Solid Napa hits, resort prices, no surprises
Lodge at Vail / Vail Village · Vail · Upscale Steakhouse & Classic American · Visit Website ↗
Updated October 2026
Reviewed July 29, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed Elway's Vail’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Elway's Vail reads like a greatest hits album you've heard a hundred times — Caymus, Silver Oak, Rombauer, Jordan. It's the kind of list that's been engineered to make resort guests feel comfortable, not challenged. Nothing wrong with that, exactly, but don't come here looking for discovery.
California dominates from cover to cover, with Napa Cabernet and Chardonnay doing most of the heavy lifting. You'll find the usual suspects — Stag's Leap, Duckhorn, Jordan — alongside a nod toward Washington State and a thin Bordeaux section that feels more like an obligation than a commitment. There's no real depth outside the Golden State, and adventurous drinkers looking for Burgundy, Rhône, or anything with a little dirt under its fingernails will come up empty. The list clocks in somewhere around 150-250 bottles, which sounds respectable until you realize half of them are variations on the same Napa Cab theme.
Expect 15-20 pours, predictably anchored by Rombauer Chardonnay and a rotation of California Cabs that changes about as often as the mountain gets a new name. The glass program is functional and crowd-pleasing, but there's no by-the-glass hero here — nothing that makes you put the cocktail menu down and get genuinely excited.
Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon, Alexander Valley — $80
Jordan punches above its price point in the broader market, and at a resort steakhouse where everything skews expensive, it represents one of the more honest asks on the list — classic Alexander Valley structure, approachable tannins, and a name your table will recognize without paying Caymus-tier markup.
Duckhorn Merlot, Napa Valley
Everyone at the table is ordering Cab, which means the Duckhorn Merlot gets ignored. Don't let it. Duckhorn basically rehabilitated the entire Merlot category after Sideways tanked it, and this bottle holds its own against anything else on the list — often at a slightly lower price point than the flagship Cabs.
Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley
Caymus is everywhere, and resort markups push it well past what you'd pay retail. It's a fine wine, but at Elway's prices you're paying a premium for the brand recognition, not the liquid. The Jordan gets you 90% of the experience for less money.
Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley + USDA Prime Ribeye
Stag's Leap brings that signature Napa structure — firm tannins, dark fruit, good acid — that stands up to the fat and char on a prime ribeye without bowling you over. It's a classic pairing executed with the right bottle.
The Bottom Line
Elway's Vail is a reliable steakhouse wine list doing exactly what it was designed to do: keep resort guests happy with names they recognize at prices that sting but don't shock. If you're after exploration, skip it — but if you want a solid California Cab with your prime ribeye after a day on the mountain, it gets the job done.
· Vail · Gastropub
Here's the one concrete reason to pay attention to Capitol Public House's wine program: Wednesday half-price bottles. That single policy can turn an unremarkable list into a genuinely good deal. If you're a local in Eagle or passing through on a Wednesday, plan accordingly — even a middle-of-the-road bottle at half price is worth the stop. For everything else, manage expectations and let the whiskey bar do the talking.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
· Vail · Latin-inspired small plates
Barriosocial is doing something genuinely unexpected in Vail: a wine list that reflects the food's Iberian DNA instead of defaulting to crowd-pleasing New World reds and overpriced Champagne by the bottle. The by-the-glass program alone — 20 options, fair pricing, real producers — is worth the visit. If you're eating in the mountains and actually care what's in your glass, this is the room.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Vail · Hotel Bar & New American
The Lobby Bar is fine — and in Vail, fine is doing a lot of heavy lifting. The list is short, static, and priced for people who just got off the mountain and aren't reading the bill too closely. If you're here, order the Grochau Pinot and call it a night; don't come looking for discovery.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Vail · Italian
La Nonna is an Italian restaurant in a ski resort town that somehow assembled one of the more thoughtful grower Champagne lists in Colorado — and that's genuinely worth acknowledging. Markups run steep across the board, which is par for the Vail course, but if you order smart (Mignon, Larmandier-Bernier, the Correggia sparkler), you'll drink better than almost anywhere on the mountain. Come for the pasta, stay for the bubbles.
Surprising Depth
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Vail · New American
Larkspur has the bones of a Reliable — a thoughtful regional spread, a polished dining room, and a kitchen putting out serious plates like the Creekstone Farms strip loin and Ahi tuna crudo that deserve equally serious wine. We just don't have enough list detail to hand you a confident pick or warn you off a specific bottle. If you're heading here, ask the server what's drinking well right now and set a firm price ceiling before you open the book — Vail markups are real and they are not shy.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Vail · Steakhouse
Russell's isn't trying to be a wine destination and doesn't need to be — but the list is better than the room probably demands. Fair pricing, a genuine global reach, and twenty pours by the glass make this a steakhouse wine program worth engaging with. Order the Fincas de Ganuza, skip the Laurent Perrier, and leave the mountain resort markup where it belongs: on the cocktail list.
Solid Range
Fair
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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