Wednesday Half-Price Makes This Worth It
Downtown · Des Moines · Steakhouse, Seafood, American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 12, 2026
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Firebirds reads like a greatest hits album from the mid-2010s California wine scene — familiar, crowd-tested, and designed to make everyone comfortable without surprising anyone. It's a corporate list done competently, which is more than you can say for a lot of places in this price range. Nothing here is going to make a wine nerd's pulse race, but it won't embarrass the table either.
The list leans hard on Napa and Sonoma, with Marlborough making a token New Zealand appearance via Whitehaven Sauvignon Blanc. You'll find the usual suspects — Caymus, The Prisoner, Meiomi, Sonoma-Cutrer — all reliable bottles that move fast in American steakhouses precisely because diners know and trust them. The 80-120 bottle range sounds promising until you realize the actual range of producers is narrow; it's more volume than variety. Old World wines are essentially absent, and if you're hunting for anything adventurous beyond California Cabernet, you'll come up short.
Twenty by-the-glass options is a respectable number, and at $10-$18 per glass, the pricing is in line with upscale-casual expectations — if not exactly a bargain. The glass list mirrors the bottle list: California-forward, brand-name heavy, approachable. Don't expect frequent rotation, but the selections are steady enough that you know what you're getting.
Whitehaven Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough — $10-$13/glass
On Wednesday half-price wine night in the FIREBAR or on the patio, this crisp Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc becomes the obvious call — clean, refreshing, and suddenly a genuine deal rather than a routine pour.
Sonoma-Cutrer Russian River Ranches Chardonnay
In a list dominated by Napa Cabs and celebrity blends, this Chardonnay is the quietly serious choice. Russian River Ranches is a legitimate cool-climate wine that earns its reputation — most tables will order the Caymus on autopilot and miss it entirely.
Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley
Caymus is everywhere, and at Firebirds it's priced at a premium that reflects its celebrity status more than its quality-to-dollar ratio. You're paying for the name, and at restaurant markup on top of an already over-priced bottle, the math doesn't work in your favor.
Joel Gott 815 Cabernet Sauvignon, California + Prime Ribeye
The 815 is a fruit-forward, soft-tannin Cab that flatters a wood-fired ribeye without demanding your full attention — it lets the char on the steak do the talking while holding its own alongside the fat. It's also one of the more reasonably priced bottles on the list, so you're not blowing the budget before dessert.
Wednesday — All day half-price wine in the FIREBAR and on the patio (excluding holidays)
✔️ The Bottom Line
Firebirds is a reliable chain steakhouse wine experience — nothing groundbreaking, but Wednesday half-price wine in the FIREBAR turns a steep markup into a legitimate reason to show up. Go with low expectations for discovery and high expectations for consistency, and you'll leave happy.
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Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
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Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
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Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
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Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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Plays It Safe
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.