Ohio's Best French List, Inside a Church
Northwest Columbus · Columbus · Classic French · Visit Website ↗
Updated April 2026
Reviewed March 22, 2026
Wingman Metrics
Walking into a Gothic church to eat duck confit and drink Burgundy is not something most Columbus residents expect to find on Bethel Road, but here we are. The wine list arrives with the confidence of a place that has been doing this since before most wine lists in Ohio knew what Chablis was. Over 100 labels, a sommelier on the floor, and a house Champagne with the restaurant's own name on the label — this place is serious.
The list leans hard into France, and we mean that as a compliment. Burgundy gets real attention here — not just the usual suspects, but producers like Domaine Moreau Naudet and Domaine Arlaud showing up with actual depth and vintage range. The Champagne section earns its place too, with grower options like Michel Gonet's Mesnil sur Oger Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs sitting alongside the house Gratiot Pilliere 50th Anniversary bottling. Italy gets a thoughtful supporting role — La Staffa's Rincrocca Verdicchio from Marche and the Grosjean Gamay from Val d'Aosta signal that someone on staff actually cares about the weird-good stuff. Bottle prices stretch from $55 to $600+, but the range feels earned, not padded.
Ten to twenty options by the glass, priced $14 to $28, which is reasonable for a room this calibrated. We'd expect the pours to rotate with the seasons given the sommelier presence, though the data suggests the program runs more fixed than fluid. If the Domaine Arlaud Bourgogne Rouge 'Roncevie' is available by the glass, that is the move.
Domaine Arlaud Bourgogne Rouge 'Roncevie' 2023 — $55–$70 (estimated bottle range)
Village-level Bourgogne from a serious Morey-Saint-Denis producer — you're getting the house style of a top domaine at entry-level pricing. In a room full of splurge-worthy bottles, this one punches way above its tier.
Grosjean Gamay, Val d'Aosta, Italy
Most tables in a French fine dining room are going to reach for Burgundy or Bordeaux. The Grosjean Gamay from Valle d'Aosta is a tiny-production, high-altitude mountain wine that almost nobody orders — and it's one of the most interesting things on the list. Alpine freshness, light structure, and a story worth telling.
Tomasso Bussola Recioto della Valpolicella Classico DOCG 2022
Bussola makes great wine, but Recioto is a sweet, late-harvest red that requires very specific context to shine — and a classic French dinner table usually isn't it. Unless you're deep into a dessert course and fully committed, this bottle is likely to sit awkward against the menu.
Domaine Yvon Clerget 1er Cru Volnay 'Les Santenots' + Duck Confit
Volnay Premier Cru is practically designed for duck. The silky tannins, red fruit, and earthy finish of Les Santenots match the richness of confit without fighting it — this is the pairing you bring up at dinner parties for the next six months.
🔥 The Bottom Line
The Refectory is the best wine list in Columbus and one of the most credible French-focused programs in the Midwest — the setting is theatrical, the list is legitimate, and having a sommelier in the room means you're not navigating it alone. Send your friends here for anniversaries, celebrations, or any night that deserves a real bottle.
German Village · Columbus · Italian
Cento is the rare Columbus restaurant where the wine list is a genuine reason to go, not just a footnote to the pasta. Matthew Selva's Italian-focused program earned its Wine Spectator nod honestly — send your wine-curious friends here without hesitation.
Surprising Depth
Fair
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Columbus · Columbus · Spanish, Catalan
Barcelona has been earning its Wine Spectator Award of Excellence since 2005, and the list holds up — serious Spanish producers, fair prices, and enough glass pours to drink well across a full tapas spread. For Columbus, this is genuinely the best Spanish wine program in the room.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Columbus · Columbus · French, Seasonal
The Refectory has been doing this quietly and correctly since 2003, and a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence held that long doesn't happen by accident. If you're in Columbus and serious about wine, this is the room — full stop.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Easton Town Center · Columbus · Steak House
Mastro's Columbus is a trophy-wine steakhouse doing what trophy-wine steakhouses do — and doing it well enough to earn a Wine Spectator credential in its first year. If you're celebrating something, drinking California cab with a great steak, and not particularly interested in venturing off the map, this list will absolutely deliver.
Solid Range
Steep
Varietal Specific
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
Columbus · Columbus · American, Steakhouse
Jeff Ruby's is doing the steakhouse wine list right — deep cellar, Wine Spectator credentials, and enough California firepower to keep any red wine drinker busy all night. Bring your appetite for both the ribeye and the markup, because this room doesn't apologize for either.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Varietal Specific
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
Columbus · Columbus · American, Asian
Agni is the best wine list in Columbus most people haven't had a reason to talk about yet — until now. With two sommeliers, a 300–500 bottle program, and a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence already in its first year, send your friends here and tell them to skip the Caymus.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Seasonal Rotation
Proper
Downtown / Yale · New Haven · Classic French
Union League Cafe is a genuinely lovely room serving serious French food, and its wine program is an embarrassment to both. Come for the duck, order the Beaujolais, and try not to think about what this list could be.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Las Vegas Strip · Las Vegas · Classic French
If you're celebrating something and the view matters, this is one of the Strip's few restaurants where the wine program actually earns its real estate. Just prepare your wallet—you're paying for the altitude.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
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