Aurora's Small-Production Secret Worth the Drive
Stanley Marketplace / Northwest Aurora · Aurora · Wood-fired New American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · June 20, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Annette’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Walking into a converted marketplace and finding Crémant du Jura and Listán Blanco on the wine list is not what you expect from Aurora, Colorado — and that's exactly the point. Annette's list is short, but whoever built it clearly has opinions, and those opinions skew toward small-production European and California producers that most neighborhood spots wouldn't touch. This isn't a wine bar, but it's trying harder than a lot of them.
The list is boutique by design — think curated record shop, not big-box retail. You get Limerick Lane Zinfandel repping California, a Crémant du Jura for your sparkling fix, and a Listán Blanco from the Canary Islands that most diners will walk right past without knowing what they're missing. The regional spread — Jura, Spain's volcanic islands, Sonoma — signals someone in that kitchen or behind that bar is genuinely curious about wine. The trade-off is depth: if you want options within a region or back-vintage exploration, you're not getting it here.
The by-the-glass program runs an estimated 8–14 options, which is a solid count for a restaurant this size. The Moncontour Vouvray at $17 a glass shows up as a legitimate pick — chenin blanc from the Loire is a smart call against wood-fired food. Rotation isn't confirmed, but the list's adventurous character suggests this isn't a set-and-forget situation.
Moncontour Vouvray — $17/glass
At $17 a glass you're drinking a proper Loire chenin blanc with the structure to handle smoky, fatty wood-fired dishes. The bottle price ($68) is steep relative to $20 retail, but the glass pour is the move here — great wine at a reasonable ask for a by-the-glass program this quality.
Listán Blanco
Most tables will skip right past this. Listán Blanco from the Canary Islands is a volcanic white that's genuinely hard to find on restaurant lists anywhere, let alone in Aurora. It's nervy, saline, and nothing like the Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc the table next to you just ordered. This is the wine that tells you Annette's list has a real point of view.
Lady of the Sunshine Rosé
At $76 a bottle against a $35 retail price, you're paying a 117% markup on a rosé that's perfectly pleasant but not worth the math. There are more interesting bottles on this list for the same spend — redirect accordingly.
Limerick Lane Zinfandel + Pork shoulder confit
Limerick Lane's Zinfandel is built for exactly this: rich, slow-cooked pork with deep caramelized edges off the wood fire. The wine has enough fruit weight and spice to match the fat without drowning it, and the California sunshine keeps it from going too dark and tannic. This is the pairing that makes the whole meal click.
Tuesday — All-day happy hour pricing every Tuesday (happy hour runs 4:30–5:30pm daily; Tuesdays it extends all day). Specific wine discounts not confirmed, but Instagram signals this includes wine by the glass — worth verifying with the restaurant directly.
The Bottom Line
Annette is punching way above its zip code with a wine list that's genuinely curious and regionally adventurous — the Tuesday all-day happy hour alone might be worth rearranging your week. Markup on bottles stings a little, but the glass pours and the list's personality make this one of the more interesting wine stops in the Denver metro area.
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One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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