Vegas-scale wine ambition in Southwest Washington
Greater Clark County / Ilani Casino · Vancouver · Steakhouse · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · June 29, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Ilani – Michael Jordan's Steak House’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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Wingman Metrics
Six thousand labels at a casino steakhouse in Vancouver, Washington — that sentence takes a second to land. The list reads like someone handed a serious buyer an unlimited budget and told them to go nuts, and honestly, that's not far from what happened. You're not expecting Harlan Estate and Sine Qua Non when you pull off I-5 into a casino parking lot, but here we are.
The backbone is exactly what you'd expect from a high-end steakhouse — Napa Cab country, with Caymus Special Selection, Opus One, Silver Oak, and Duckhorn all checked in — but the list doesn't stop there. There's genuine regional pride in the PNW representation: Domaine Serene from Willamette Valley, Leonetti Cellar from Walla Walla, and a Hartford Court Chardonnay from Russian River Valley. France shows up seriously too, with Burgundy (Denis Mortet), Champagne (Piper-Heidsieck), and a F.X. Pichler Grüner Veltliner from Wachau that would look at home on a Vienna wine bar list. The cellar depth is real — a 1997 Dalla Valle Maya and 2010 Bond St. Eden are not bottles you stumble across at most restaurants, period.
Twenty pours by the glass ranging from $17 to $33, plus a separate Exclusive Pours program that runs up to $125 a glass — which is either exciting or alarming depending on how your evening is going. The everyday BTG list covers the hits: Cakebread Chardonnay, Merry Edwards Sauv Blanc, Austin Hope Cab, and a Joseph Drouhin Chablis for the white Burgundy crowd. Rotation isn't documented, which suggests it's more static than dynamic.
2023 Joseph Drouhin Chablis — $17
Drouhin Chablis by the glass at the low end of the BTG range is a genuine win — clean, mineral-driven, and a sharp contrast to the butter-bomb Chardonnays that dominate casino wine lists. It's the quiet overachiever on this menu.
F.X. Pichler 'Urgestein Terrassen' Smaragd 2009 Wachau Grüner Veltliner
At $123, a 15-year-old Smaragd from one of Austria's greatest producers is the kind of bottle that gets completely ignored in a room full of people ordering Caymus. Pichler at this level is world-class, and 2009 Wachau is a stellar vintage — this is the sleeper pick on the entire list.
Loosen Bros. Dr. L Riesling 2022
Dr. L is a perfectly fine $12-15 retail bottle. At $70 on this list, you're paying a 4-5x markup on a grocery store staple. The same money goes much further elsewhere on this list.
2019 Domaine Serene 'Barrel 23' Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley + Prime Bone-In Ribeye
Domaine Serene's Barrel 23 is a richer, more structured Willamette Pinot that can actually stand up to a well-marbled ribeye — it's the move for guests who want something more interesting than another Napa Cab but still want a wine that earns its place next to red meat.
The Bottom Line
This is a legitimately serious wine program wearing a casino steakhouse costume — the depth and cellar quality are real, but the markups reflect the captive audience. Come with a specific bottle in mind, avoid the obvious traps, and you can drink very well here.
Proebstel / East Vancouver · Vancouver · Wine-Focused American Grill
Six Shooter is a Wild Card in the best sense — a rural estate bar where the wine list is short because they're making most of it themselves. If you want depth and variety, look elsewhere; if you want to drink local wine where it was grown, this is the move.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
Downtown Vancouver · Vancouver · Modern American / New American
Elements is a better wine list than its size suggests, with a genuinely curious regional spread and a Thursday bottle special that makes the steep markups temporarily irrelevant. Show up on a Thursday, order the Mercer Grenache or the Alain Voge, and you're having a very good night in a city that doesn't always get credit for it.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
East Vancouver · Vancouver · Southwestern / American
Coyote Bar & Grill isn't a wine destination, but it doesn't pretend to be one either — fair prices, decent Pacific Northwest representation, and a comfortable room make it a perfectly reasonable place to drink well enough. Send a friend here if they're already going for the food; don't send them here just for the wine.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Vancouver Waterfront · Vancouver · Winery Tasting Room / Small Plates
Maryhill Vancouver is a genuinely good reason to detour into Washington wine country without leaving the city limits — the Klipsun Cab alone justifies a visit. It's not trying to be a destination wine bar, but it earns its place as the best pour on the Vancouver waterfront.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Downtown · Vancouver · Georgian
Dediko is a Wild Card in every sense — it's a cozy Georgian café in a strip of downtown Vancouver serving wines most locals have never tasted, and that alone makes it worth a visit. The markups are hard to love, but the experience of drinking actual Georgian wine with actual Georgian food is singular enough that we'd still tell a curious friend to go.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Hazel Dell · Vancouver · New American
Amaro's Table is the reliable neighborhood wine play — nothing on this list will blow your mind, but nothing will embarrass you either. Send a friend here if they want a decent glass of Oregon Pinot without making a production of it.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Charlotte · Steakhouse
STK Charlotte is a party venue with a wine list to match — familiar, expensive, and built for people who order by brand recognition. If you're serious about what's in your glass, you'll be working against the room all night.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Fort Worth · Fort Worth · Steakhouse
Bob's Fort Worth is a dependable steakhouse wine list — California-centric, Champagne-heavy, and priced for the occasion. You won't discover anything new, but you won't be drinking badly either.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Midtown · New York · Steakhouse
STK Midtown is a great place to see and be seen, but the wine list is there to pad the check, not to excite you. If you're here for the experience, lean on the cocktails or grab a glass of Bonanza at the bar — don't expect the bottle list to reward any real curiosity.
Crowd Pleasers
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.
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