Après-Ski Pours That Get the Job Done
Girdwood · Anchorage · New American
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · May 30, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Fireside Grill at Alyeska Resort’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — 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're coming off the mountain, boots still on, and the wine list at Fireside Grill is exactly what you'd expect from a resort grill in the middle of Alaska — familiar names, safe bets, nothing that's going to challenge you. It's a captive audience situation, and the list knows it.
The list runs 40 to 70 bottles and leans hard on California and Pacific Northwest crowd-pleasers — think Rombauer, Meiomi, and Stags' Leap, the holy trinity of 'wines your aunt brings to Thanksgiving.' There's a nod to France somewhere in there, but it's not the focus. If you're hoping for a grower Champagne or a nervy Willamette Pinot, keep hoping — this list is built for skiers who want something recognizable after a long day on the slopes, not for people who geek out on back labels.
Eight to twelve pours by the glass is a reasonable number for a resort grill, and the options mirror the bottle list — dependable producers, approachable styles. Don't expect much rotation; this feels like a set-and-forget program where the BTG list gets revisited maybe once a year.
Stags' Leap Winery Cabernet Sauvignon — null
Stags' Leap Winery (not to be confused with Stag's Leap Wine Cellars) makes solid Napa Cab at a slightly more grounded price point than its neighbor. In a list full of tourist-trap markups, this is the one bottle that at least brings genuine Napa pedigree to the table — order it by the glass if the price by the bottle makes you wince.
Stags' Leap Winery Cabernet Sauvignon
Most people here are grabbing the Rombauer or the Meiomi on autopilot. The Stags' Leap Winery Cab is the one that actually rewards a little attention — it's a real wine with structure and some age-worthiness, even if you're drinking it in a ski lodge next to a fireplace.
Meiomi Pinot Noir
Meiomi retails for around $15 and is engineered to taste like dessert — and not in a complex way. At resort markup, you're paying a significant premium for something that's essentially mass-market blended fruit bomb. Skip it.
Rombauer Chardonnay + Burger
Look, it's not a textbook pairing, but Rombauer's rich, buttery Chardonnay actually holds its own against a juicy burger with all the toppings. The weight of the wine matches the weight of the food, and after a day of skiing at Alyeska, nobody's judging your glass-to-plate choices.
The Bottom Line
Fireside Grill is a perfectly fine place to drink wine if your only criterion is 'wine, please' — but the list is built for resort convenience, not value or discovery. Order what you know, don't overthink it, and save the serious bottle for somewhere else.
Downtown · Anchorage · New American
The Marx Brothers Café is the kind of place that makes you reconsider your assumptions about where serious wine lives. In a historic Anchorage bungalow, they've built a list that would hold its own in San Francisco — and that earns every bit of the Wild Card badge.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Downtown / G Street corridor · Anchorage · Wine Bar / Bistro
Crush earns its Wild Card badge not by being perfect, but by being genuinely surprising — a 600-bottle cellar and 40+ glass pours in Anchorage is an achievement worth acknowledging out loud. If you're passing through or living here, this is where you go when you actually care what's in your glass.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
Girdwood · Anchorage · Winery Restaurant / Taproom
Bear Creek Winery Loft earns its Wild Card badge honestly — it's not trying to be a serious wine destination and doesn't need to be. If you're in Girdwood and you skip this in favor of a hotel bar pour, you've made a mistake you'll regret when you're back home explaining why you didn't try the rhubarb wine made in Alaska.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown · Anchorage · Modern Mexican / Latin Fusion
Tequila 61° is a genuinely fun downtown Anchorage spot — but the wine list is not the reason to come. Order the tequila, drink the margaritas, and if someone at the table insists on wine, steer them toward the Pinot Grigio and move on.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Midtown · Anchorage · Brazilian Steakhouse (Churrascaria)
Texas de Brazil Anchorage is a reliable enough wine stop if you calibrate expectations to match the format — this is a chain steakhouse, not a wine destination, and the list behaves accordingly. Grab the Catena, eat a lot of picanha, and don't overthink it.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Midtown / Spenard · Anchorage · Mexican / Pub / Pizza
Bear Tooth Grill is a legitimately great spot for beer, margaritas, pizza, and a movie — the wine list is just a formality. Order a craft beer, skip the wine entirely, and you'll have a fantastic time.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
MIA
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Tucson · New American
Maynards Kitchen is a charming spot inside a genuinely iconic Tucson hotel, which makes the wine list feel like an especially lazy afterthought. Skip the wine, order a cocktail, and hope whoever curates this program eventually decides to care.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· West Palm Beach · New American
Kitchen West Palm has no business having the Casanova di Neri Brunello and the Ménard-Geborit Muscadet on the same 13-bottle list — and yet here we are. It's small, priced fairly, and clearly curated by someone who actually drinks wine. Send a friend, order the Ridge.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Billings · New American
Walkers Grill is doing something genuinely rare — building a thoughtful, eclectic wine list in a market that would forgive them for not trying. If you're passing through Billings or happen to live there, this is worth your dinner reservation and your second glass.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
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
