Serious Bottles in Alaska's Last Frontier
Downtown · Anchorage · New American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 18, 2026
Wingman Metrics
You don't expect to open a wine list in Anchorage and land on Au Bon Climat or a Joh. Jos. Prüm Mosel with serious vintage depth — and yet here we are. Marx Cafe doesn't look like a wine destination, but whoever built this list clearly cares. That alone earns some goodwill before we get to the pricing.
The list skews toward Burgundy, Italy, and sparkling, which is a perfectly respectable triangle to build around. Producers like Au Bon Climat and Cameron's Clos Electrique signal that someone with actual taste made these choices — these aren't bulk-buy filler bottles. There are reportedly older Italian treasures hiding in the mix too, which for a New American spot in Alaska borders on remarkable. The gaps show — we're not looking at a deep cellar — but what's here is chosen with intention.
Fifteen pours plus at least two sparkling options is a genuinely strong by-the-glass program for a restaurant of this type and location. That count gives you real range to explore without committing to a bottle, and the presence of bubbles by the glass in multiple forms is always a good sign. We'd love to know how often the selection rotates, but the sheer volume suggests this isn't an afterthought.
2011 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Gold Mosel-Saar-Ruwer — $65
A 30% markup on a wine of this pedigree is practically a favor — Prüm Mosel with bottle age at this price is genuinely hard to find anywhere, let alone in Anchorage.
Cameron's Clos Electrique
Most diners will walk right past this one, but Cameron is a cult Oregon producer whose Clos Electrique doesn't show up on many restaurant lists at all — finding it here is a minor miracle worth acting on.
La Salette Cotes de Gascone Blanc France
A 233% markup on a $12 retail wine is a tough ask — this is a perfectly fine everyday French white but not at $40, not when better options exist elsewhere on this list.
Au Bon Climat Chardonnay + Fresh Alaska seafood
Au Bon Climat's restrained, Burgundian-style Chardonnay is built for the kind of clean, delicate proteins Alaska is famous for — it has enough texture to hold up without steamrolling the fish.
🎲 The Bottom Line
Marx Cafe is the wine list you don't see coming — thoughtful producers, real depth in spots, and a by-the-glass count that outperforms most of its competition in any market. Watch the markups on the cheaper bottles and lean into the higher-end pours where the pricing actually gets fair.
Downtown · Anchorage · New American
The Marx Brothers Café is the kind of place that makes you reconsider your assumptions about where serious wine lives. In a historic Anchorage bungalow, they've built a list that would hold its own in San Francisco — and that earns every bit of the Wild Card badge.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Downtown / G Street corridor · Anchorage · Wine Bar / Bistro
Crush earns its Wild Card badge not by being perfect, but by being genuinely surprising — a 600-bottle cellar and 40+ glass pours in Anchorage is an achievement worth acknowledging out loud. If you're passing through or living here, this is where you go when you actually care what's in your glass.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
Girdwood · Anchorage · Winery Restaurant / Taproom
Bear Creek Winery Loft earns its Wild Card badge honestly — it's not trying to be a serious wine destination and doesn't need to be. If you're in Girdwood and you skip this in favor of a hotel bar pour, you've made a mistake you'll regret when you're back home explaining why you didn't try the rhubarb wine made in Alaska.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown · Anchorage · Modern Mexican / Latin Fusion
Tequila 61° is a genuinely fun downtown Anchorage spot — but the wine list is not the reason to come. Order the tequila, drink the margaritas, and if someone at the table insists on wine, steer them toward the Pinot Grigio and move on.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Midtown · Anchorage · Brazilian Steakhouse (Churrascaria)
Texas de Brazil Anchorage is a reliable enough wine stop if you calibrate expectations to match the format — this is a chain steakhouse, not a wine destination, and the list behaves accordingly. Grab the Catena, eat a lot of picanha, and don't overthink it.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Midtown / Spenard · Anchorage · Mexican / Pub / Pizza
Bear Tooth Grill is a legitimately great spot for beer, margaritas, pizza, and a movie — the wine list is just a formality. Order a craft beer, skip the wine entirely, and you'll have a fantastic time.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
MIA
Set & Forget
Acceptable
South End / The Breakers · West Palm Beach · New American
HMF is the rare hotel bar that could embarrass a dedicated wine bar on both depth and pricing — the by-the-glass program alone is worth the trip. If you're in Palm Beach and you care about what's in your glass, this is the most obvious call on the island.
Deep & Eclectic
Steal
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Downtown Columbia · Columbia · New American
Sycamore is doing something genuinely unusual in Columbia: running a tight, thoughtful wine list with real producers and fair prices, backed by someone on staff who knows what they're talking about. Come on a Wednesday and it's a no-brainer.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Active Program
Acceptable
Elizabeth Park area · Hartford · New American
Pond House Cafe is a lovely spot where the wine list exists to support the experience, not define it — and that's fine, as long as you keep your expectations calibrated. Come for the setting, order the Campofiorin or the Santa Marina, and let the park do the rest of the work.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.