Lake Views, Monday Deals, Solid Pours
Fitger's / Waterfront · Duluth · Upscale American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 12, 2026
RagingWine reviewed The Boat Club Restaurant & Bar’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Walking into Boat Club with Lake Superior sprawling outside the windows, the wine list feels like it belongs here — ambitious enough to match the upscale supper-club energy, approachable enough that you're not intimidated ordering a bottle before your walleye arrives. There's a sommelier on staff, which immediately signals this isn't a list that was phoned in. The range covers Spain, Italy, and California, which is a reasonable footprint for a Duluth waterfront room.
The list leans pan-European with California filling out the familiar end of things — Spain and Italy get meaningful representation, which is more than most Upper Midwest steakhouses bother with. Radio Boka Tempranillo from Valencia anchors the Spanish section as the house red, a crowd-pleaser that moves volume but doesn't tell the whole story. We'd love to see more depth in Burgundy, Northern Rhône, or even domestic Pinot to complement all that fresh seafood, but what's here is curated rather than dumped. Rosé and Champagne options round things out for a list that clearly has a sommelier's fingerprints on it.
Twelve to eighteen by-the-glass options is genuinely generous for a Duluth restaurant — you're not stuck choosing between two house pours and a mystery Chardonnay. The glass program appears to rotate with the seasons, which keeps it from going stale. The Radio Boka Tempranillo is almost certainly your everyday glass red here, and at this price point it's a dependable, easy-drinking pour.
Radio Boka Tempranillo 2020 — Unknown — bottle list pricing not published
This Valencia Tempranillo retails for $8–$10 a bottle, so even at restaurant markup it should land at a price where you can order a second without flinching. It's fruity, low-tannin, and honest — exactly what you want with a steak when you don't want to think too hard. Show up on a Monday and you're looking at serious value.
Radio Boka Tempranillo 2020 on Monday half-price
Most people treat the Monday half-price bottle night as a footnote. It isn't. Applying broadly to the bottle list after 4pm means you can reach past the house wine into something more interesting on their list at half the markup — making an already fair bottle genuinely excellent value. It's the best deal in Duluth wine right now and most people dining here don't know it exists.
House Champagne / Sparkling by the glass
We don't have the specific label, but house Champagne pours at upscale American spots with steep markups are almost always the worst math on the menu. A glass of anonymous bubbly at a 4–5x markup when you could put that money toward a half-price bottle on a Monday is a hard sell. Hold the bubbles for a special occasion and bring a better reason to pop something.
Radio Boka Tempranillo 2020 + Filet Mignon
Tempranillo and beef is one of the least controversial calls in food and wine — the fruit-forward, medium-bodied profile of Radio Boka won't overpower a filet the way a big Cab might, and the wine's subtle earthiness plays well against seared meat. It's not a complicated pairing, but it's the right one, and it's the right price to match a $40 entree without making the whole meal feel like a financial event.
Monday — Half-price bottles of wine after 4pm on Mondays — applies broadly to the bottle list, not just house wines.
The Bottom Line
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.
· Duluth · Brewpub
Lake Superior Brewing has no business having a wine list this interesting, and we mean that as a full compliment. If you're in Duluth and you want to drink wine somewhere that actually thought about it, this brewpub is the surprising answer.
Surprising Depth
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Duluth · Cocktail Bar
This is a cocktail bar that slipped a legitimately interesting nine-bottle wine list into the corner without making a big deal about it — and we respect the quiet confidence. Don't come here for a deep cellar experience, but do come here knowing you have real options beyond the well liquor.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Duluth · Italian
Va Bene is presumably doing something right in the kitchen, but the wine list is a two-item afterthought that tells you this place doesn't take wine seriously. Order a glass, enjoy your pasta, and don't expect anything more.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Duluth · European / Hotel Restaurant
Midi is doing more with 38 labels than most hotel restaurants do with 80. The aromatic white selection alone makes it worth a serious look, and the pricing won't leave you feeling robbed on the way out.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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
Downtown Jackson · Jackson Hole · Upscale American
Order the $18 Deux Vallées Chenin Blanc with seafood or the $22 Gramercy Cellars 'Lower East' with elk, and ask about the pour size first. Confirm current availability and prices. This unrated guide covers the posted glass list, not service, storage or markups.
· La Crosse · Upscale American
Pogreba's wine list is a well-intentioned, Napa-centric lineup that serves its room without taking many risks — and in La Crosse, Wisconsin, that's probably the right call. Send a friend here if they want a reliable bottle at a fair price; tell the adventurous drinker to order the Riesling and stop overthinking it.
Plays It Safe
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Big Cedar / Ridgedale Area · Branson · Upscale American
Osage Restaurant is a reliable wine stop, not a destination for it — the list is safe, the markups are real, and the views are doing a lot of heavy lifting. Come for the bison and the scenery; treat the wine list as background music, not the main act.
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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