme: mainstream brands, familiar grapes, zero surprises. Pours run $10–$15, which is fine for what you're getting.
Brancott Estate Sauvignon Blanc — $10/glass, $35/bottle
Brancott is a reliable Marlborough producer and at $35 a bottle it's the most honestly priced wine on the list. Not exciting, but it delivers clean, citrusy New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc without the markup games happening elsewhere on this list.
Columbia Crest H3 Merlot
Most people walk right past anything labeled Merlot, especially at a hotel restaurant. Columbia Crest H3 is sourced from Horse Heaven Hills in Washington's Columbia Valley and consistently punches above its price point — earthy, structured, and more interesting than anything else in the red section here.
Duckhorn Cabernet Sauvignon
At $165 a bottle, you're paying a serious hotel premium for a wine that retails around $65. Duckhorn is great — but not this great. Save it for a proper wine bar or a retailer and spend that $165 on two bottles of something more interesting elsewhere.
The Hess Collection Cabernet + Steak
Hess Collection Mount Veeder Cab brings enough structure and dark fruit to stand up to a properly cooked steak without demanding you spend Duckhorn money to do it. It's the most sensible big-red move on a list that doesn't give you many options.
The Bottom Line
Restaurant 301 is where wine goes to coast on name recognition and hotel captive-audience pricing. If you're staying at the Sheraton and need a glass of something familiar with dinner, it's fine — but we wouldn't cross the street for this list, let alone plan a night around it.
Downtown · Duluth · Italian-American and Pizza
Sammy's is a Duluth institution and the pizza earns its reputation — the wine list is just not the point, and the restaurant isn't pretending otherwise. Order a beer or grab the cheapest glass pour, eat the pizza, and be happy.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Canal Park · Duluth · American, Bar, Pizza
Old Chicago Duluth isn't a wine destination and doesn't pretend to be — it's a reliable fallback for the table member who wants a glass of something decent while everyone else works through the tap list. If you stick to the Ste. Michelle Riesling, you'll leave satisfied; just don't come here expecting anything that will make you put down your pizza.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
West Duluth · Duluth · American, bar & grill
Grandma's Saloon is a genuinely fun West Duluth institution, but the wine list is an afterthought and everyone involved knows it. Order a local beer, enjoy the ribs, and save your wine curiosity for somewhere that shares it.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Miller Hill · Duluth · American, bar & grill
Grandma's Miller Hill is a beloved Duluth institution, but the wine list has never been the reason to show up — and with the location closing in May 2026, it's not getting better. Order a beer, enjoy the nostalgia, and save the wine for somewhere else.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Miller Hill · Duluth · Casual American steakhouse with Australian-themed branding
Outback Duluth is a perfectly fine place to eat a steak; it is not a place to think about wine. Order the Alamos Malbec, enjoy your sirloin, and save the wine exploration for somewhere that's doing the work.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Fitger's / Waterfront · Duluth · Upscale American
Boat Club is a reliable wine room for Duluth — a sommelier on staff, a genuinely broad glass pour program, and a Monday half-price bottle deal that should be on every local's calendar. The markups keep it from being a Rager, but if you play the specials and lean into the European selections, you'll drink well with a great view.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Seasonal Rotation
Proper
Downtown · Atlanta · Hotel Restaurant / New American
This is a hotel wine list that knows it's a hotel wine list and isn't embarrassed about it. If you're eating here because your conference badge requires it, grab the Craggy Range and move on — but don't make a special trip.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
New Castle · Portsmouth · Hotel Restaurant / New American
Salt Kitchen & Bar is a perfectly adequate place to drink wine if you're already staying at the Wentworth, but we wouldn't recommend driving out to New Castle for the list. Order the local seafood, pick something coastal to drink, and enjoy the view — that's the real value here.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Allentown · Allentown · Hotel Restaurant / New American
The Dime is a competent hotel wine program — reliable, inoffensive, and priced for the room rather than the wine. If you're staying at the Renaissance or grabbing dinner before a show, you'll find something drinkable; just don't come here expecting to geek out.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
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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