Colorado's Most Serious Wine Room, Full Stop
Broadmoor · Colorado Springs · Steakhouse · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 2, 2026
Wingman Metrics
Walking into La Taverne with a 400-plus bottle list is the kind of thing that makes you want to cancel your plans for the rest of the night. This is the Broadmoor — a five-star resort that's been doing this longer than most wine directors have been alive — and the list feels exactly like that history: earned, considered, and not messing around. France and the U.S. anchor everything, and the depth in both camps is the real deal.
The France-USA backbone here is thick and well-sourced, with Champagne getting serious attention — Bollinger and Schramsberg sharing the same glass-pour price point is a genuinely interesting curatorial choice that tells you the list has range without pretension. We'd love to see more granular data on the Burgundy and Rhône depth, but at 400-plus labels in a Colorado Springs steakhouse, the presumption is that the cellar goes somewhere worth following. The U.S. side likely leans into big California names alongside some more thoughtful domestic producers — expect the full spectrum from crowd-pleasing Napa Cabs to bottles you won't find at your local wine shop. Gaps, if any, probably appear in the Southern Hemisphere and emerging European regions, but that's a quibble at this scale.
With 20 to 35 by-the-glass options, this program isn't just pointing you at the house pour and calling it a day — you've got real selections to work with across multiple categories. The Champagne-by-the-glass offering alone, with both Bollinger Blanc de Blancs and Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs available, is better than most restaurants' entire sparkling programs. Rotation appears seasonal, which means returning guests have a reason to keep checking back.
Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs NV — $46
At $46 a glass on a resort wine list, this is almost embarrassingly fair — retail sits around $40, meaning you're paying a slim premium for the full La Taverne experience. Schramsberg has been making serious California sparkling wine since 1965, and this Blanc de Blancs is crisp, precise, and ready to go against anything in the Champagne column at twice the price.
Bollinger Blanc de Blancs Champagne NV
Most people ordering Bollinger go straight for the Special Cuvée, so the Blanc de Blancs gets overlooked — but this is a leaner, more mineral-driven expression from one of Champagne's great houses, and at $46 by the glass in this context it's the kind of find you want to keep to yourself.
Bollinger Blanc de Blancs Champagne NV
Hold on — this one cuts both ways. If you're ordering it as a bottle and eyeing the retail math, the $70 retail versus restaurant price gap makes sense for a five-star room. But if you're comparing glass-for-glass to the Schramsberg at the same price point, the domestic option is the smarter play. The Bollinger isn't a bad pick; it's just the less efficient one when both pours are $46.
Bollinger Blanc de Blancs Champagne NV + Lobster Bisque
Rich, cream-forward bisque needs something with enough acidity and structure to cut through — Bollinger's Blanc de Blancs has both, plus a toasty depth that echoes the bisque's shellfish sweetness without competing with it. Classic pairing logic executed with serious ingredients.
🔥 The Bottom Line
La Taverne earns its reputation as one of Colorado's premier wine destinations — the list is deep, the pricing is surprisingly fair for a five-star resort, and the staff clearly knows what's in the cellar. If you're anywhere near Colorado Springs and serious about wine, this is the room.
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
Downtown · Abilene · Steakhouse
Cattleman's Exchange isn't a wine destination, but it's not a disaster either — it's a hotel steakhouse doing hotel steakhouse things. If you're in Abilene and need a Cab with your beef, you'll find something that works; just don't expect the list to surprise you.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Unknown · Springfield · Steakhouse
LongHorn Springfield isn't a wine destination — but with markups this low and pours this affordable, it's one of the better casual chain options in Illinois for a simple red with a big steak. Send a friend here for dinner; just don't tell them to geek out over the list.
Crowd Pleasers
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
La Frontera · Round Rock · Steakhouse
Saltgrass Round Rock is exactly what it looks like: a chain steakhouse wine list on autopilot, built around brand names, sweet crowd-pleasers, and markups that assume you're not paying attention. Order a beer or a cocktail and save the wine for somewhere that actually cares.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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