Napa royalty, steakhouse prices, zero surprises
West Des Moines · Des Moines · Upscale Steakhouse · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · June 20, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar – West Des Moines’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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Wingman Metrics
Fleming's hands you a wine list that reads like a greatest hits album of American wine — Caymus, Opus One, Silver Oak, Rombauer. It's polished, well-organized, and immediately tells you exactly what kind of place this is. If you came here hoping for a funky Jura Poulsard, turn around.
The 100-plus bottle list leans hard into Napa and Sonoma Cabernet, which makes perfect sense for a steakhouse but leaves little room for adventure. Washington State gets a nod, and Paso Robles shows up on the edges, but the through-line is big, bold, oak-forward American reds. There's no real old-world presence to speak of, and if you want Burgundy or Barolo with your filet, you're largely out of luck. That said, the producers they've chosen are legitimate — Stag's Leap Artemis, Duckhorn, Jordan — these aren't filler bottles.
Thirty to forty by-the-glass options is genuinely impressive for Des Moines, and the range covers enough ground to keep a table with mixed preferences happy. The prices run $15–$30 a glass, which stings a little, but at least you're pouring real wine rather than anonymous house stuff. Don't expect the list to rotate much — this is a corporate program, and consistency is the priority over discovery.
Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon — $90
Jordan Alexander Valley Cab is one of the most reliably food-friendly Cabernets made in California — structured, not overblown, and made for red meat. At a steakhouse with $60 entrees, landing a bottle in the $90 range that actually drinks like a wine and not a fruit bomb is the move.
Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Artemis Cabernet Sauvignon
Everyone's reaching past this bottle for Caymus or Opus One, and that's a mistake. Artemis is serious Napa Cab from one of the valley's iconic houses — more restrained and food-friendly than the big cult names, and typically better priced per glass than its reputation deserves.
Opus One
Opus One is a trophy bottle, and Fleming's knows it — the markup reflects that. You're paying for the label as much as the wine, and at a corporate steakhouse the bottle isn't going to be better stored or served than it would be anywhere else. Save this one for a dedicated wine occasion, not a Tuesday business dinner.
Caymus Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon + Prime Tomahawk Steak
Caymus is rich, ripe, and built for exactly this moment — a 36-ounce bone-in behemoth of beef fat and char. It's not a subtle pairing, but subtlety isn't the point when you're splitting a tomahawk.
The Bottom Line
Fleming's West Des Moines does what it's designed to do — deliver a confident, California-heavy wine program in a well-run steakhouse setting. We'd send a friend here for a special occasion; we just wouldn't tell them to expect anything they haven't already seen before.
Johnston · Des Moines · Wine bar / American
Louie's Johnston is exactly what a suburban wine bar should be — a big by-the-glass list, fair prices, and zero pretension. Send your friends here when they want to drink well without a side of attitude.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
Clive · Des Moines · Steakhouse & American
Club Car is a reliable steakhouse wine list doing exactly what it was built to do: keep Cab drinkers happy and nobody walking out complaining. Don't come here for discovery, but don't leave without ordering the Jordan.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Waukee · Des Moines · Japanese / Asian Fusion / Sushi
Wasabi Waukee is a genuinely good sushi restaurant that treats its wine list like an afterthought — familiar names, steep markups, and zero curiosity about what wines might actually sing alongside the food. Order the cocktails or sake instead, and save the wine discussion for somewhere that cares.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
Ingersoll / Grand · Des Moines · Contemporary American
Louie's Wine Dive is the kind of place Des Moines needs more of — a real wine program in a no-pretense room, with Tuesday half-price deals that make experimenting genuinely low-stakes. It's not a destination list, but it's absolutely a destination night.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
Clive · Des Moines · American, Brewpub
Granite City is a brewery that tolerates wine, and the list reflects that perfectly. Drink the beer — it's the whole point of being here.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
West Des Moines / Jordan Creek · Des Moines · Italian
Bravo! is a fine dinner out if the pasta is what you're after, but the wine list is purely functional — corporate-designed, safely marked up, and entirely forgettable. Order a glass of bubbles or the Chianti, make peace with your choices, and let the food do the heavy lifting.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Marina District (Golden Nugget) · Atlantic City · Upscale Steakhouse
Vic & Anthony's is a perfectly competent steakhouse wine list doing exactly what a casino steakhouse wine list is supposed to do — just don't expect fair pricing or anything off the beaten path. Order the Decoy, enjoy your steak, and pocket the difference.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Beachside/Ocean Walk · Daytona Beach · Upscale Steakhouse
Hyde Park Prime Daytona is a dependable, well-run wine program in a room that knows what it wants to be — and mostly delivers. Markups will sting, but the sommelier, the depth, and the oceanfront setting make it the right call when the occasion calls for a serious bottle and a serious steak.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Occasional
Proper
Cool Springs · Franklin · Upscale Steakhouse
Ruth's Chris Franklin is a reliable wine execution at a chain price point — nobody's going home unhappy, but nobody's going home with a story either. Go on a Wednesday, hit the half-price bottle promotion, and drink better than the menu's markup would otherwise allow.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Proper
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