Pacific Northwest's Best Ambassador in Colorado Springs
Downtown Colorado Springs · Colorado Springs · New American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 6, 2026
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Mizuna reads like a love letter to the Pacific Northwest — Walla Walla, Willamette Valley, Columbia Valley front and center, with France and Italy showing up just enough to keep things honest. It's a focused list, not an encyclopedic one, and that focus feels intentional rather than lazy. For Downtown Colorado Springs, this is a cut above what you'd normally expect.
Washington state carries this list — Long Shadows 'Pirouette', Isenhower, and the Justin 'Isosceles' from Paso Robles give you serious bottles if you're willing to spend. Oregon checks in with Rainstorm Pinot Noir from Willamette Valley and the interesting Ovum Wines 'Rare Form' from Newburg, which is a name you don't see everywhere. The French and Italian entries (Veuve du Vernay, La Marca Prosecco, Pierre Trichet Champagne) cover the bubbles category adequately without breaking new ground. The list's biggest gap is a lack of Old World depth beyond sparkling — no Burgundy, no Barolo, no Rhône — but the PNW focus is coherent enough that it doesn't feel like an oversight so much as a deliberate identity.
With 12-20 by-the-glass options, Mizuna gives you genuine choices across styles — bubbles, white, rosé, and red are all represented from the pour list. The CSM Eroica Riesling and Ovum 'Rare Form' by the glass would be genuine finds if they're rotating through. The list doesn't appear to change frequently, so don't bank on discovering something new on your third visit.
Rainstorm Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, OR — null
Willamette Pinot at a New American bistro is exactly where this grape wants to be. Rainstorm overdelivers for its price tier, and if it's priced modestly here as expected, it's the smart order at the table — especially alongside pan-seared fish or house-made pasta.
Ovum Wines 'Rare Form', Newburg, OR, 2021
Ovum is a small, thoughtful Oregon producer doing interesting things with whites, and 'Rare Form' is exactly that — a wine most tables will walk right past because they don't recognize the name. That's your cue to order it.
La Marca Prosecco, Italy
La Marca is fine, but it's a grocery store Prosecco showing up at restaurant markup prices. When Pierre Trichet 'Brut-Premiere' Cru is sitting right there on the same list, there's no reason to settle.
CSM Eroica Riesling, Woodinville, WA, 2021 + Pan-seared fish
Eroica is a Chateau Ste. Michelle and Ernst Loosen collaboration — meaning it brings serious German Riesling DNA with Washington fruit. The bright acidity and restrained sweetness cut right through the richness of a pan-seared fish dish without overpowering it.
✔️ The Bottom Line
Mizuna isn't trying to be a wine destination, but its Pacific Northwest-focused list is sharper and more purposeful than most restaurants in this zip code. Send a friend here if they want a solid, food-friendly bottle without having to navigate a 200-label minefield.
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
Broadway corridor · Fort Wayne · New American
Rune is doing something genuinely rare for its zip code: building a wine list with a real identity. Come on a Wednesday, order the Ovum, and feel good about finding a place like this.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
West Plano · Plano · New American
CraftWay Kitchen isn't trying to be a wine destination and doesn't pretend to be — but the markups are fair, the glass program is wide, and there's enough on the list to drink well with a solid meal. Send your friends here for dinner; just don't send them here for a wine education.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
Clemmons · Winston Salem · New American
Sixty Vines is a solid, reliable wine stop in Winston-Salem — the by-the-glass breadth is real and the staff knows their stuff, but the list reads like a greatest hits album rather than anything adventurous. Come for the volume, stay for the pizza, but don't expect to have your mind changed about wine.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.