Chain Comfort with Respectable Wine Sense
Orlando · Contemporary American · Visit Website ↗
Updated August 2026
Reviewed February 27, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed Seasons 52’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Seasons 52 reads like it was designed by committee — which, given the chain pedigree, it probably was. You get the usual suspects arranged by varietal with corporate-safe descriptions, but there's enough depth here that someone at headquarters actually cares. It's not exciting, but it won't embarrass you on a business dinner.
The list skews heavily toward California and approachable Old World names — think Napa Cabs, Russian River Chardonnays, and a few Tuscan reds for the Chianti crowd. You'll find recognizable producers like La Crema, J Lohr, and maybe a Meiomi if they're feeling adventurous. The international section exists but plays it painfully safe: a Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, an Argentine Malbec, possibly a Rioja Crianza. There's little adventure here, no natural wine, no orange wine, no small producers taking risks. It's the vinous equivalent of beige walls — inoffensive and forgettable.
The glass pour program leans on crowd-pleasing varietals with decent rotation for a chain. You'll get your Pinot Grigio, your Chardonnay, a Cabernet, maybe a Malbec. Pours are standard restaurant sizing, nothing generous but not stingy. The list changes seasonally, which shows someone's paying attention, but don't expect cutting-edge selections or small producers — this is built for the guest who orders "a Chardonnay" without asking which one.
Benziger Cabernet Sauvignon — $48
Sonoma fruit with drinkability now, fair markup for a solid weeknight red
Pasqua Valpolicella Ripasso
If they've got it, this cherry-rich Italian punches above its weight and pairs beautifully with their wood-grilled dishes
Kendall-Jackson Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay
You can buy this at any grocery store for $12; here it's probably $42 by the bottle
J Lohr Hilltop Cabernet Sauvignon + Wood-Grilled Filet Mignon
Classic Paso fruit with enough structure to stand up to charred beef without overwhelming the protein
The Bottom Line
Seasons 52 won't win any awards for wine innovation, but it's reliable in that suburban-corporate-America way. The markups sting, the list plays it safe, but you won't get stuck with terrible wine. Just don't expect anyone on staff to guide you beyond the basics.
· Orlando · Brazilian Steakhouse
Fogo de Chão Orlando's wine list is honest and reasonably priced — it won't blow your mind, but it won't embarrass you either. The South American focus is coherent and thematically on-point, the markup is fair for a chain steakhouse, and there are a few genuinely interesting picks hiding in the whites section. If you're here for meat and want a bottle that doesn't cost a fortune, you'll find one.
Plays It Safe
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Winter Park · Orlando · Greek, Mediterranean
AVA MediterrAegean earns its Wine Spectator recognition by doing something genuinely rare in Florida: building a Greek-forward wine program with real depth and the staff to back it up. If you're eating here and not exploring the Greek section, you're missing the whole point.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Downtown Orlando · Orlando · French, Regional
The Boheme is the best wine list in the kind of restaurant Downtown Orlando needs more of — it's not groundbreaking, but it's honest, properly focused, and worthy of its Wine Spectator recognition. Send your friends here for a date night, order the Chablis to start, and resist the urge to default to Caymus.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
International Drive · Orlando · Brazilian Churrascaria
Texas de Brazil isn't a wine destination, but it's a smarter wine program than the I-Drive zip code would suggest, and Wednesday's half-price bottles make it a legitimate value play. Come for the meat, stay for the Achaval Ferrer.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
Grande Lakes · Orlando · Italian, Mediterranean
Primo is a resort restaurant that takes its wine list seriously enough to back it up with a real sommelier and a WS credential — which puts it well ahead of most hotel dining rooms. Pricing is what it is in this zip code, but the Italian backbone and capable staff make it a genuinely good wine dinner if you pick smart.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Lake Nona · Orlando · Japanese
Nami is the kind of surprise that earns its Wine Spectator badge — a Japanese restaurant in Lake Nona that treats French wine with genuine seriousness, backed by a knowledgeable staff member who can actually guide you through it. Markups keep it from being a steal, but if you're eating omakase anyway, ordering from this list is the right call.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Vinings · Atlanta · Contemporary American
So has a wine list built to please a suburban dinner crowd without ruffling any feathers, and it largely succeeds at that narrow goal. The markup is real — most bottles sit at 3–4x retail — but the by-the-glass breadth gives you options to keep the tab reasonable. If you're a wine-first diner, this isn't your destination; if you're here for the scene and the food, you'll find something perfectly fine to drink.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Toledo · Contemporary American
Sabira has built something genuinely worth noticing for Toledo: a compact, mostly European list that takes real swings with appellations like Grasparossa di Castelvetro and Vernaccia di San Gimignano. Pricing data isn't available to us, and the BTG program is unclear — so call ahead or ask on arrival. If the staff knows this list as well as whoever curated it seems to, this is an easy recommendation for anyone tired of the same regional Chardonnay-and-Cab circuit.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Sarasota · Sarasota · Contemporary American
A one-page list that mixes Greek, Italian and French bottles with Cristal, Taittinger and Laurent-Perrier Champagnes, and posts many prices as two unlabeled numbers. Start with the Gai'a Assyrtiko (70 / 17) alongside the wood-fired octopus, or take the Les Girelles Picpoul (48 / 12) on a Tuesday, when the list says bottles at $99 and less are half off (bubbles and Champagne excluded). This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups, and the list carries no printed date, so confirm current availability and ask which number is the glass.
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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