Great Views, Safe Pours, No Surprises
Big Cedar / Ridgedale Area · Branson · Upscale American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed July 23, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed Big Cedar Lodge – Osage Restaurant’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
You're sitting above the Ozarks with a view that costs nothing extra, and then the wine list arrives and it's exactly what you expected — a greatest hits album of California names that play well to a broad audience. It's not trying to impress anyone who reads wine blogs, and that's fine. This list was built for the Rombauer crowd, and the Rombauer crowd is very much here.
The list runs 40 to 60 bottles deep and leans heavily on California, which makes sense for the clientele but leaves little room for adventure. You'll find the usual suspects — Meiomi, Josh Cellars, Cakebread, Silver Oak — all present and accounted for. There's no real exploration of interesting AVAs, no domestic outliers worth getting excited about, and international representation feels like an afterthought. If you came here hoping to find a Willamette Valley Pinot or a Rhône-style red hiding in the back pages, you're going to be disappointed.
The by-the-glass program runs roughly 10 to 14 options, which is a reasonable spread for a resort dining room. Prices land between $14 and $22 a glass, which is on the higher end for what's being poured — you're paying a lot for Meiomi and Josh, which are solid brands but nothing you couldn't grab at a grocery store for a fraction of the price. Rotation appears minimal; this looks like a static list that doesn't change much with seasons or new arrivals.
Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley — $150
At roughly 1.67x retail, Silver Oak Alexander Valley is the least punishing markup on the list. It's still expensive, but if you're going to splurge on a bottle with a tomahawk ribeye in front of you and a panoramic Ozark sunset behind you, this is where the money goes the furthest. The wine delivers on the promise.
La Marca Prosecco
Nobody orders Prosecco at a lodge steakhouse, which means you can start the meal light and fizzy while everyone else argues over the Cabernet. La Marca is crowd-friendly, low-pressure, and almost certainly the most affordable pour on the menu — use it as an aperitif and move on.
Meiomi Pinot Noir
At $45 a bottle, you're paying 2.5x retail for a sweet, crowd-pleasing Pinot that retails for $18 at Costco. Meiomi isn't a bad wine — it's just not a $45 wine, and the markup here is the steepest on the list in percentage terms. Order something else.
Cakebread Cellars Chardonnay Napa Valley + Roasted Chicken
Cakebread Chardonnay is buttery, full, and ripe without going completely overboard — it mirrors the richness of roasted chicken without steamrolling the dish. It's a classic California Chard play that makes sense here, and at $95 it's one of the more reasonably marked-up bottles on the list.
The Bottom Line
Osage Restaurant is a reliable wine stop, not a destination for it — the list is safe, the markups are real, and the views are doing a lot of heavy lifting. Come for the bison and the scenery; treat the wine list as background music, not the main act.
· Branson · Barbecue
Come to Gettin' Basted for the barbecue — not the wine. The $5 house pour is a service item, not a program, and there's no evidence anyone is minding the cellar (or even has one). Order a beer, enjoy the smoke, and don't think about wine until you're somewhere else.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
MIA
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Branson · Italian-American
Pasghetti's isn't trying to be a wine destination, and the list makes that abundantly clear. If you're here for the pasta and the family-friendly Branson vibe, grab a Lambrusco and call it a night — but don't expect the wine program to be part of the reason you come back.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Branson · Seafood
Landry's Branson keeps its wine program simple to the point of invisibility — fair prices, familiar names, no bottles, no story. If you're here for the seafood and just want a glass of something reasonable alongside it, you won't suffer. But if wine matters to you even a little, this list wasn't built with you in mind.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Pointe Royale / State Highway 165 corridor · Branson · Steakhouse
Saltgrass Pointe Royale isn't a wine destination, but it's not an embarrassment either — fair prices, drinkable pours, and a list that serves its purpose alongside a good steak. Send a friend here for the food; just tell them to skip the Meiomi.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Table Rock Lake / Marina area · Branson · Seafood / American
White River Fish House is not your wine destination in Branson, but it doesn't pretend to be — the list is safe, priced fairly, and sensible enough for what the kitchen is serving. Send a friend here for the lake views and the catfish; just tell them to stick to white wine and keep expectations calibrated accordingly.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Branson Hills / north Branson · Branson · Steakhouse
Saltgrass Branson isn't a wine destination, and it knows it — the list exists to serve the steak, and at these prices, it does that job competently. Send your wine-curious friends here without hesitation; send your wine-obsessed friends to dinner somewhere else first.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Jackson · Jackson Hole · Upscale American
Order the $18 Deux Vallées Chenin Blanc with seafood or the $22 Gramercy Cellars 'Lower East' with elk, and ask about the pour size first. Confirm current availability and prices. This unrated guide covers the posted glass list, not service, storage or markups.
· La Crosse · Upscale American
Pogreba's wine list is a well-intentioned, Napa-centric lineup that serves its room without taking many risks — and in La Crosse, Wisconsin, that's probably the right call. Send a friend here if they want a reliable bottle at a fair price; tell the adventurous drinker to order the Riesling and stop overthinking it.
Plays It Safe
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Fitger's / Waterfront · Duluth · Upscale American
Boat Club is a reliable wine room for Duluth — a sommelier on staff, a genuinely broad glass pour program, and a Monday half-price bottle deal that should be on every local's calendar. The markups keep it from being a Rager, but if you play the specials and lean into the European selections, you'll drink well with a great view.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Seasonal Rotation
Proper
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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Markup
Glassware
Staff
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