Sky-high views, California-forward and dependable
Renaissance Center · Detroit · Regional Steakhouse · Visit Website ↗
Updated June 2026
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 17, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Highlands’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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Wingman Metrics
You're on the 71st floor of the Renaissance Center with a view that stretches across the Detroit River into Canada — the wine list should match that ambition. It mostly doesn't, but it doesn't embarrass itself either. What you get is a clean, confident steakhouse list built to sell bottles of Caymus and Silver Oak to people celebrating something.
The 150-250 bottle list leans hard into California Cabernet and French stalwarts, which makes sense for the room but leaves little room for adventure. Caymus, Jordan, Silver Oak Alexander Valley, Stag's Leap, Joseph Phelps Insignia, Opus One — it reads like a greatest-hits record you've heard a hundred times. Louis Jadot anchors the France side, which is fine but doesn't exactly signal that anyone here is digging through Burgundy allocations. If you're hoping for Rhône, Barolo, or anything from the Southern Hemisphere, keep hoping.
Twelve to twenty options by the glass in the $12–$22 range gives you enough to work with before you commit to a bottle. The program looks built around the same California-and-France axis as the full list — don't expect a rotating natural wine or an orange something to show up here. It's purpose-built for the steak-and-occasion crowd, and it does that job without drama.
Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon — $45 (estimated entry)
Jordan consistently punches above its price point — approachable on release but structured enough to stand up to a dry-aged ribeye. It's the most honest bottle on a list that skews expensive.
Louis Jadot Burgundy
In a room full of Napa muscle, the Jadot selection is the quiet option most tables overlook. If you're not in a Cabernet mood, this is your move — and it'll hold its own with the filet.
Opus One
Opus One is a trophy bottle, and restaurants like this charge trophy-bottle prices for it. You're paying for the label as much as the wine, and on a steakhouse list at the top of a skyscraper, the markup is almost certainly doing a lot of heavy lifting.
Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon + Prime dry-aged ribeye
Stag's Leap has the structure to cut through the fat on a dry-aged ribeye without bulldozing it. It's classic Napa Cab with enough restraint to let the beef do the talking — exactly what this dish wants.
✔️ The Bottom Line
Highlands is a reliable special-occasion wine stop backed by a knowledgeable sommelier in Kevin Williams and a Wine Spectator Award it's held since 2022. The list won't surprise you, but at 71 floors up with a bone-in ribeye in front of you, you probably weren't asking it to.
Corktown · Detroit · Italian, Swiss
Alpino is doing something genuinely unusual for Detroit — an alpine-themed kitchen with a wine list that actually matches the room's ambition, not just its vibe. Send your friends here, tell them to order Austrian, and sit near the fireplace.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Southfield · Detroit · Northern Italian
Bacco is the kind of wine program that makes you feel like Detroit's been holding out on you — 11,000 bottles, a sommelier who actually knows the cellar, and a room serious enough to let a 2000 Gaja breathe properly. The prices will make your eyes water, but this is a destination list worth the trip.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Rochester Hills · Detroit · Italian
La Collina is a perfectly decent neighborhood Italian spot that treats its wine list like an afterthought — familiar names, steep markups, no real sense of curation or care. Drink the Brunello or order a Negroni and don't look back.
Crowd Pleasers
Gouge
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Detroit · Detroit · Contemporary American
The Apparatus Room is the wine list Detroit didn't know it needed — thoughtful, fairly priced, and backed by a sommelier who actually shows up. If you're eating downtown and you care about what's in your glass, this is your spot.
Solid Range
Fair
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Unknown · Detroit · Steakhouse
Shanahan's is playing a different game than most Detroit restaurants — the wine list is destination-worthy on its own merits, even if the markups reflect the ambition. If you're serious about wine with your steak, this is where you go.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Detroit · Detroit · Italian-American
Bona Sera is a reliable neighborhood wine program that won't embarrass you on a date night, but the markup math on some bottles is hard to ignore and the list plays it safe enough that adventurous drinkers will run out of road fast. Order the Ridge, skip the commodity pours, and you'll have a fine evening.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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