Montana's French-leaning wine surprise worth finding
Missoula · American, French · Visit Website ↗
Updated June 2026
Reviewed April 21, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed Boxcar Bistro’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
You're in Missoula, Montana — and the wine list leans Loire Valley and California with enough seriousness to earn a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence. That's not something you expect when you pull up to 875 Wyoming Street, and the surprise is a good one. This is a list that someone clearly put thought into, even if the data doesn't fully reveal its depth.
The regional focus is France and California, which tracks perfectly with the bistro-style American-French menu. A Loire Valley Anjou Blanc anchors the French side — not a crowd-pleaser pick, not a safe Sancerre — someone here is paying attention. The Wine Spectator credential since 2023 confirms this isn't accidental curation. We'd love more visibility into the full list, but what surfaces points to a program punching above its zip code.
By-the-glass specifics are limited from where we're standing, but a $17 pour of the Château Souchere Anjou Blanc signals the program isn't defaulting to grocery-store staples for its glass pours. If the rest of the BTG lineup holds to that standard, this is worth exploring before you commit to a bottle.
2021 Château Souchere 'Les Rangs de Long' Anjou Blanc — $17
Chenin Blanc from Anjou doesn't get enough love in the States, and at $17 a glass it's an honest, food-friendly pour that most people at this table have never tried. That's exactly what you want from a best value.
2021 Château Souchere 'Les Rangs de Long' Anjou Blanc
Most diners will scan past a Loire Blanc and reach for something they recognize. Don't. Anjou Blanc from a quality producer is textured, mineral, and endlessly versatile with food — and it's genuinely rare to find it on a Montana wine list at all.
Unknown — insufficient pricing data to call out a specific bottle
We don't have enough list data to pinpoint a bottle to avoid. When in doubt, anchor to the Loire Blanc and ask your server what else is interesting — a staff that stocks Anjou Blanc probably knows more than they're letting on.
2021 Château Souchere 'Les Rangs de Long' Anjou Blanc + Prises Fraîches en Papillote
A delicate papillote preparation needs a wine with brightness and restraint — not a butter bomb Chardonnay. Chenin Blanc from the Loire brings just enough acidity and stone fruit to lift the dish without competing with it.
The Bottom Line
Boxcar Bistro is the kind of place Missoula residents should be quietly proud of — a legit wine program in a town where the bar is easy to clear and they've chosen to go higher. We'd send a friend here, especially one who thinks they already know what they like.
· Missoula · Japanese / Sushi
SakeTome's wine list is small, but it earns its Wild Card badge by making thoughtful choices most Montana restaurants wouldn't bother with — Austrian whites, obscure Italian reds, a Beaujolais that actually belongs at a sushi dinner. Pricing and by-the-glass details remain unconfirmed, which keeps it from climbing higher, but if you're eating sushi in Missoula and want something more interesting than a default Chardonnay, this list gives you real options.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Missoula · Steakhouse / Family Dining
The Montana Club's wine list isn't trying to win any awards, and it doesn't need to — it's a fair, functional selection that serves its room well. The glass-pour ratio alone earns respect, and the pricing stays honest across most of the list. If you're in Missoula and want wine with your steak without overthinking it, this gets the job done.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown · Missoula · Pizza / American
Come for the pizza, skip the wine list deep-dive — there's nothing here worth obsessing over. Order a beer or grab the Chalk Hill Chardonnay and move on.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Missoula · Steakhouse / Fine Dining
The Keep is doing something quietly right in Missoula — a 70-label list with real Old World representation, fair by-the-glass prices, and enough depth to reward the curious drinker. It's not a destination wine program, but it's a genuinely solid one, and in this market, that counts for a lot.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
South Missoula · Missoula · American / Chain
Applebee's Missoula isn't a destination for wine — it's a destination for Boneless Wings and a cold domestic beer, and there's zero shame in that. If wine is a priority, order a cocktail and save the bottle for somewhere that cares.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown · Missoula · Breakfast and Diner-Style American
The Shack is worth visiting for the food and the Missoula nostalgia — but the wine list is two bottles deep and priced like it knows you have no other options. Order coffee, order juice, order whatever they're putting in the Vodka Fettuccine, and save the wine drinking for somewhere that's actually trying.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
MIA
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Midtown East · New York · American, French
A Park Avenue restaurant whose posted wine list is a 21-wine glass list. Start with the $18 Leitz Riesling or the $19 Ogier Saint-Joseph. No bottle list is posted online, so ask the restaurant what is available by the bottle. This unrated guide covers the posted glass list, not service, storage or markups.
College Hill · Providence · American, French
A Cabernet-heavy list from autumn 2025, with glass pours from 10 and bottles up to a 450 Opus One. Start with the 10 Château du Petit Thouars Cabernet Franc, or the 16 Fontanafredda Nebbiolo if you want something from Piedmont, and check that the list is still current since it is marked September 2025. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Dupont Circle · Washington · American, French
Start with the Minuty Prestige rosé at 20 or the Château de Saint-Cosme Syrah at 22 by the glass, and save the Dagueneau for the table that wants a bottle. The glass page is the cheaper way in, with thirteen wines between 20 and 34. The file is linked as 9-26, so confirm today's pours and prices. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or retail markups.
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
List Variety
Markup
Glassware
Staff
Specials & Deals
Storage & Temp
