Bend's Best Cellar, No Argument Accepted
Bend · Seafood, Steakhouse · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 9, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Brickhouse’s wine list and gave it The Rager — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Walking into Brickhouse, the wine list feels like it means business — 200-plus bottles anchored by serious Pacific Northwest producers alongside heavy hitters from Burgundy and California. This isn't a steakhouse list assembled by someone who typed 'popular wines' into Google. A Best of Award of Excellence held since 2011 doesn't lie, and neither does seeing Quilceda Creek and Domaine Leflaive on the same menu.
The regional focus — Washington, Oregon, California, France — is executed with real depth and intention. Washington gets the respect it deserves here: Cayuse Vineyards and Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon represent two of the state's most coveted names, full stop. Oregon is equally well-handled, with Domaine Drouhin and Eyrie Vineyards covering the Willamette Valley Pinot Noir canon from legendary to benchmark. The California and French selections round things out with Chateau Montelena, Kosta Browne, the cult-level Sine Qua Non, and the white Burgundy authority Domaine Leflaive — a lineup that would embarrass plenty of big-city wine bars.
Twenty to thirty-five by-the-glass options is genuinely generous for a restaurant operating at this level — most places with cellar ambitions keep the glass pours conservative. We'd want to know how frequently the pours rotate, but the sheer volume of options suggests you won't be stuck choosing between two uninspired Chardonnays. Knowledgeable staff on the floor — including named sommeliers Jonathan Weeks and Stewart Benford — means someone can actually steer you toward the right glass rather than just pointing at the laminated sheet.
Domaine Drouhin Oregon Pinot Noir — $40+
Drouhin's Oregon operation is one of the most respected in the Willamette Valley — serious French winemaking applied to Oregon fruit — and on a list that skews toward trophy bottles, this one offers genuine quality at the more accessible end of the price range. In a steakhouse context, it also works across more of the menu than a Cab will.
Eyrie Vineyards Pinot Noir
Everyone gravitates toward Kosta Browne when they see it, and fair enough — it's a crowd-pleaser with name recognition. But Eyrie is the founding father of Oregon Pinot Noir, quieter and more restrained in style, and most people walk right past it. That's a mistake. Order this if you want to understand why the Willamette Valley matters.
Sine Qua Non
Look, Sine Qua Non is extraordinary wine. It's also priced at or above what you'd pay at auction, and in a restaurant markup context that already skews steep, you're paying a significant premium over retail for a bottle you could spend years trying to source on your own. Unless someone else is buying, save this one for a different occasion.
Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon + Prime dry-aged ribeye
Quilceda Creek is one of Washington's definitive Cabernets — structured, dark-fruited, built for exactly this moment. A prime dry-aged ribeye has the fat, the weight, and the char to hold up to it. This is the pairing Brickhouse was designed around.
The Bottom Line
Brickhouse is doing something genuinely rare in a mid-size Oregon city: running a wine program that competes with the best steakhouses in the country. The markups sting, but the depth, the staff expertise, and the quality of what's in that cellar make it worth the trip.
Old Mill District · Bend · Wine Bar
For a Va Piano visit in Bend, head to the Wine & Champagne Bar at 425 SW Powerhouse Drive, Suite 301. Confirm the current wines and pour prices directly, and reserve ahead for groups of six or more. The winery’s subscription page is not a tasting-room menu.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Eastside · Bend · Casual American café with wood-fired pizza and seasonal, locally sourced dishes
Do not use this Eastside review to plan a current Jackson’s Corner visit. Sunriver Brewing lists its Eastside Pub at the Cushing Drive address; Jackson’s Corner lists 845 NW Delaware Avenue. Confirm the location and current wine menu directly before making plans.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Eastside · Bend · Italian
Salute isn't trying to be a wine destination, but it's built a list that actually respects the cuisine it's serving — and in a casual Italian spot in Bend, that puts it well ahead of the competition. Send a friend here, point them at the Vermentino or the Le Volte, and they'll thank you.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Bend · Bend · Italian
Salute isn't trying to be a wine destination, but it's doing the right things: fair prices, smart Italian anchors, and a couple of genuinely exciting picks hiding in the corners. Send a friend here and tell them to order the Lageder by the glass and ask about the Climens.
Small but Thoughtful
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Bend · Bend · Italian, French, Mediterranean
BOSA is punching well above its weight class for a Bend neighborhood restaurant — fair prices, a genuinely curious Italian and French list, and a few bottles that would turn heads at a much fancier address. Send your wine-curious friends here without hesitation.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Bend · Bend · Wine Bar & Retail Wine Shop
Viaggio is the kind of wine bar that has no business being this good in a ski town, and that's exactly why it earned a Wild Card badge. If you care about what's in your glass, make a stop here before or after dinner — you'll leave with a better bottle than you planned on.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Active Program
Proper
Water Street · Tampa · Seafood, Steakhouse
Driftlight is doing something real here — a dedicated sommelier, a properly sized list, and a Wine Spectator credential earned in its first year of eligibility. Pricing will run hotel-restaurant steep, but if you're eating on Tampa's Water Street and want a bottle that was actually chosen by someone who cares, this is your best bet in the neighborhood.
Solid Range
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Shoreline Village · Long Beach · Seafood, Steakhouse
Queensview earns its Wine Spectator badge by doing the California steakhouse formula well — the setting is legitimately stunning, the list is reliable, and the Daou is a genuine steal in this context. Just don't come expecting anything that'll surprise you.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
South Lake Tahoe · South Lake Tahoe · Seafood, Steakhouse
Kalani's wine program is exactly what it should be: polished, California-centric, and dependable for a mountain resort fine dining crowd. No fireworks, but you'll eat and drink well — just go in with eyes open on pricing.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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