Corporate Wine Bingo With Upscale Pretensions
West Hartford · Hartford · Seasonal American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed July 3, 2026
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Seasons 52 West Hartford looks impressive at first glance — 25 pours by the glass, a range of bottles, a polished presentation. Then you start reading the names and realize you've seen this exact list at every Darden-adjacent chain from here to Tampa. It's a corporate wine program dressed up in seasonal clothing.
The list leans hard on California and New World crowd-pleasers: Meiomi Pinot Noir, J. Lohr Cab, Kim Crawford Sauv Blanc, Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio. These are fine wines, but they're also the wines you find at every grocery store in America. There's no real regional exploration here — no domestic outliers, no serious Old World representation, nothing that suggests anyone curated this list with curiosity. The Prisoner Red Blend shows up as the token 'something a little different,' which at this point is about as adventurous as ordering vanilla at an ice cream shop.
Twenty-five by-the-glass options sounds generous, and it is — but quantity isn't quality. The pours span a predictable spectrum of safe bets, and there's no evident rotation tied to the seasonal menu concept the restaurant markets so heavily. If your wine list doesn't change with the seasons, you don't get to call yourself a seasonal wine bar.
Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling — $10/glass
At the low end of the glass pour pricing, this Washington State Riesling punches above its station on the list — it's actually a producer worth knowing, and it's one of the few bottles here that doesn't feel like a pure name-recognition play.
Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling
In a list dominated by Cabs and Pinot Noirs, most tables are going to sleep on this one. Off-dry Riesling with the cedar plank salmon is a better call than half the reds on this menu, and Ste. Michelle is legitimately one of the best value Riesling producers in the country.
Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio
At $58 a bottle, you're paying a 132% markup on a wine that retails for $25 and is available at every grocery store within five miles of this restaurant. Santa Margherita is fine, but it's a brand, not an experience — and you're paying restaurant prices for a grocery store wine.
Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling + Cedar plank-roasted salmon
The slight sweetness and bright acidity in the Riesling cut through the smoky char of the cedar plank while complementing the salmon's natural richness. It's the most interesting pairing on a list that otherwise wants you to order a Chardonnay with everything.
❌ The Bottom Line
Seasons 52 is a chain restaurant doing a reasonable impression of a wine bar, but the markups are steep, the list is a corporate greatest-hits package, and there's nothing here you couldn't find at an Applebee's with better marketing. Order the salmon, drink the Riesling, and save the wine exploration for somewhere that actually cares.
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Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
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Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
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Crowd Pleasers
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
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Plays It Safe
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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Fleming's West Hartford is a reliable, polished steakhouse wine program that does exactly what it sets out to do — pour well-known California wines in a nice glass to people who are already spending $60 on a steak. Just don't expect to discover anything, and watch the markup on the big names.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
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