Decent pours, great views, no surprises
Downtown / Penn Square Rooftop · Lancaster · Rooftop Bar · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 18, 2026
RagingWine reviewed The Exchange’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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Wingman Metrics
Fourteen labels. That's the whole list. At a rooftop Marriott bar above downtown Lancaster, that number tells you everything before you even read the names — this is a drinks program designed to not offend anyone, not to excite them. The view does most of the heavy lifting here.
The list hits all the expected marks: a California Chardonnay, a Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, an Italian Pinot Grigio, a Prosecco. It's the wine equivalent of a greatest-hits playlist — everything's familiar, nothing's revelatory. There's a nod to Germany with a Prost Riesling from Rheinhessen and a Domaine Martinolles Pinot Noir from Languedoc that suggests someone, somewhere, almost tried. The Cantele Chardonnay from Puglia is the most interesting regional choice on the list, but the rest skews safely coastal California and northern Italy. No skin-contact wines, no local Pennsylvania producers, no real depth below the surface.
Every bottle on the list is available by the glass, which sounds generous until you realize the list is only 14 deep. Glass pours run $12–$16, which is honest money for a rooftop in a mid-size city. Don't expect the selection to rotate — what you see is what you get, season after season.
Matanzas Creek Sauvignon Blanc — $13/glass, $46/bottle
Matanzas Creek is a Sonoma name with real pedigree and the price here doesn't gouge you for it. At $46 a bottle on a rooftop, you're getting a proper wine at a fair markup — grab this over the generic crowd-pleasers around it.
Domaine Martinolles Pinot Noir
Most people at this bar are ordering the Liberty School Cab or the Prosecco. The Martinolles Pinot from Languedoc-Roussillon is the one curveball on the list — lighter, more food-friendly, and from a region most rooftop bar patrons wouldn't expect to see. It's the only wine here that hints the list could've been more interesting.
Sea Sun Chardonnay
At $15 a glass or $56 a bottle, Sea Sun is a perfectly fine supermarket Chardonnay that you can find at any Whole Foods for around $15 retail. The markup isn't outrageous, but the wine itself is utterly generic — spend that money on the Matanzas Creek instead.
Zardetto Prosecco Brut + Charcuterie board
If the Exchange has a charcuterie or snack board on the menu — and most rooftop bars do — the Zardetto Prosecco at $12 a glass is the move. Dry, effervescent, cuts through cured meats and soft cheeses without asking anything of you. It also drinks well against the backdrop of a Pennsylvania skyline at golden hour.
✔️ The Bottom Line
The Exchange is a fine place to have a glass of wine — it's just not a fine place to think about wine. Come for the rooftop, order the Matanzas Creek, and let the view do the rest.
East Lancaster · Lancaster · Classic Italian and Italian-American
Lombardo's won't expand your wine horizons, but it won't ruin your dinner either — order the Chianti, avoid the Santa Margherita markup, and let the kitchen do the heavy lifting. A solid neighborhood Italian that treats wine as a supporting character, not the main event.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Lancaster · Lancaster · Fine Dining / New American
Amorette is doing something genuinely rare in a city Lancaster's size — running a wine program with real depth, real staff, and a cellar worth caring about. The markups will sting on the high end, but the breadth of the list means there are smart plays available if you know where to look.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
New Holland Pike · Lancaster · Brewpub / Beer Hall
This is not a wine destination — it's a beer hall that happens to take Pennsylvania wine seriously enough to put together a thoughtful, all-local list at fair prices. If you're here with a non-beer drinker, they're covered, and they might even discover something worth coming back for.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Lancaster Area · Lancaster · Bottle Shop / Bar
Beer Fridge isn't a wine destination, but its nine-bottle list punches above its weight class — especially the Rioja and the Barbera. Come for the beer, stay for the pleasant surprise.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Bainbridge / Greater Lancaster · Lancaster · Winery
Nissley is a Wild Card in the best sense: you're not getting a canonical wine list, you're getting a third-generation Pennsylvania winery doing its own thing with grapes most restaurants wouldn't touch. If you're open to that, the prices alone make it worth the trip out to Bainbridge.
Small but Thoughtful
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
Wrightsville Area / Susquehanna Valley · Lancaster · Pizza and casual winery fare
Moon Dancer isn't a destination wine list — it's a destination experience where the wine happens to be made on-site and priced fairly. If you're dragging someone to Lancaster wine country for the first time or want a genuinely relaxed afternoon with local pours and good pizza, this earns its spot on the itinerary.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Century Square · College Station · Rooftop Bar
12 Rooftop Bar is a great place to watch the sunset and drink something cold — but if wine is your reason for coming, you're going to be disappointed. Order a cocktail, enjoy the view, and save the wine night for somewhere else.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Water Street District · Dayton · Rooftop Bar
The Foundry Rooftop is not a wine destination, but it's a better wine stop than you'd expect from a hotel rooftop in Ohio. Hit it during happy hour Monday through Thursday and you've got a genuinely good time for not much money.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
Downtown · Grand Rapids · Rooftop Bar
IDC isn't a wine destination, but it's a rooftop bar that actually tried — and that alone puts it ahead of most spots at this category. Show up for the views, stay for the Folk Machine and the Michigan Riesling.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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