Hotel Steakhouse That Actually Tries
University Area · Gainesville · Steakhouse · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed October 17, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed Shula's Steak House’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Walk into Shula's and the wine list feels exactly like the room: buttoned-up, predictable, and built to impress a corporate expense account. The focus is squarely on American power regions — Napa, Sonoma, Willamette Valley — with some European anchors thrown in for credibility. It's a classic hotel steakhouse list, which means it does the job without surprising anyone.
The region coverage reads like a greatest-hits tour: Napa Cabernet, Sonoma Coast Pinot, Willamette Valley for the Pinot crowd, and a respectable nod to Tuscany, Piedmont, Bordeaux, and Rioja for the old-world contingent. Champagne is represented, which is appropriate for a restaurant at this price point. What's missing is any sense of adventure — no interesting importers, no obscure appellations, nothing that would make a curious drinker lean forward. It's a list designed to minimize friction for guests who already know what they want, not to introduce anyone to something new.
We can't confirm the specific by-the-glass selections or prices from available sources, so take this with appropriate caution. A steakhouse at this tier typically runs a modest glass program anchored by safe, recognizable labels — functional but unlikely to excite. If you're serious about the bottle, the list's regional focus suggests going that route is probably the better play.
The Bottom Line
Shula's is a competent hotel steakhouse wine program — it won't embarrass you in front of a client, but it won't thrill you either. The regional framework is solid, the pricing almost certainly reflects the hotel setting, and the list is designed for comfort over curiosity. If you're in Gainesville and need a reliable red with a serious steak, it gets the job done; just don't show up expecting a deep dive.
· Gainesville · Wine shop & bar
Cork It punches above its weight for a Gainesville wine bar — fair prices, a huge by-the-glass list, and at least a few genuinely interesting picks hiding among the crowd-pleasers. If you're in town and want a real glass of wine rather than a rum bucket, this is where you go.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Gainesville · Gainesville · Wine bar and bottle shop with small plates
Superette is the kind of place that shouldn't exist in a mid-sized Florida college town, and yet here it is — a genuinely thoughtful natural wine program with fair pricing and a vibe that makes you want to stay longer than you planned. Send your friends, but tell them to skip the Pinot.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Downtown Gainesville · Gainesville · French
Alpin Bistro is doing something genuinely rare in North Florida: building a focused, France-first wine list with real producers and fair pricing on the bottles that matter. The Wednesday BOGO is the best wine deal in Gainesville — show up with a friend and let the Loire Valley do its thing.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
Northwest Gainesville (Magnolia Parke area) · Gainesville · American café, healthy/locals-focused
One Love Café is never going to be your destination for wine, but the Wednesday half-price bottle deal at a laid-back outdoor café makes it a genuinely good call when you want something easygoing and inexpensive. Come for the vibe, stay for the deal — just don't expect anyone to talk you through the list.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
Newberry Road / Oaks Mall · Gainesville · American Brewpub
BJ's is a brewhouse, full stop — the wine program is an afterthought wearing a price tag. Come for the beer, stay for the Pizookie, and save your wine curiosity for literally anywhere else.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
Newberry Road / Oaks Mall · Gainesville · Italian
Olive Garden's wine program exists to check a box, not elevate a meal — steep markups on grocery-store bottles with zero curation or staff expertise. Stick to the breadsticks, or bring your own bottle if corkage is an option.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Round Rock · Steakhouse
Double Cut is a resort steakhouse wine list doing exactly what it was designed to do: keep guests comfortable and keep bottles moving. The markups are real, especially at the top end, and the list won't surprise anyone who's eaten at a hotel restaurant in the last decade. If you're here, order the Norton Malbec or the Mer Soleil Silver, skip the Caymus, and don't expect a wine revelation — that's not the point.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Irvine · Steakhouse
Fleming's Irvine delivers exactly what it promises: a wide, competent, California-forward wine list that covers all the bases for a steakhouse crowd. The markup is real — this is not a list for value hunters — but the by-the-glass depth is genuinely good and the Loosen Bros. Riesling at $11 is the rare honest deal hiding in plain sight. If you want adventure, look elsewhere; if you want a reliable glass with your ribeye in Irvine, this gets the job done.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Plano · Steakhouse
Del Frisco's Plano delivers a wine list that does its job without doing anything exciting — it's competent, recognizable, and priced for a room where the company card is doing the heavy lifting. If you're here for the steak and want a bottle that won't embarrass you, the list handles that. If you're here to drink well on your own dime, the markup will sting.
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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