Jessica's at Swift House Inn
Vermont's Quiet Wine Overachiever Worth the Drive
Middlebury · Middlebury · American, Farm to Table · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 9, 2026
Wingman Metrics
First Impression
You're sitting in a candlelit room inside a 19th-century inn with a gas fireplace crackling nearby, and someone hands you a wine list that's earned a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence five years running. It doesn't feel like Vermont — it feels like a serious wine program that just happens to be in Vermont. The list lands with weight, both literally and figuratively.
Selection Deep Dive
Two hundred to three hundred bottles is impressive for anywhere, let alone a historic inn in Addison County. The backbone is classic: Italy leads with names like Antinori Tignanello and Gaja Barbaresco anchoring the high end, while California shows up with a confident Stag's Leap and Caymus presence, and France fills in with Louis Jadot Burgundy and Bordeaux from Château Mougon. Spain rounds out the four-pillar regions that Wine Spectator flagged, keeping the list globally honest without chasing trends. If there's a gap, it's that adventurous drinkers looking for natural wine or off-the-beaten-path producers will need to hunt — this list skews classic, not experimental.
By the Glass
Twelve to eighteen pours by the glass is a genuinely respectable range for a restaurant this size, and at $12–$18 a glass the pricing doesn't punish you for exploring. Meiomi Pinot Noir and Rombauer Chardonnay are the crowd-pleaser anchors on the glass menu — recognizable, reliable, and exactly what half the room will order. We'd push you past those into whatever Burgundy or Italian option sommelier Ella Donnelly-Wright has open on any given night.
Louis Jadot Burgundy — $40–$60
Jadot's reliability at the lower price tier on a list that could easily gouge you makes this the smart order — genuine Burgundy character without the Gaja sticker shock.
Château Mougon Bordeaux
Bordeaux this approachable in price rarely shows up on a list sitting next to Tignanello and Gaja — most tables walk right past it, which means you can drink well while everyone else is paying for the famous labels.
Meiomi Pinot Noir
You're at a Wine Spectator award-winning restaurant with a trained sommelier on the floor — Meiomi is $15 at your grocery store and there's no reason to pay restaurant markup when the list is this deep.
Antinori Tignanello + Vermont grass-fed beef tenderloin
Tignanello's Sangiovese-Cabernet blend has the structure and dark fruit to stand up to grass-fed beef's leaner, more mineral-forward profile — this is exactly the kind of pairing a list like this is built for.
🔥 The Bottom Line
Jessica's punches well above its weight for a Vermont inn restaurant — a dedicated sommelier, a list that Wine Spectator has consistently recognized, and pricing that doesn't feel punitive. Yes, send a friend here for wine, especially if they need convincing that serious bottles and covered porches can coexist.
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