Wine Spectator Cred, Steep Ticket to Play
Downtown · Reno · Steakhouse · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 10, 2026
Wingman Metrics
The list arrives with serious credentials — a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence and a reported 80 by-the-glass options is not something most steakhouses in Reno can claim. The rustic-luxe room sets the stage for a wine-forward experience, and the list mostly delivers on that promise. Just bring a thick wallet.
The list leans heavily California — Russian River Valley Pinot and Chardonnay, North Coast blends, Napa and Sonoma staples — with a respectable European wing anchored by Italian producers like Viberti Giovanni, Carpineto, and Fontanafredda, plus French heavyweights including Maison Leroy and Château de Beaucastel. The M. Chapoutier Ermitage Le Méal is a genuine splurge-worthy flex on a Reno wine list. Gaps show up in the Southern Hemisphere and anything adventurous — this is not a natural wine crowd or a place hunting for skin-contact oddities. But for a classic steakhouse list in a casino hotel, the depth is real.
Eighty by-the-glass options is a genuinely impressive number — most steakhouses top out at 12 and call it a day. The November featured glass pours land between $22 and $29, which is fair-ish for the format but adds up fast if you're working through multiple courses. Rotation appears limited; this reads more like a stable program than one with a chef actively curating weekly pours.
2021 Chardonnay Unoaked, Russian River Valley, CA — $84
At under $25 retail, yes the markup still stings, but a clean unoaked Russian River Chard at $84 is the most food-friendly bottle on this list — especially next to the ahi tuna — and it's the least inflated of the bunch.
Fontanafredda (Italy)
Most tables in a steakhouse skip past Italian producers entirely and go straight for the California Cabs. Don't. Fontanafredda's Barolo program punches hard, and it's the kind of bottle that makes a ribeye night feel like a different meal entirely.
Flying By The Seat Of Our Pants, North Coast, CA
The name is a red flag and the math confirms it — a $25 retail bottle priced at $110 is a 340% markup. Whatever quirky label energy they're selling, you're paying a serious premium for a wine that doesn't earn it.
Château de Beaucastel + 42-ounce Porterhouse for Two
Beaucastel's Grenache-driven Châteauneuf brings enough dark fruit and earthy complexity to stand up to a massive dry-aged cut without steamrolling it — the savory, garrigue-laced finish is exactly what a porterhouse wants on the other end.
✔️ The Bottom Line
Charlie Palmer Steak is the best wine list in Reno you'll pay handsomely to access — the depth and pedigree are real, but the markups will remind you that you're inside a casino resort. Go for the Porterhouse, drink something French, and don't order anything with a funny name on the label.
Downtown / Casino Row · Reno · Upscale American Steakhouse
Ruth's Chris Reno is a reliable, well-run steakhouse wine program inside a casino resort — competent glassware, proper storage, and a sommelier who knows the list cold. Just don't come here looking for discovery; come here knowing exactly what you want and prepared to pay full freight for it.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Downtown · Reno · American small plates, tapas-style, steakhouse-influenced
Sierra St. Kitchen punches above its weight for downtown Reno — the list has real producers, genuine range, and a sommelier keeping it honest. Just know the markups are real, and steer toward the Old World and Pacific Northwest bottles where the value hides.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Midtown · Reno · Italian – Tuscan & Coastal
Calafuria isn't trying to be a destination wine list — it's trying to be the right wine list for this restaurant, and it mostly succeeds. Send your friends here if they want something Italian that doesn't feel phoned in; just don't expect fireworks beyond the bottle.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Northwest Reno · Reno · Health-focused American café with organic, vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free and paleo options
Great Full Gardens isn't a wine destination and it doesn't pretend to be — but for a health-focused café in Northwest Reno, the glass prices are honest and the pours are solid enough to enjoy alongside the food. Send a friend here for lunch, just don't tell them to order the Chardonnay.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Midtown · Reno · New American / Fine Dining
LuLou's wine list won't win any awards, but it won't ruin your dinner either — and in a city where restaurant wine programs often feel like an afterthought, that counts for something. Send a friend here for a solid meal with a bottle of Jordan; just don't expect to discover anything new.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown / Eldorado Resort Casino · Reno · Californian / Steakhouse
Roxy isn't a destination wine program — it's a competent casino steakhouse list with the right bottles for the room. Show up on a Wednesday, order the Jordan at half price, and you'll leave happy.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
I-35 / North Creek · Laredo · Steakhouse
Outback Laredo's wine program is a national chain doing national chain things — predictable, overpriced relative to quality, and staffed by people who aren't expected to know anything about what they're pouring. Come for the Bloomin' Onion, stick to a cocktail, and save the wine order for somewhere that cares.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
North Creek / I-35 · Laredo · Steakhouse
Logan's Roadhouse is not a wine destination — it's a steakhouse chain where wine clearly wasn't part of the concept. Order a beer, order a cocktail, and save the bottle for a restaurant that's actually trying.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
MIA
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Mall del Norte Area · Laredo · Steakhouse
Texas Roadhouse Laredo is a great spot for a $17 steak and a bucket of rolls — the wine list is an afterthought and everyone involved knows it. Order a margarita, or grab the Ste. Michelle Riesling and call it a night.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
MIA
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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