Hotel Wine List That Actually Shows Up
Downtown · Seattle · New American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 11, 2026
Wingman Metrics
Walking into the Fairmont Olympic's brasserie, you half-expect the wine list to be the usual hotel shakedown — Kendall-Jackson by the glass at $22 and a silent prayer you don't notice. The George surprises you. Prices are genuinely reasonable, and someone clearly ran the numbers before printing this thing.
The list leans heavily California with nods to Italy, New Zealand, Argentina, and Provence — nothing that's going to make a Burgundy nerd excited, but solid geography coverage for a hotel dining room. You'll find familiar faces like Duckhorn, The Prisoner, and Meiomi alongside some quieter Italian picks that suggest a little more thought went into sourcing than the obvious name-brand route. What's missing is depth — no real cellar depth, no small producers, no old-world anchor beyond grocery-tier Italian whites. This is a list built for the hotel guest who wants something recognizable and drinkable, not the local who came specifically for the wine.
The glass program runs $10–$25 and covers enough ground to be useful — you can open with a Maso Canali Pinot Grigio, pivot to a Mer Soleil Chardonnay, and close on The Prisoner without ever leaving the list. Exact count is unclear, but there's enough range to navigate a full meal without repeating yourself. No rotation program visible, which tracks — this feels like a list that was set and left alone.
Duckhorn Chardonnay — $22
Duckhorn Chardonnay retails around $50 and here it's $22 a glass. That's not a markup, that's a gift. Order it twice and don't overthink it.
Mer Soleil Chardonnay
Listed at $12 a glass against a $20 retail price — this Santa Lucia Highlands Chardonnay gets overlooked because Duckhorn is right there doing its thing, but Mer Soleil is toasty, coastal, and priced like they forgot to update the menu.
Santa Margarita Pinot Grigio
At $21 a glass for a wine that retails at $20 a bottle, the math doesn't lie — this is the one pour where the hotel tax is fully showing. It's fine wine, but you're paying full bottle price for a single pour. Pass.
The Prisoner Red Blend + Seattle Surf & Turf
The Prisoner's Zinfandel-forward blend — dark fruit, a little smoke, some tension — cuts right through the richness of buttered lobster and holds its own against the steak. At $25 a glass against a $50 retail price, it's the move for a splurge dinner that doesn't feel completely reckless.
✔️ The Bottom Line
The George won't blow any wine nerd's mind, but the markup structure is legitimately one of the fairest we've seen at a hotel restaurant in Seattle — the Duckhorn and Prisoner pours alone are worth the stop. Send your friend here if they want a reliable, recognizable glass at a price that won't make them wince when the bill arrives.
Eastlake · Seattle · Italian
Serafina is a reliable Italian neighborhood spot with a wine list that matches its ambitions — cozy, competent, and a little expensive for what it is. Send a friend here for the pasta and Nebbiolo, but warn them to steer clear of the Prosecco markups.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Capitol Hill · Seattle · French / Northwest Seafood and Wine Bar
Bar Melusine is what Capitol Hill needed more of: a focused, France-forward wine program that actually earns its place next to the food. If you're eating oysters in Seattle, this should be in your regular rotation.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Magnolia · Seattle · Italian
Picolinos is the kind of neighborhood Italian where the wine list genuinely backs up the food, and that's rarer than it should be. Send your friends here if they want a proper Barolo with their osso buco without flying to Turin.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Pike Place Market · Seattle · Italian-American with Northwest influence
The Pink Door is a reliable wine list in a genuinely great room — the atmosphere does a lot of heavy lifting, and the wine program is good enough not to get in the way of a memorable evening. Just watch the markups, stick to the Italian bottles, and let the trapeze act do the rest.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Capitol Hill · Seattle · Modern steakhouse with French-influenced Pacific Northwest cuisine
Bateau is the rare steakhouse where the wine list earns as much attention as what's on the butcher board. Markups keep it from being a total steal, but the depth, the staff, and the Pacific Northwest-first perspective make this one worth the splurge.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Belltown · Seattle · Italian
Tavolàta's wine list is exactly what a good Italian pasta spot should have — focused, fairly priced, and honest about what it is. If you're looking for a list to geek out over, keep walking; if you're looking for something that drinks well with great pasta, pull up a chair.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Broadway corridor · Fort Wayne · New American
Rune is doing something genuinely rare for its zip code: building a wine list with a real identity. Come on a Wednesday, order the Ovum, and feel good about finding a place like this.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
West Plano · Plano · New American
CraftWay Kitchen isn't trying to be a wine destination and doesn't pretend to be — but the markups are fair, the glass program is wide, and there's enough on the list to drink well with a solid meal. Send your friends here for dinner; just don't send them here for a wine education.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
Clemmons · Winston Salem · New American
Sixty Vines is a solid, reliable wine stop in Winston-Salem — the by-the-glass breadth is real and the staff knows their stuff, but the list reads like a greatest hits album rather than anything adventurous. Come for the volume, stay for the pizza, but don't expect to have your mind changed about wine.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.