Cozy Room, Rough Deal on the Bottle
Black Forest · Colorado Springs · American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 7, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed Black Forest Bistro’s wine list and gave it The Lazy List — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Black Forest Bistro has a genuinely lovely dining room — soft guitar, warm lighting, thoughtful plating — and then the wine list arrives and brings the mood down a few notches. The focus is California, Pacific Northwest, and a nod to Colorado producers, which sounds promising in theory. In practice, the list leans hard on recognizable labels and doesn't do you any favors on price.
The list clocks in somewhere between 30 and 60 bottles, which is a workable size for a neighborhood bistro. The regional scope — California, Pacific Northwest, Colorado — makes sense for the market, but the execution skews toward safe, supermarket-adjacent picks rather than anything that would make you lean forward in your chair. There's no obvious curation thread connecting the selections, and the Colorado local angle feels underdeveloped given what producers in the state are actually doing right now. If you're hoping to discover something you couldn't grab at a King Soopers on the way over, temper those expectations.
Eight to fifteen by-the-glass options is a reasonable pour count for a room this size, and having that range means you can technically build a meal around glasses rather than committing to a bottle. That said, the glass program appears to rotate infrequently — this is a set-it-and-forget-it situation rather than a list that's actively managed. Nothing here suggests a staff member is tasting through new pours and making excited swap-outs.
Woodbridge Cabernet Sauvignon — $25
At 150% markup it's the least egregious bottle on the list — which is a low bar, but here we are. If you need a crowd-pleasing red and want to keep the damage reasonable, this is your move. Just know you're paying $25 for a $10 bottle.
Gray Monk Pinot Noir
Gray Monk is an Okanagan Valley producer that most Colorado diners have never encountered, and in a room full of California standards it's the one bottle with a story behind it. The 230% markup stings, but if you're curious about Canadian Pinot this is your only shot at the table.
Blacksage Cabernet Sauvignon
A 322% markup on an $18 retail bottle is hard to justify anywhere, and it's the worst offender on this list. You're paying $76 for something you could find at a bottle shop for less than a Jackson. Hard pass.
Gray Monk Pinot Noir + Sea Bass
Okanagan Pinot tends to run lighter and more acid-driven than its Oregon counterparts, which makes it a reasonable bridge to a delicate fish like sea bass. It's the most food-friendly red on the list and one of the few bottles that won't steamroll whatever the kitchen is doing.
The Bottom Line
Black Forest Bistro is a genuinely charming place to eat dinner, and the room deserves a better wine list than the one it's got. Until the markup math gets rethought, our honest advice is to order a cocktail or accept that you're paying a steep premium for the privilege of drinking wine in a pretty space.
Pleasant Valley · Colorado Springs · Steakhouse
A compact, fully priced list of 16 wines with a glass and a bottle price printed for every wine. Start with the Angeline Cabernet at $10 a glass for a low-cost red, or the L' Ecole Merlot at $17 if you want the Washington bottle, and confirm prices since the page is undated. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Central · Colorado Springs · Fine Dining
A bottle list with a long Napa Cabernet section and prices from 40 to 3,500, plus an 11-pour glass section at $7 to $25. Start with the Wine Specials page, where the Viña Alberdi Reserva Tempranillo is on the $60 list, or the CVNE Monopole Blanco at 40, and confirm prices because nothing is dated. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Downtown · Colorado Springs · Southwestern
A glass-focused list of 29 wines priced 12 to 21 beside a four-course Southwest menu. Start with the Scaia Corvina at 12 or the Bieler Cotes du Rhone Villages at 14, and confirm prices, since the image is named Summer-Cocktails-2026 and shows glass pours only. This unrated guide covers the posted glass list, not service, storage or markups.
Garden of the Gods · Colorado Springs · American
A large, classic list built around Napa Cabernet, Bordeaux and Burgundy, with 13 glasses from $10 and a short Colorado section worth a look. Start with the $15 Catena Zapata Malbec by the glass, or order the $75 Ordinary Fellow Pinot Noir from Montezuma Valley, and check the vintage before you commit to a big bottle. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Old Colorado City · Colorado Springs · Italian
An Italian and California list with named glass pours from $9.50 to $12 and bottles up to $325. Order the $10 Badia al Colle Chianti, or the $12 Banfi Chianti Classico with the Gnocchi Bolognese, and check the vintage when the bottle arrives since the list says vintages can change. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Old Colorado City · Colorado Springs · Tapas
A Spanish-leaning list in Old Colorado City with 22 glass/bottle pairs from 9/32 to 14/52, plus a bottle-only reserve group. Start with the 9/32 Lomas del Marques Rioja Tempranillo, or Wine Wednesday's 20% off bottles if the table is sharing. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups; confirm current deals before you go.
Downtown Roswell · Roswell · American
Canton St. Social is a solid neighborhood restaurant in historic downtown Roswell, and the wine program appears to be built for exactly that — supporting a good night out without overcomplicating things. We don't have enough sourced wine data to tell you what to order, which means your best move is to ask your server what's pouring well that night and go from there. Worth a visit for the food and atmosphere; the wine list is a work in progress as far as our research goes.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Worcester · American
The Boynton is a great neighborhood spot for a cold beer, a burger, and a game — and that's exactly what it should be. The wine program is along for the ride, not driving the car. If wine matters to you tonight, this isn't your destination; if you're here for the food and the vibe, order a beer and enjoy it.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Atlanta · Atlanta · American
Hard Rock Cafe Atlanta's wine list is a Lazy List by every measure — grocery store brands, steep markups, no specials, and a rotating staff with little incentive to know what's in the glass. If you're here for the memorabilia and the atmosphere, lean into a cocktail or a beer. If wine is non-negotiable, the Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling or Columbia Crest Cab will get you through the night without regret.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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