Wednesday Bottles Make the Fondue Worth It
Downtown Parkway · Gatlinburg · Fondue-focused American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed July 29, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed The Melting Pot Gatlinburg’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list here reads exactly like you'd expect from a national fondue chain — familiar labels, safe regions, nothing that'll make your heart race. It's a list built for the broadest possible tourist audience on the Gatlinburg Parkway, and it does that job competently if not inspiringly. The Wednesday half-price bottle deal, though, changes the math considerably.
The list sits somewhere in the 30-50 bottle range, leaning heavily on California and New Zealand crowd-pleasers with a gesture toward France. You'll find the usual suspects: Rombauer Chardonnay for the Chard faithful, Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc for the people who want something 'crisp and easy,' and Meiomi Pinot Noir for everyone else. There's no real depth here — no Burgundy rabbit hole to fall into, no obscure Rhône producer hiding on page three. What you get is a predictable but functional lineup designed to not confuse anyone who just drove in from Indianapolis.
With 10-16 glass pours on offer, the by-the-glass program is actually one of the stronger aspects of this list relative to expectations — you have enough options to match something reasonable to each fondue course. That said, the pours lean on the same recognizable brands you'd find at any mid-range chain, so don't expect any surprises. No documented rotation or featured glass program was identified.
Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc — null
On a Wednesday half-price bottle night paired with the four-course dinner, this crowd-pleasing New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc becomes genuinely good value — its bright acidity cuts through the richness of the cheese fondue better than most bottles on this list, and at half the already-moderate price, it's the easiest yes on the menu.
Rombauer Chardonnay
Yes, it's everywhere — but Rombauer's lush, buttery California Chardonnay is actually a legitimate foil for the Classic Alpine cheese fondue. Most people order it out of habit; here, they're accidentally making a smart call. At half price on Wednesday, it's worth leaning into rather than avoiding on principle.
Meiomi Pinot Noir
Meiomi is a $12 grocery store bottle that gets a serious restaurant markup here, and its soft, sweet fruit profile doesn't do much interesting work against the savory fondue formats. Your money is better spent almost anywhere else on this list, or just ordering another glass of the Sauvignon Blanc.
Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc + Classic Alpine Cheese Fondue
The Classic Alpine is a rich, Gruyère-forward fondue that needs something with enough acid and citrus brightness to keep it from feeling heavy. Kim Crawford's zippy New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc delivers exactly that cut, course after course, without fighting the cheese for attention.
Wednesday — Half-price bottles of wine with the purchase of a four-course dinner. Applies to the full bottle list; no separate by-the-glass half-price offer identified.
The Bottom Line
The Melting Pot Gatlinburg isn't a wine destination, but it's a perfectly serviceable place to drink a familiar bottle while melting things in cheese — especially on a Wednesday when the half-price bottle deal makes the steep baseline markups a lot more forgivable. Send a friend here for the fondue experience, not the wine list.
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Smoky Mountain Brewery is a beer destination that happens to have a functional wine list — and that's not a knock. The pricing is fair across most of the menu, the by-the-glass selection is broad, and the familiar producers mean no one at the table is guessing. If you're here for wine first, you're in the wrong building. If you're here with a group and need something other than a pint, you'll be fine.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Gatlinburg · Winery and Tasting Room
Hillside Winery earns its Wild Card badge because it's doing something genuinely unexpected in the middle of Gatlinburg's tourist corridor — making Italian-style wines in Tennessee and inviting you to taste them for free. We can't verify specific bottles, pricing, or how deep the cellar actually goes, so treat this as an adventure rather than a sure thing. If you're in the Smokies and curious about American regional wine outside the usual suspects, this is worth an hour of your afternoon.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
· Gatlinburg · Brewery and Pizza
This is a brewery that serves wine the way a steakhouse serves veggie burgers — technically available, clearly not the point. At $7 flat, the pricing is painless, but with zero producer information and a list built entirely from generic varietals, there's no reason to come here for wine. Grab one of their beers, enjoy the Smokies, and save your wine curiosity for somewhere that returns the favor.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
MIA
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Gatlinburg · German
Hofbräuhaus Gatlinburg is here to sell you a liter of beer in a giant mug, and honestly, that's the right call. The wine program is six unlabeled varietals with no pricing transparency and zero evidence of anyone tending to it with care. Order the Märzen, skip the wine.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Gatlinburg · Seafood
Chesapeake's Gatlinburg isn't trying to win a wine award, and it doesn't need to — the list is honest, the pricing is fair for what it is, and the white wine depth is genuinely appropriate for a seafood restaurant. If you're in Gatlinburg and want a bottle that won't break the bank or embarrass you, you can do a lot worse than landing on that Dry Creek Chenin Blanc.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Gatlinburg · Southern American
Ole Red is a concert venue and bar that happens to have wine on the menu — and it shows. If you're in Gatlinburg for live music and cold beer, this place probably delivers. If you're looking to drink well, skip the wine entirely and order a cocktail or a local beer. There are better uses for your $10.
Grocery Store
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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