3,800 Bottles Deep and Still Counting
Houston · Houston · American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 5, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Pappas Bros. Steakhouse Houston Downtown’s wine list and gave it The Rager — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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Wingman Metrics
You open the wine list at Pappas Bros. and the first thing you feel is the weight of it — not metaphorically, literally. This is a 3,800-selection book that covers Burgundy, Bordeaux, California, Piedmont, Champagne, Rhône, Germany, Austria, Spain, and Port with the kind of depth that makes most fine dining wine programs look like airport gift shops. Wine Spectator has handed out Grand Awards here since 2019, and one look at this list tells you why.
The breadth is genuinely staggering: Domaine de la Romanée-Conti sits alongside Egon Müller Scharzhofberger Riesling, Giacomo Conterno Barolo Monfortino, E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Landonne, and Vega Sicilia Único — this is not a steakhouse wine list, this is a serious cellar that happens to also serve a bone-in filet. Burgundy and Bordeaux are the headliners, with trophy bottles from Château Pétrus, Château Mouton Rothschild, and Château Margaux rubbing elbows with deep Piedmont cuts from Gaja and Bruno Giacosa. California holds its own with Screaming Eagle and Harlan Estate for the collectors, and Opus One for anyone who wants something iconic without taking out a second mortgage. The only gap worth noting: if you came here hoping to find natural wine or anything remotely off the beaten path, you're in the wrong room.
Somewhere between 30 and 50 options by the glass, which is an embarrassment of riches for a steakhouse — or really, for anywhere. The program rotates enough to keep regulars coming back, and the Monday half-price wine night means some of those pours become genuinely spectacular deals. Sommeliers Mark Griffith and Dylan Hayes keep the glass program tight and well-staffed, so you're not guessing what's actually open.
Gaja Barbaresco 2019 — $425
Yes, $425 is not cheap. But Gaja Barbaresco at a steakhouse markup is almost always a rip — here it's priced with some restraint relative to what else is on this list, and it's one of the most complete bottles you can order. It's the move if you want Piedmont prestige without crossing into four-figure territory.
Egon Müller Scharzhofberger Riesling Kabinett 2020
At $295, this is the bottle most people at a Texas steakhouse will scroll right past. That's a mistake. Egon Müller makes some of the most precise, age-worthy Riesling on the planet, and Kabinett comes in lighter and more electric than you'd expect — a genuinely interesting contrast to a room full of big reds.
Dom Pérignon 2015
At $385, Dom Pérignon is priced about as aggressively as you'd expect in a fine dining setting, and it's a bottle you can find at retail for considerably less. If you want Champagne, push your server toward Krug — it's a more compelling bottle and a better use of your money in this room.
E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Landonne + Bone-in Filet Mignon
La Landonne is Syrah at its most muscular and savory — iron, dark olive, smoked meat — and it meets the bone-in filet exactly where it lives. The fat in the cut softens the wine's tannic grip and the wine gives the beef a layer of complexity that no sauce could replicate.
Monday — All bottles on the wine list are half price on Monday nights — one of the best recurring wine deals in Houston.
The Bottom Line
Pappas Bros. is one of the most serious wine programs in Texas, full stop — the depth is real, the sommeliers know the list cold, and Monday half-price night is the kind of deal you tell your friends about quietly so it doesn't get crowded. The markups on trophy bottles are what they are, but the overall program earns every bit of its Grand Award.
· Houston · Steakhouse
Perry's is a reliable steakhouse wine list — nothing that'll make you rethink your palate, but enough to drink well with red meat if you know where to look. The fortified and dessert wine section is genuinely worth your attention; the rest is competent but forgettable.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Montrose · Houston · French
The Marigold Club is Houston's most interesting new wine room for anyone who thinks Champagne is a food group and France is the only country that matters — in the best possible way. Go on a Sunday, order the Delamotte, eat the Duck Wellington, and tip generously.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Proper
Houston · Houston · American, Italian
Milton's is the kind of neighborhood trattoria that surprises you — the room says casual pasta night, the wine list quietly whispers Biondi-Santi. If you care about Italian wine and you're in Houston, it's worth a reservation just to explore the bottle list.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Montrose · Houston · Italian
Marmo is hiding a legitimately serious Italian wine program behind a piano bar and a plate of hand-rolled pasta — and that's exactly what makes it worth seeking out. Send a friend here if they think Houston Italian restaurants don't take wine seriously; this list will change their mind.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Downtown Houston · Houston · Mexican (Oaxacan)
Xochi is doing something genuinely rare: running a serious Mexican wine program inside a serious restaurant, with a sommelier who knows the material and a list that earns its Wine Spectator credential. Send your adventurous friends here and tell them to skip the Cab.
Surprising Depth
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Houston · Houston · Steak house
Taste of Texas is a Houston institution that takes its California Cabernet seriously — 30 years of Wine Spectator recognition backs that up. It's not a destination wine list, but if you're here for a steak and want a proper bottle to go with it, you won't leave disappointed.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Eagle Ranch · Vail · American
The Wild Sage is your dependable neighborhood spot in Eagle Ranch — the wine list won't blow your mind, but it won't embarrass you at dinner either. Watch the markups on the top-shelf Napa bottles and stick to the mid-range, and you'll be fine.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Waterfront · Traverse City · American
Warehouse Kitchen + Cork won't win any awards for depth or ambition, but it plays its hand honestly — fair prices, solid local representation, and a full by-the-glass program that respects your wallet. If you're in Traverse City and want a glass of something local with a water view, this works.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
West Truckee · Truckee · American
Sunnyside is a casual lodge restaurant wearing a serious wine list under its flannel — the markup is steep and it won't win any awards for staff expertise, but the producer lineup is legitimately impressive for where you're sitting. If you're already at the lake, this is absolutely worth ordering a real bottle.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
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