Corporate Steakhouse Wine: Safe but Predictable
Downtown Sarasota · Sarasota · American Steakhouse · Visit Website ↗
Updated October 2026
Reviewed February 25, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed The Capital Grille’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The Capital Grille wine list is exactly what you'd expect from a national steakhouse chain: big Napa Cabs, recognizable Burgundy, a token Super Tuscan section, and enough Silver Oak to float a yacht. It's built for expense accounts and safe bets, not wine nerds hunting bottles.
The list leans heavy on California with the usual suspects—Caymus, Jordan, Duckhorn—alongside French classics like Louis Jadot and Châteauneuf staples. You'll find some Italian depth with Antinori and Gaja making appearances, plus enough big-brand Champagne to toast a merger. The Bordeaux section skews toward recognizable châteaux, though they're priced like Wall Street found them first. What's missing: anything adventurous, natural, or under-the-radar. This is wine as comfort food, which works fine until you see the markups.
The glass program sticks to the script with 12-15 options covering the bases: a Napa Cab, a buttery Chardonnay, maybe a Malbec for the red blend crowd. Expect brands you've seen at every steakhouse—Sonoma-Cutrer, La Crema, that sort of thing. They rotate seasonally but don't expect surprises. Pours are generous enough and the wine arrives at proper temp, which is more than some independents manage.
Louis Jadot Pouilly-Fuissé — $68
White Burgundy at steakhouse prices is rarely a steal, but this one drinks clean and pairs beautifully with their lobster mac—actually worth the markup compared to the Napa markups
Tenuta San Guido Guidalberto
The 'baby Sassicaia' flies under the radar here while everyone orders Caymus—Tuscan blend with structure that stands up to ribeye without the four-figure price tag
Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon
Marked up to $140+ when you can find it for $85 retail—it's a solid Napa Cab but you're paying $55 for the name recognition and nothing more
Châteauneuf-du-Pape Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe + Bone-In Kona Crusted Dry Aged Sirloin
The Grenache-based blend has the fruit and spice to handle their signature crust while the earthy undertones match the dry-aged funk perfectly
The Bottom Line
The Capital Grille delivers exactly what corporate steakhouses do: a safe, solid list with recognizable names and predictable markups. You won't find any thrills, but you won't get burned either—just bring the corporate card.
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.
Downtown Sarasota · Sarasota · American
A 38-wine list that mixes French and California bottles and posts three Cabernet Francs among its reds. Start with the Charles Joguet Chinon at 68 or the Micro-Cosme red at 10 / 39, and ask which number is the glass. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Siesta Key · Sarasota · Italian
A big, Italy-heavy list with a run of $38 house-label bottles and reds that climb to a $696 1993 Quintarelli. Order the $38 C.G. Vini Chianti or the $38 Argiolas Vermentino, and save the Quintarelli for a table that has confirmed it's in stock. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Siesta Drive and US 41 · Sarasota · Steakhouse
A steakhouse list built in two layers: 80 wines on the main list with 42 poured by the glass from $10 to $45, and a 20-wine Reserve list that runs $160 to $715. For a steak dinner, order the Calera by Duckhorn Pinot Noir at $17 a glass with the filet, or pick the $42 Réserve Mont-Redon if the table wants a bottle. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups, and prices should be confirmed.
Sarasota · Sarasota · American with winery focus
A winery-restaurant list built mostly on its own bottlings, with clear glass and bottle prices. Order bin 79 Chardonnay with Dana's Parmesan-Crusted Chicken, or try the $10.75 house Red, and confirm what is pouring in Sarasota. This unrated guide covers the posted wine menu, not service, storage or retail markups.
Siesta Key · Sarasota · American
Summer House posts a seven-page list whose biggest section is Cabernet Sauvignon and blends, with a 31-pour glass page priced from $13 to $38. Start with the $17 Decoy Cabernet by the glass, then buy the $70 bottle if the table likes it, or try the $29 Collefrisio Montepulciano Riserva for something off the Cabernet track. Confirm current availability and prices, since the restaurant says pricing, vintages and wines are subject to change; this unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
· McLean · American Steakhouse
We don't fully understand how a six-bottle list this good ended up at The Palm Tysons Corner, but here we are. If you're eating here and care about wine at all, this list deserves your attention — especially that Sancerre at $23. It's a small program, but it's a thoughtful one, and in a category full of lazy steakhouse lists, that counts for a lot.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· The Woodlands · American Steakhouse
We're working with event-night evidence, not a full house list, so drawing firm conclusions about Del Frisco's Grille's everyday wine program would be dishonest. What we can say is that a six-wine promotional dinner built around one producer family isn't a reason to make this your wine destination. Come for the steakhouse experience — but don't expect the wine list to be the main event.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Occasional
Acceptable
· Ashburn · American Steakhouse
Eddie Merlot's is a dependable upscale steakhouse that delivers on the beef side of the equation. The wine program appears to be functional rather than inspired — a crowd-pleasing list built to sell confidently, not to excite. If you're coming for a business dinner or a straightforward date night and want a Napa Cab with your prime-aged ribeye, you'll be just fine. If you want something to talk about on the drive home, you might need to bring your own bottle or do a little pre-visit homework.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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