Aspen

Clark's Oyster Bar Aspen

· Aspen · Seafood and Oyster Bar

The Wild Card

Clark's Oyster Bar Aspen earns the Wild Card badge by doing something almost no oyster bar does: ditching the dry wine playbook entirely and building a focused, globally-sourced dessert wine list with real producers at fair prices. It's a bizarre and commendable choice. Come for the oysters, stay for the Madeira — just don't expect a Muscadet to wash them down.

MOLLIE Aspen

· Aspen · Hotel dining

The Wild Card

MOLLIE runs one of the most thoughtful compact lists in Aspen, and the all-by-the-glass format means you can drink your way through France without committing to a bottle. The pricing is fair for the altitude and the address, and the curation punches above a typical hotel program. If you're passing through and want a smart glass of wine without a thesis-length wine list, this is your spot.

Hotel Jerome

· Aspen · Historic hotel dining

The Wild Card

Hotel Jerome's Living Room list is a pleasant surprise in a market where hotel wine programs often coast on tourist ignorance and Famous Names. The selection is short but curated, with enough Old World intrigue — the Vajra Barbera, the Quintodecimo, the Bandol rosé — to reward the curious. Markups are real and Aspen-appropriate, so set your expectations accordingly. If you're staying at the hotel or catching a drink after a ski day, you'll drink well here without feeling insulted.

Mezzaluna

· Aspen · Italian

The Lazy List

Mezzaluna's wine list is a missed opportunity in a town that could easily support something far more interesting. The markups are real — Santa Margherita at $64 and Joel Gott Cab at $60 are doing the heavy lifting on margin — and the selection never ventures beyond brands your parents recognize. If you're eating here, drink the Frescobaldi or the Ruffino Riserva and call it a night; don't expect the list to surprise you.

AspenX Beach Club

· Aspen · Seasonal New American

The Wild Card

AspenX Beach Club is exactly what it advertises: a spectacle first, a wine program second. There's a sommelier on staff and the Champagne-and-rosé focus is at least intentional and coherent, but pricing at this address in this atmosphere is going to sting. Go for the experience, order something cold and bubbly, and don't stress about the list — that's clearly not the point.

Nobu Aspen

· Aspen · Japanese-Peruvian

The Wild Card

Nobu Aspen's wine list won't win awards for depth or value, but it earns respect for its unexpected Australian backbone and a by-the-glass program that actually has range and structure. If you're dropping serious money at this address anyway, lean into the Swinney Grenache or the Domaine Laroche Chablis — someone cared enough to put them there.

Pine Creek Cookhouse

· Aspen · Mountain American

The Wild Card

Pine Creek Cookhouse is not a wine destination — it's an experience destination where the wine list exists to complement a genuinely special setting, and to its credit, it doesn't try to be more than that. The pricing is fair, the range covers the basics without embarrassing anyone, and the Gascon white alone is worth knowing about. Come for the mountain, stay for the sleigh ride, and don't overthink the wine.

Petit Trois Aspen

· Aspen · French Bistro

The Wild Card

Petit Trois Aspen earns its Wild Card badge by keeping the list lean, French-forward, and genuinely considered — rare for a resort-market restaurant where the wine list is usually an afterthought. The markups are real, and the glass prices climb steeply toward the top, but the Ajax Cellars Riesling and the Estezargue give you a reason to explore. If you're in town and want something with more personality than the usual Aspen lineup, this list delivers — just go in with your eyes open on price.

LoLa 41 Aspen

· Aspen · Global Asian

The Wild Card

LoLa 41 Aspen plays it safe with a crowd-pleasing list that leans heavily on name recognition and a showstopper Champagne section built for Aspen-sized occasions. Markups are steep throughout, and the list won't surprise a serious wine drinker — but the by-the-glass program is functional and the Ken Wright Pinot Noir is legitimately good value for the altitude. Go in knowing what you want, or let the bubbles section do the thinking for you.

Aspen Art Museum Rooftop Café

Downtown · Aspen · Cafe / Wine-Friendly

The Wild Card

This is a Wild Card in the truest sense — a museum rooftop café with no sommelier and steep markups that still manages to stock Lapierre, William Fevre Grand Cru, and Pierre Peters. The prices will get you, but the list itself deserves credit. Come for the view, stay for the Gruner.

Element 47 Bar & Lounge

Downtown / The Little Nell · Aspen · Wine Bar / Lounge

The Rager

Element 47 is the rare mountain resort wine program that could hold its own in any major city — 3,300 labels, proper storage, knowledgeable staff, and glassware that actually fits the wine. Prices are high because Aspen is high, but if you're going to spend serious money on a bottle somewhere, this is a place that respects the investment.

Las Montañas Bar Area

Downtown · Aspen · Bar / Mexican

The Wild Card

Las Montañas is the rare bar where the wine list deserves more attention than the cocktail menu — a sommelier-curated, California-forward selection with enough Pacific Northwest surprises to keep things interesting. Aspen markups are what they are, but the quality and intentionality here are real.

Sant Ambroeus Aspen

Downtown · Aspen · Upscale Italian (Milanese café and restaurant)

The Reliable

Sant Ambroeus Aspen is a genuinely good Italian wine program wearing a resort-town price tag — the producers are real, the Franciacorta selection alone is worth your attention, and the staff actually knows what's on the list. Just go in knowing you're paying Aspen rates for everything, and let that Bellavista do its thing.

Snow Lodge (St. Regis Aspen)

Downtown / St. Regis · Aspen · Lounge / Mediterranean

The Reliable

Snow Lodge delivers exactly what a St. Regis resort lounge should: proper glassware, knowledgeable staff, and a list that won't embarrass anyone. Just don't come looking for discovery — this list is built for comfort, and the markups reflect the altitude in more ways than one.

Velvet Buck

Downtown / St. Regis · Aspen · Mountain American / Hotel Restaurant

The Reliable

Velvet Buck is a reliable, well-run hotel wine program doing exactly what a St. Regis in Aspen is supposed to do — impress people without surprising them. If you're after adventure, look elsewhere; if you're after a great glass of Far Niente after a day on the mountain, you're in the right place.

Acquolina Trattoria & Pizzeria

Downtown · Aspen · Italian Trattoria & Pizzeria

The Wild Card

Acquolina is genuinely strange and genuinely good — a casual trattoria with a cellar that could embarrass most fine dining rooms in Colorado. The markups are real and the glass program is unremarkable, but if you came to drink serious Italian wine with a wood-fired pizza, there are very few places in the state doing it better.

Ziggy's Aspen

Downtown · Aspen · New American / Bar

The Wild Card

Ziggy's punches well above its bar-list weight class, and the pricing won't leave you feeling robbed the way Aspen usually does. It's not a destination wine program, but it's a genuinely good one hidden inside a place most people are going to for cocktails.

Aosta

Downtown · Aspen · Italian / Alpine

The Rager

Aosta is the real thing — a deep, Italy-first list with genuine regional character and enough serious bottles to keep wine people busy for multiple visits. Markups are Aspen-steep, so come with a strategy, but this is absolutely a list worth making the trip for.

Duemani

Downtown · Aspen · Mediterranean and Italian-inspired seafood and steak

The Rager

Duemani is the real thing — a legitimately serious wine list in a ski town that could easily get away with charging resort prices for mediocre bottles. Steep markups are a reality of the Aspen zip code, but the depth and curation here make it worth the splurge if you're choosing where to drop serious wine money on the mountain.

Campo de Fiori

Downtown · Aspen · Italian

The Reliable

Campo de Fiori is a solid Italian wine list in a loud, fun Aspen room — dependable producers, Italian focus, no major embarrassments. Just know that Aspen markups are real, and you'll want to navigate toward the mid-tier bottles where the value actually lives.

Catch Steak Aspen

Downtown · Aspen · Steakhouse

The Rager

Catch Steak Aspen earns its stripes with a genuinely impressive, well-curated list backed by a sommelier who clearly did the work — just know you're paying Aspen prices for the privilege. If someone else is buying, order freely; if you're watching the tab, stick to the French glass pours and call it a win.

Monarch Steakhouse

Downtown · Aspen · Classic Steakhouse

The Wild Card

Monarch is a bonkers wine program for a steakhouse — five dessert wines only, zero bottles, no red to speak of — but the pricing is fair, the selections are legitimately good, and it earns a Wild Card just for having the nerve. Come for the steak, consider a glass of Sauternes to finish, and bring your own bottle if you want wine with dinner.

Jing Aspen

Downtown · Aspen · Asian Fusion

The Wild Card

Jing isn't a wine destination, but the list is smarter than the room gives it credit for — an Alsace and Austria-leaning selection that actually makes sense with the food is worth acknowledging. Just go in knowing the markups reflect the zip code, not the pour.

Cache Cache

Downtown · Aspen · French-American

The Rager

Cache Cache is the rare mountain-town restaurant where the wine list is legitimately worth the trip — deep Burgundy, proper storage, and staff who know what they're talking about. Markups are steep (this is Aspen), but the selection and execution earn the badge.

Bosq

Downtown · Aspen · Contemporary Tasting Menu

The Rager

Bosq is the kind of place where the wine program is as considered as the food, and that's not something you can say about many restaurants in a ski town built on bottles of Caymus and après-ski Champagne. The markup is what it is in Aspen, but the quality, curation, and staff knowledge make this worth it for a special occasion — or an excuse to expense dinner.

Meat & Cheese Restaurant and Farm Shop

Downtown · Aspen · New American with global influences; cheese and charcuterie-focused farm-to-table

The Wild Card

Meat & Cheese punches above its casual farm-shop look with a wine list that clearly has someone's fingerprints on it. Aspen pricing keeps it from being a true value play, but the selections here are too interesting to ignore.

Petit Trois at MOLLIE

Downtown / West End edge · Aspen · French Bistro

The Wild Card

Petit Trois Aspen is a Wild Card because it has no business being this interesting inside a ski hotel — but here we are. The list has a real point of view, the staff backs it up, and a few bottles are genuinely worth seeking out. Just keep one eye on the markup and let the California picks carry you.

The Little Nell Dining

Downtown / The Little Nell · Aspen · Fine Dining

The Rager

The Little Nell's wine program is the real deal — one of the deepest cellars you'll find anywhere in the mountain West, staffed by people who actually know what they're talking about. The markups will sting and there's no bargain-hunter's night to soften the blow, but if you're eating here, you already knew what you signed up for.

Ajax Tavern

Downtown / The Little Nell · Aspen · Brasserie / Casual Fine Dining

The Wild Card

Ajax is a Wild Card in the best sense: it looks like a ski-town crowd pleaser and mostly delivers exactly that, but the Little Nell cellar access turns it into something you can't fully predict. Come for the fries, stay curious about what's hiding in the back.

Cloud Nine

Aspen · Aspen · American

The Wild Card

Cloud Nine is a trophy-list restaurant in a trophy-list town, and it earns its Wild Card badge for keeping things interesting with a real sommelier, a legitimate French focus, and a Tuesday half-price program that's practically criminal at this level. If you're not dining on Tuesday, go in with eyes open on price — but go in.