Taos's Best-Kept Wine Secret, Full Stop
· Taos · Contemporary American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · September 26, 2026
RagingWine reviewed NOSA Restaurant and Inn’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
A 28-bottle list at a restaurant and inn in Taos, New Mexico is not supposed to look like this. You expect a handful of domestic crowd-pleasers and maybe a Malbec. Instead, the list opens with Adami Prosecco and a Slovene orange wine and immediately signals that someone here actually cares.
The white-heavy list reads like a love letter to the Old World's lesser-traveled appellations — Muscadet, Vouvray, Savoie, Vermentino di Gallura, and a Kobal Sauvignon Blanc from Slovenia sharing space with a François Pinon Vouvray Silex Noir and Domaine Ciringa's Fosilini Breg, a Slovenian field blend that has no business being in most major city restaurants, let alone rural New Mexico. The reds are sparser but pointed: a Luis Seabra Xisto Ilimitado from the Douro's schist terraces, Château du Hureau Tuffé from Saumur-Champigny, and a Donnachadh Pinot Noir from Santa Rita Hills. There's a Cleto Chiarli Lambrusco di Sorbara thrown in for anyone who knows what that means — and it's a very good sign that it does. Gaps exist — no serious Rhône, no Spanish red to match the Granbazan on the white side — but for a 28-label list, the hit rate is remarkably high.
Six pours running $14–$18 per glass is tight but well-chosen: the Adami Valdobbiadene at $18/glass, the Granbazan Albariño at $18/glass, Château du Hureau Tuffé at $18/glass, and the Ide Wines Chardonnay at $15/glass are all wines worth drinking in their own right, not filler. The program doesn't try to do everything by the glass — it just makes sure what's there is worth ordering.
The Bottom Line
NOSA is doing something genuinely rare: curating a short, smart, globally curious wine list in a place where no one would expect it. The pricing is fair, the picks are specific, and the list has a clear point of view. If you're driving through Taos and care about what's in your glass, this is the room to be in.
· Taos · Contemporary American
medley. has no business running a wine list this considered in a small New Mexico mountain town, and yet here we are. Pricing is fair across the board, the selection leans curious over commercial, and the rosé section alone is worth the visit. If you're in Taos and care about what's in your glass, this is where you eat.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Northside / Paseo del Pueblo Norte · Taos · Burger / American
Come for the burgers — seriously, people love them — but manage your wine expectations hard. This list is a placeholder, not a program, and you're paying convenience store wine prices at restaurant markups.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Taos Plaza Alley · Taos · Mexican bar & grill
We would never send anyone to The Alley Cantina specifically for the wine, but we'd absolutely send them for the vibe — and if you hit that 5–7pm happy hour, a $5 glass of Porto while a band tunes up is one of Taos's more charming small pleasures. The Wild Card badge isn't for the list quality; it's for the unexpected delight of finding Warre's Warrior in a cantina that also has a pool table.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
Downtown · Taos · Steakhouse
Martyrs is punching above its weight class for a steakhouse in Taos — the Italian selections alone make it worth a look. The markups are real and the pricing on the classics is aggressive, but if you order smart, this list rewards you.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Northside / Historic Chapel · Taos · Northern New Mexican, organic, locally sourced
The Love Apple is a Wild Card in the best possible way — a tiny organic wine list in a centuries-old adobe chapel that somehow makes more sense than most dedicated wine bars. If you're a Pinot person with a soft spot for biodynamic producers, this is your kind of detour.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Bent Street / Historic District · Taos · Fine Dining / New American
Lambert's is a reliable dinner destination in Taos, and the wine list won't ruin your night — but it won't make it either. Send a friend here for the elk tenderloin; tell them to order the Duckhorn and not overthink it.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Evanston · Contemporary American
Chef's Station earns its Reliable badge the honest way: a sommelier who cares, a list with actual regional perspective, and a room where drinking something good feels like the obvious move. It's not a destination wine list, but it's a trustworthy one.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Beaver Creek Plaza · Vail · Contemporary American
Golden Eagle Inn is the kind of reliable mountain wine list that won't embarrass you on a date or a client dinner, but it'll charge you for the altitude at every turn. The Brunello and the Bouchard Beaune are genuine bright spots — find those, skip the Veuve, and you'll have a good night.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Vail Village · Vail · Contemporary American
Sweet Basil is the best wine list in Vail by a wide margin — 400 bottles, a real Cruvinet program, and a sommelier who put actual thought into the selections. The markups sting, but that's mountain dining; the quality justifies the trip.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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