Spokane's Steakhouse With a Serious Wine Backbone
Downtown Spokane · Spokane · Steakhouse · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 7, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Churchill's Steakhouse’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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Wingman Metrics
Walking into Churchill's, the wine list hits like the room itself — dark wood, white tablecloths, and a list that means business. Two to three hundred bottles covering California, Washington, Burgundy, Bordeaux, Rhône, and beyond is a serious statement for downtown Spokane. This isn't a list assembled on autopilot.
The geography here is genuinely ambitious: Pacific Northwest producers anchor the list with Washington and Oregon representation, while European pillars — Burgundy, Bordeaux, Rhône, and Italy — give it real depth for a steakhouse in the Inland Northwest. Local heroes like Barrister show up alongside more commercial pours, which tells you they're at least paying attention to the regional scene. The list skews classic rather than adventurous, and that's fine — this is a prime steakhouse crowd, not a natural wine bar. What's missing is any standout depth in lesser-known regions that would push it from reliable to exceptional.
Fifteen to twenty-five glass pours is a genuinely strong by-the-glass program for this format — most steakhouses phone it in at eight and call it done. The Washington-heavy lineup means you're likely sipping something local and interesting without having to commit to a bottle. Rotation appears limited, so don't count on surprises visit to visit.
Seven Hills Cabernet Sauvignon — $16
Seven Hills is a respected Walla Walla producer whose Cab retails around $25 — getting it by the glass at $16 is genuinely fair in a fine-dining room. Solid structure, dark fruit, and it holds its own next to a prime ribeye.
Barrister Rough Justice Blend
Most tables at Churchill's are reaching for California Cabs, which means this Spokane-produced blend gets overlooked. Barrister is the real deal — one of Washington's best urban producers — and Rough Justice is a complex, Rhône-leaning red that most guests walk right past.
Drumheller Cabernet Sauvignon
At $13 a glass it looks like a deal, but Drumheller is a high-volume Columbia Valley brand built for accessibility, not complexity. In a room where you could be drinking Seven Hills or Barrister for a few dollars more, this one undershoots the occasion.
Boomtown Syrah + USDA Prime Ribeye
Boomtown's Syrah is peppery and dark-fruited with enough grip to stand up to the fat and char on a prime ribeye. It's a Washington-grown pairing that makes geographic sense and delivers on the plate.
The Bottom Line
Churchill's has earned its reputation — a 200-plus bottle list with fair markups and genuine regional range makes it the best wine bet in downtown Spokane. It's not a destination wine experience, but it's exactly the kind of reliable, well-stocked room you want behind a great steak.
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Small but Thoughtful
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Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
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Crowd Pleasers
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Crowd Pleasers
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Plays It Safe
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Crowd Pleasers
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Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
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Proper
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Hal's delivers a competent, Napa-forward bottle list that does exactly what a steakhouse wine program is supposed to do — just without much surprise or value mercy. Send a friend here if they want a reliable big-red experience; warn them to leave the credit card breathing room.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Houston · Steakhouse
Perry's is a reliable steakhouse wine list — nothing that'll make you rethink your palate, but enough to drink well with red meat if you know where to look. The fortified and dessert wine section is genuinely worth your attention; the rest is competent but forgettable.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
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Acceptable
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New York Prime's wine list is exactly what it needs to be for its audience — safe, recognizable, and priced for expense accounts. If you know what you want and don't mind paying for it, you'll be fine; just don't come looking for discovery.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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