Come for the beer, skip the wine list
Old Town · Fort Collins · Brewpub fare / American tavern food · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 1, 2026
RagingWine reviewed CooperSmith's Pub & Brewery’s wine list and gave it The Lazy List — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Take Vibe Match and we’ll tell you what to order here.
Wingman Metrics
You open the menu at CooperSmith's and the beer section goes on for days — which is exactly where you should be looking. The wine list is seven bottles deep, all of them names you'd recognize from a gas station end-cap. This is a brewpub that knows what it is, and wine is clearly not part of the identity.
Seven wines, every single one a mass-market label: Dreaming Tree, Josh Cellars, The Show, Velvet Devil, Donini, The Path, Oyster Bay. That's the whole list — no depth, no regional curiosity, no local Colorado producers even though the state has a real wine scene worth exploring. The geographic spread (California, New Zealand, Italy) looks diverse on paper but lands as purely accidental — these wines share shelf space at Safeway, not a wine buyer's vision. There are no gaps to critique because there's nothing ambitious enough to have gaps.
Every bottle on the list is also available by the glass, so the BTG program is technically the entire program. At $7–$10 a pour, the prices feel fine until you remember these bottles retail for $10–$15 at your local grocery store — then the math stings. No rotation, no seasonal surprises, no half-price nights to soften the blow.
Velvet Devil Merlot — $8/glass
It's the cheapest pour on the list and at least Charles Smith's Velvet Devil is a known, drinkable Merlot with some actual personality behind it. If you're getting wine here at all, this is the least painful entry point.
Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc
It's not hidden and it's not a gem, but Oyster Bay is a genuinely reliable Marlborough Sauv Blanc that punches above the surrounding company on this list. If you're stuck choosing, at least this one has some brightness and tension to it.
Dreaming Tree Cabernet
Ten dollars a glass for a Dave Matthews-branded grocery store Cab that retails around $12 a bottle. That's a brutal pour-to-bottle markup, and the wine itself brings nothing you couldn't get for less somewhere else.
Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc + Black & Bleu Burger
The sharp citrus edge of the Sauvignon Blanc cuts through the bleu cheese's richness and doesn't compete with the char on the patty. It's not a sophisticated pairing — nothing about this situation is — but it works better than you'd expect.
The Bottom Line
CooperSmith's is a genuinely great Old Town brewpub, and if you're here for a pint of their award-winning craft beer, you're doing it right. The wine list exists because restaurants feel obligated to have one, not because anyone here cares about it — order a beer.
Old Town · Fort Collins · Vegetarian / Plant-Based American
Tasty Harmony is not a wine bar, and it doesn't try to be — but it charges fair prices, pours across the whole list by the glass, and assembles a short list that actually makes sense with plant-based food. If you're eating here, drink the wine; you won't regret it.
Small but Thoughtful
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Old Town · Fort Collins · Tex-Mex / Mexican
Rio Grande isn't a wine destination, and it knows it — but Wine Down Wednesdays with 50% off bottles is a legitimately good deal that earns it a second look. Bring your margarita crew, order the Malbec with your burrito, and call it a win.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
Fort Collins · Fort Collins · Steakhouse
The Still is a genuinely fun spot for whiskey and red meat, but the wine list is a clear afterthought — overpriced grocery store bottles with no story to tell. Order a pour from their whiskey program and save the wine night for somewhere that cares.
Grocery Store
Gouge
Basic Stemmed
MIA
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Fort Collins · Fort Collins · French-influenced bistro; seafood-focused
Bistro Nautile is a genuinely appealing restaurant let down by a wine list that plays it safe with familiar labels and then charges aggressively for the privilege. Drink by the glass, stick to the interesting outliers, and don't let the French bistro atmosphere talk you into a $68 bottle of Daou.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Occasional
Acceptable
Fort Collins · Fort Collins · Southwestern
Coyote's isn't a wine destination, and it doesn't pretend to be — but the pricing is fair, the Wednesday deal is genuinely excellent, and there's nothing actively wrong here. Show up on a Wednesday, order a bottle of Pinot Grigio for $19.50, and focus on the burrito.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
Fort Collins · Fort Collins · Casual Seafood Chain
Red Lobster isn't trying to be a wine destination and the list makes that abundantly clear — grab the Riesling, enjoy the biscuits, and don't come here expecting anything beyond the expected. If wine matters to your dinner, eat somewhere else.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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
