Great Views, Grocery Store Wine List
Manitou Springs · Colorado Springs · Mexican / Tex-Mex · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed June 14, 2026
Wingman Metrics
The mountain setting and colorful patio are doing a lot of heavy lifting here. When the wine list lands on the table, that goodwill evaporates fast — it reads like someone grabbed a cart at Total Wine, stuck to the brands they recognized, and called it a day. Nothing wrong with a casual cantina, but the list doesn't even try.
Fifteen to thirty bottles spread across California, Argentina, and Spain sounds like range — until you clock the actual producers: Canyon Road, Cupcake, Mark West, Meiomi, Ecco Domani. These are checkout-aisle wines, the kind you see in gas stations adjacent to the wine aisle. There's a nod toward Mendoza with the Alamos Malbec, which at least makes some geographic sense for a Latin-leaning menu, but that's the closest thing to an intentional choice on this list. No Spanish reds worth noting, no interesting whites to speak of, and zero regional character. The list feels like a placeholder that never got updated.
Four to eight pours on any given visit, all hovering in that $8–$10 range that sounds reasonable until you do the math. Every glass option is a mass-market brand you've seen a hundred times. There's no rotation, no seasonal thinking, and no evidence anyone is curating this program — it's simply set and forgotten.
Meiomi Pinot Noir — $10/glass, $38/bottle
Relative to everything else on this list, Meiomi is at least a recognizable step up in quality. The markup here is actually the tamest of the bunch — sitting around 111% over retail — so if you're stuck drinking wine at this cantina, this is where your dollar goes furthest.
Alamos Malbec
It's not a hidden gem in any traditional sense, but in the context of this list it's the wine that actually belongs here — a Mendoza Malbec alongside street tacos and smothered burritos is a legitimate pairing, and at $9 a glass it's the most thematically coherent pour on the menu.
Canyon Road Chardonnay
A $6 retail bottle priced at $30 on the menu is a 329% markup on one of the least interesting Chardonnays in California. There is no version of this math that works in your favor. Order a margarita — it's what this place does well.
Alamos Malbec + Smothered Burrito
The Malbec's dark fruit and soft tannins hold up against the richness of a smothered burrito without competing with the chile sauce. It's not a revelation, but it's the one combination on this menu where the wine and food actually make sense together.
❌ The Bottom Line
Crystal Park Cantina is a genuinely fun spot for tacos and margaritas with a mountain view — lean into that and skip the wine entirely. The list is overpriced grocery store inventory with no ambition, and no amount of scenery changes that.
Broadmoor · Colorado Springs · Steakhouse and American
La Taverne is a well-run, properly staffed wine program inside one of Colorado's most storied resort properties — expect to pay for the privilege and the setting. If you stick to Jordan and Peter Michael and resist the siren call of the trophy bottles, you'll drink very well here.
Solid Range
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Broadmoor · Colorado Springs · Italian (Northern Italian, trattoria-style)
Ristorante del Lago is the rare resort restaurant where the wine program actually earns some respect — the Italian focus is real, the sommelier knows the list, and a few genuinely exciting bottles are hiding in there if you look past the marquee names. Just go in knowing you're paying Broadmoor prices, and order accordingly.
Solid Range
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Downtown Colorado Springs · Colorado Springs · Steakhouse
Famous Steakhouse is the dependable old hand — the wine list won't excite you, but it won't embarrass you either, and with a prime rib in front of you and a Stag's Leap in the glass, that's a perfectly decent Thursday night. Just don't come looking for discovery.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Manitou Springs · Colorado Springs · Upscale American, Contemporary Fine Dining
The Cliff House wine program is the dependable friend who always shows up dressed well — you know exactly what you're getting, and it's genuinely good, even if it never blows your mind. For a special occasion in the mountains, this is a comfortable, well-run room that will take care of you.
Solid Range
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Downtown / West Colorado · Colorado Springs · Fine Dining / Steak & Seafood
Pepper Tree is a reliable wine stop for what it is — a classic Colorado fine-dining room where the tableside Steak Diane is the main event and the wine list is a well-behaved supporting cast. Don't come here chasing discovery, but do come knowing you'll drink decently without drama.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Northeast / University Village · Colorado Springs · Upscale American Steakhouse
Cowboy Star delivers exactly what a Colorado Springs steakhouse crowd wants from a wine list — familiar names, properly stored, and no homework required. It's not a destination for wine, but it won't embarrass you either; just steer toward Jordan over Caymus and pocket the difference.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
West Laredo / Mines Road · Laredo · Mexican / Tex-Mex
Maria Bonita is a genuinely fun spot to eat, but the wine program is a non-event — grab a margarita or a cold beer and save the wine conversation for somewhere else. Come for the fajitas, not the Frontera.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown · Boulder · Mexican / Tex-Mex
Rio Grande isn't a wine destination — it's a margarita destination — but the wine prices are so fair it almost doesn't matter. If you're skipping the tequila, you won't go wrong, and you definitely won't go broke.
Crowd Pleasers
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
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