Mountain Lodge Comfort With Decent Pours
National Park Corridor / Parkway · Gatlinburg · American, Steakhouse · Visit Website ↗
Updated October 2026
Reviewed July 29, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed The Park Grill’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Walking into The Park Grill, you get the wine list you'd expect from a big, warm mountain-lodge steakhouse steps from the Great Smoky Mountains entrance — safe, recognizable names, California-heavy, nothing that's going to surprise you. It reads like it was built to reassure rather than excite. That's not necessarily a dealbreaker when the room smells like wood smoke and you're about to order a ribeye.
The list runs 40 to 70 bottles and leans hard into California and the Pacific Northwest — think Napa Cabs, West Coast Chardonnay, and the kind of names that move volume in tourist-corridor restaurants. Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon and Sonoma-Cutrer Russian River Ranches Chardonnay anchor the list as the marquee picks, both perfectly respectable choices even if they're about as adventurous as a khaki jacket. Don't come here hunting for Burgundy, Rhône, or anything remotely off the beaten path — this list was built for the crowd that orders wine by variety name, not by producer or region. The depth is functional, not inspiring.
With 10 to 18 pours by the glass, there's enough selection to find something reasonable without committing to a bottle — solid for a table with mixed drinkers. The glass program mirrors the bottle list: familiar, West Coast-focused, and unlikely to challenge anyone's comfort zone. Rotation appears minimal; this reads as a set-it-and-forget-it program rather than something actively curated.
Sonoma-Cutrer Russian River Ranches Chardonnay — Unknown
If you're eating the rainbow trout, this is your move. Russian River Ranches is genuinely good California Chardonnay — restrained enough to avoid the butter-bomb trap — and it's one of the few wines on this list where the quality justifies whatever they're charging.
Sonoma-Cutrer Russian River Ranches Chardonnay
In a room full of red-meat eaters defaulting to Cab, this Chardonnay gets overlooked. Order it with the trout and you'll be the smartest person at your table.
Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon
Stag's Leap is a perfectly good wine, but in a tourist-corridor steakhouse, the markup on a name this recognizable is almost certainly punishing. You're paying for the label, not discovery — and you can find this bottle at retail for far less than what they'll charge here.
Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon + Ribeye
It's the obvious call for a reason — the Cab's dark fruit and structure hold up against the char and fat of a properly cooked ribeye. Classic execution in a classic setting.
The Bottom Line
The Park Grill is a reliable dinner stop if you're winding down after a day in the Smokies and want a solid glass of California wine with your steak — just don't expect the list to reward curiosity or spare your wallet. Send your friends here for the food and the vibe; tell them to drink the Sonoma-Cutrer and not overthink it.
· Gatlinburg · Brewery and Pub
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
Westwood · Los Angeles · American, Steakhouse
A Cabernet-first list with 30 glasses and a long bottle book, but no wine prices posted online. If you want a known price, the $9 happy hour Bonanza Cabernet by Caymus is the one posted figure, and if you want to step away from Cabernet, try the Il Bruciato Super Tuscan by the glass. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Scottsdale · Scottsdale · American, Steakhouse
A very large list with a long glass section, from a $14 Muscadet to a $90 pour of Krug. Start with the $14/glass Mélon de Bourgogne, then look at the Arizona Selections page if you want an Arizona bottle, and confirm prices because the PDF says they are subject to change. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Van Ness / Polk · San Francisco · American, Steakhouse
A serious steakhouse list with a glass program you can actually use: 32 pours by the stem from 14 to 99 and California Cabernet across eight pages. Start with the Keenan Cabernet at 22 by the stem, or step up to the Jordan Alexander Valley at 129 with the Porterhouse, and ask which vintages are current since the list is subject to vintage change. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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