White Tablecloths, Decent Pours, No Surprises
Central · Colorado Springs · American, Seafood, Steaks · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 9, 2026
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Joseph's arrives looking the part — leather-bound, composed, white tablecloth energy all the way. Sixty to a hundred bottles covering Oregon, California, France, and Italy feels appropriate for a room this serious about itself. It's not going to make you gasp, but it's not going to embarrass you either.
Oregon and California do most of the heavy lifting here, with some French and Italian support that keeps things from feeling purely New World. The Cline wines — including the Big Break Zinfandel and Small Berry Mourvèdre — are interesting inclusions, representing Cline's small-production single-vineyard work rather than the mass-market stuff you'd find at a grocery store. Gust shows up prominently with Riesling, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir, which tells you someone made a deliberate call to lean into a single producer's lineup. The gaps are real though — if you're hunting Burgundy, serious Barolo, or anything from Spain or the Southern Hemisphere, you're coming up empty.
Ten to sixteen options by the glass is a respectable count for Colorado Springs fine dining, and Gust appears to anchor the program here. Rotation seems minimal — this reads more like a set list than a living, breathing by-the-glass program. You'll find something decent; just don't expect much change on your next visit.
Gust Pinot Noir 2023 — null
Gust is a small Oregon producer worth knowing, and their Pinot showing up in a fine dining context is a quiet win. If the price is in line with their direct retail, this is the move — elegant, food-friendly, and more interesting than anything you'd find at a chain steakhouse.
Cline Small Berry Mourvèdre 2022
Most tables will walk right past this one. Mourvèdre is a tough sell in a steakhouse-adjacent setting, but Cline's Small Berry bottling is earthy and savory in ways that work hard next to a seared piece of meat. It's the kind of pick that makes you look like you know something.
Gust Chardonnay 2023
Gust makes solid wine, but a single-producer Chardonnay at fine dining markup is a tough value proposition when you're likely paying restaurant premium on a bottle that retails modestly. Unless the price is genuinely fair, this is the safe, predictable order — and safe, predictable orders rarely reward you at these price points.
Gust Riesling 2024 + Maine Lobster Bisque
A bright, off-dry Riesling and a rich, slightly sweet lobster bisque is one of the most reliable combinations in the book. The wine's acidity cuts through the cream while the fruit plays off the shellfish. Order this and let the table think you planned it.
✔️ The Bottom Line
Joseph's is doing the right things with wine without doing anything exceptional — a solid, if unadventurous, list in a room that clearly takes its craft seriously. Send a friend here for a reliable night out; just don't send them expecting to be wowed by the cellar.
Broadmoor · Colorado Springs · Steakhouse and American
La Taverne is a well-run, properly staffed wine program inside one of Colorado's most storied resort properties — expect to pay for the privilege and the setting. If you stick to Jordan and Peter Michael and resist the siren call of the trophy bottles, you'll drink very well here.
Solid Range
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Broadmoor · Colorado Springs · Italian (Northern Italian, trattoria-style)
Ristorante del Lago is the rare resort restaurant where the wine program actually earns some respect — the Italian focus is real, the sommelier knows the list, and a few genuinely exciting bottles are hiding in there if you look past the marquee names. Just go in knowing you're paying Broadmoor prices, and order accordingly.
Solid Range
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Downtown Colorado Springs · Colorado Springs · Steakhouse
Famous Steakhouse is the dependable old hand — the wine list won't excite you, but it won't embarrass you either, and with a prime rib in front of you and a Stag's Leap in the glass, that's a perfectly decent Thursday night. Just don't come looking for discovery.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Manitou Springs · Colorado Springs · Mexican / Tex-Mex
Crystal Park Cantina is a genuinely fun spot for tacos and margaritas with a mountain view — lean into that and skip the wine entirely. The list is overpriced grocery store inventory with no ambition, and no amount of scenery changes that.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Manitou Springs · Colorado Springs · Upscale American, Contemporary Fine Dining
The Cliff House wine program is the dependable friend who always shows up dressed well — you know exactly what you're getting, and it's genuinely good, even if it never blows your mind. For a special occasion in the mountains, this is a comfortable, well-run room that will take care of you.
Solid Range
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Downtown / West Colorado · Colorado Springs · Fine Dining / Steak & Seafood
Pepper Tree is a reliable wine stop for what it is — a classic Colorado fine-dining room where the tableside Steak Diane is the main event and the wine list is a well-behaved supporting cast. Don't come here chasing discovery, but do come knowing you'll drink decently without drama.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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