The Melting Pot
Fondue and Cabs Walk Into a Wine Bar
Littleton · Littleton · Fondue · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 11, 2026
Wingman Metrics
First Impression
A fondue restaurant with a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence sounds like a punchline, but The Melting Pot in Littleton earns it. The list runs 80-plus bottles deep with a clear California tilt, and the dim, booth-heavy room actually makes cracking a good bottle feel like an occasion. This is date-night territory, and the wine program knows its assignment.
Selection Deep Dive
The list is a California greatest hits parade — Jordan, Stag's Leap, Duckhorn, Cakebread, Rombauer — and it plays that lane with conviction rather than pretending to be something it's not. You're not finding Barolo or Grüner Veltliner here, and that's fine. What you will find is a well-curated collection of recognizable, crowd-friendly producers that are genuinely appropriate for the food. The gaps are real — no significant European presence, no natural wine, nothing too adventurous — but for the context, the depth is legitimately surprising. Three named wine staff (Tony Wheeler, Chris Milburn, Steve Sesow) give this place more credibility than most fondue joints have any business having.
By the Glass
Twenty to thirty pours by the glass is an impressive number at $9-$16 a stem, and the range tracks with the bottle list — California-forward, approachable, well-known names. Rotation intel isn't available, but with staff this engaged, it's unlikely the pours are sitting stale. If you're splitting a fondue course-by-course, the glass program is genuinely useful for matching each pot.
Chateau Ste. Michelle Indian Wells Chardonnay 2022 — $45
At $45, this is the most accessible bottle on the list that still drinks well. Indian Wells is a solid, richer-style Chardonnay that holds up to the creamier cheese fondues without requiring you to blow your budget on Rombauer or Cakebread.
Sonoma-Cutrer Chardonnay
Consistently overshadowed by Rombauer and Cakebread at restaurants like this, Sonoma-Cutrer's Russian River Ranches is a tighter, more food-friendly Chardonnay that actually complements rather than competes with the fondue. Most people walk right past it.
Rombauer Chardonnay 2022
At $75, you're paying a significant premium for a wine you can grab at Costco for around $25. It's fine — it's always fine — but the value just isn't there when better options sit lower on the list.
Duckhorn Merlot + Classic Sesame Beef
Duckhorn Napa Merlot is plush, structured, and generous — it can stand up to savory broth-cooked beef without steamrolling it. The sesame notes in the dish play nicely against the wine's dark fruit, and the tannins cut through the richness of the dipping sauces.
Wednesday — Half-price wine night every Wednesday — the single best reason to plan around this list.
🎲 The Bottom Line
We wouldn't have guessed a fondue chain would hold a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence and actually back it up, but here we are. Wednesday half-price wine night plus knowledgeable staff makes this genuinely worth the trip for a date — just lean toward the lower end of the bottle list on markup.
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