Primo
Italy and California done right, resort guilt-free
Grande Lakes · Orlando · Italian, Mediterranean · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 12, 2026
Wingman Metrics
First Impression
Walking into Primo at the JW Marriott Grande Lakes, the wine list arrives with the kind of quiet confidence that hotel restaurants sometimes fake and occasionally earn. This one earns it — 150-plus bottles anchored in California and Italy, which happen to be the two things on this menu worth drinking seriously. A fresh Wine Spectator Award of Excellence in 2025 signals someone back there is paying attention.
Selection Deep Dive
The list leans hard into its two pillars and doesn't apologize for it. On the Italian side, you're looking at genuine heavyweights — Antinori Tignanello, Gaja Barbaresco, Marchesi di Barolo Barolo, and Banfi Brunello di Montalcino cover the Super Tuscan and Piedmont bases with real conviction. California holds its own with Stag's Leap and Caymus on the Cab side, plus Rombauer and Far Niente flying the flag for Chardonnay. The list won't surprise adventurous drinkers hunting orange wine or obscure natural producers, but it delivers exactly what it promises: crowd-pleasing classics executed with genuine care.
By the Glass
Twenty to thirty pours by the glass is a serious commitment for a hotel restaurant, and the $12–$22 range means you can build a proper meal glass by glass without doing embarrassing math. We'd love to see more rotation or a rotating feature program, but the current lineup gives enough range to match the menu's Italian-Mediterranean drift.
Marchesi di Barolo Barolo — $XX (list price not confirmed)
Barolo at a resort restaurant is often a markup minefield, but Marchesi di Barolo is a legitimate producer with real history in the region — not a label designed to sound impressive at inflated prices. If you're eating braised short rib or house-made pasta, this is the move.
Antinori Tignanello
Yes, Tignanello is famous — but most tables here will default to the Caymus out of habit. Tignanello's Sangiovese-Cabernet blend was built for exactly this kind of Italian-inflected menu, and it tends to get overlooked by diners who only know it by reputation rather than by taste.
Caymus Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon
Caymus is fine wine that has been marked up to unfine prices at virtually every hotel restaurant in America, and Primo is no exception. You're paying a premium for brand recognition, not for what's in the glass. The Stag's Leap Cabernet is the better call at this table.
Banfi Brunello di Montalcino + Braised Short Rib
Brunello's earthy Sangiovese depth and firm tannins are built for slow-cooked red meat. The short rib's richness needs something with enough structure to push back, and Banfi delivers that without requiring you to mortgage a second course.
✔️ The Bottom Line
Primo is a resort restaurant that takes its wine list seriously enough to back it up with a real sommelier and a WS credential — which puts it well ahead of most hotel dining rooms. Pricing is what it is in this zip code, but the Italian backbone and capable staff make it a genuinely good wine dinner if you pick smart.
Comments
Get the Weekly Wingman
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.