Game Day Grub, Afterthought Wine List
Downtown · Grand Rapids · Casual Italian-American, Sports Bar · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed June 29, 2026
Wingman Metrics
Walk into Uccello's Downtown and the TVs outnumber the wine options by a wide margin — this is a sports bar that happens to serve pasta, and the wine list reflects exactly that priority. What you get is a short roster of familiar, grocery-aisle names that nobody argued too hard about selecting. It's functional, nothing more.
The list leans almost entirely on California workhorses — Havenscourt, Bonanza, Joel Gott, Kendall Jackson — with a couple of Italian names (Brugnano's Naisi and Nero d'Avola from Sicily) doing the heavy lifting on regional credibility. Banfi Chianti shows up as the Italian-American obligatory, and Matua Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand rounds out the whites. There's a small nod to Michigan pride with Chateau Grand Traverse Riesling, which is genuinely the most interesting thing on this list. Don't come here looking for depth by region or vintage variation — there isn't any.
It appears nearly everything on the list is available by the glass, which is about the only generous thing we can say. Happy hour drops select pours to $4, which at a sports bar in downtown Grand Rapids is genuinely hard to argue with. Outside of happy hour, pricing becomes less compelling given what's in the glass.
Chateau Grand Traverse Riesling — $4
A local Michigan producer that actually earns its place on a list — Grand Traverse makes solid Riesling from Old Mission Peninsula fruit, and catching it at happy hour pricing is a genuine win in this context.
Brugnano Nero d'Avola
Most people at a sports bar are reaching for the Bonanza Cab by default, but the Nero d'Avola from Sicily is the more interesting pour — darker fruit, earthier, and it actually makes sense next to a plate of pasta. Most tables will walk right past it.
Kendall Jackson VR Chardonnay
You can buy this at any grocery store for $12–$14. Whatever they're charging at the table isn't worth it for a wine with zero surprise factor and zero sense of place.
Brugnano Naisi + Baked Pasta
The Naisi is a Sicilian red built for tomato-forward, hearty cooking — exactly what a baked pasta delivers. It's the one moment on this list where the Italian-American menu and the wine actually make sense together.
❌ The Bottom Line
Uccello's Downtown is a perfectly solid place to watch a game and eat a pizza — just don't show up expecting the wine list to match the ambition of the kitchen. Order the Nero d'Avola, grab it during happy hour if you can, and save your serious wine drinking for somewhere else.
Downtown / Amway Grand Plaza · Grand Rapids · Spanish / Modern European
MDRD is a Wild Card because it earns its badge the hard way: a hotel rooftop in the Midwest has no business carrying Bodega Chacra or a thoughtful local Michigan Pinot, and yet here we are. Markups keep it from being a destination wine list, but if you're already up there for the views and the paella, there are worse ways to spend your glass pours.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown · Grand Rapids · New American / Teaching Restaurant
A teaching restaurant that could embarrass a few actual restaurants on the wine front — fair prices, genuine producers, and a France-meets-Michigan list that has more intention behind it than most spots charging twice as much. Go in without expectations and leave genuinely impressed.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
Downtown · Grand Rapids · Fondue-focused American/Swiss-style chain
The Melting Pot's wine list is the dining equivalent of a reliable sedan — it gets you where you're going without any surprises, good or bad. Send a friend here for the experience, not the wine, but reassure them they won't be embarrassed by what's in the glass.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Kentwood / Southeast · Grand Rapids · Upscale Casual American
Cooper's Hawk Kentwood is exactly what it is — a well-run chain winery restaurant with fair prices, a crowd-pleasing list, and staff that's enthusiastic if not deeply expert. Don't come here expecting to find your new favorite grower Champagne; do come here knowing you'll drink something decent without getting gouged.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
Midtown · Grand Rapids · Gastro Pub / Contemporary American Comfort Food
The Friesian is a neighborhood pub that happens to have wine — and there's nothing wrong with that. Come on a Wednesday when glasses are half price, order the Tempranillo or the Malbec, and stop overthinking it.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
Downtown / Riverfront · Grand Rapids · Modern Spanish
MDRD is a hotel rooftop bar that actually tried with its wine list, and in Grand Rapids — or anywhere, really — that clears the bar. The markups have some sharp edges and the list is short, but the Spanish focus is genuine and the Txakoli alone makes it worth a visit.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
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