Des Moines Grown Up, Wine List Mostly Follows
West Des Moines · Des Moines · New American
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 13, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Prime And Providence’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Prime And Providence signals ambition — Napa, Burgundy, Bordeaux, Willamette Valley all represented, which is more than most West Des Moines restaurants bother with. It reads like a list that wants to be taken seriously, and in large part it earns that. The pricing, though, is going to test your patience depending on what you order.
With 150-300 bottles on the list, this is one of the deeper programs in greater Des Moines. The Old World and New World balance is genuine — Burgundy and Bordeaux sit alongside Willamette Valley Pinot and Napa Cab, which gives the list real range for a chef-driven American kitchen. There are some genuinely interesting finds in here, like the DeForville Dolcetto d'Alba and the Lucien Albrecht Crémant d'Alsace, which suggest someone with actual taste assembled this list rather than just copying from a distributor catalog. The gaps show up in everyday drinking — if you're not spending $50+, the options thin out quickly and the value story gets murky.
The by-the-glass program runs 12-20 options, which is a healthy pour count for this market. The problem is that the glass pours skew toward high-markup territory — a $9 glass of the Horologist Sauvignon Blanc or Mon Frere Pinot Noir looks accessible until you realize those retail for $18-20, meaning the math is working hard against you. If you're going glass-by-glass, you'd be better served splitting a bottle.
Lucien Albrecht Crémant d'Alsace Brut — $32
At $32 on the list against a $25 retail price, this is the closest thing to a fair deal on the menu. Crémant d'Alsace punches well above its weight in the bubbles category — traditional method, toasty and fresh — and it won't feel like you're getting dinged on the markup. Order this instead of whatever overpriced Champagne is lurking on the back pages.
DeForville Dolcetto D'Alba
Nobody at a steakhouse-adjacent New American is ordering Dolcetto, which is exactly why you should. This Piedmontese red is dark-fruited, earthy, and just different enough to make the table do a double take. At $32, the markup is aggressive relative to retail but it's a wine most guests will walk right past — their loss, your gain.
Horologist Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough New Zealand
Nine dollars sounds reasonable until you find out this retails for around $20, making it one of the steepest percentage markups on the list. It's a perfectly fine Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc but there's nothing special about it, and you're paying 350% over retail for the privilege of drinking something you could grab at your local wine shop on the way home.
DeForville Dolcetto D'Alba + Chef's featured protein dish
Dolcetto's natural acidity and grippy tannins make it a strong match for anything with fat and char — if Prime And Providence is running a duck or pork preparation, this is the move. It's the kind of pairing the kitchen would approve of, even if most tables never try it.
The Bottom Line
Prime And Providence has a wine list that's genuinely trying, and in Des Moines that matters — the depth and Old World presence put it ahead of most competition in the market. Just go in knowing the glass pours are a value trap and stick to the bottle list where the occasional deal actually hides.
Downtown Des Moines · Des Moines · American, Regional
Proudfoot & Bird is the kind of place where the room earns a star the wine list can't quite match — solid enough for a business dinner or a date night in a stunning space, but don't come expecting to find something you've never heard of. If you're in Des Moines and want a dependable glass in a beautiful room, it works.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Johnston · Des Moines · Wine bar / American
Louie's Johnston is exactly what a suburban wine bar should be — a big by-the-glass list, fair prices, and zero pretension. Send your friends here when they want to drink well without a side of attitude.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
Clive · Des Moines · Steakhouse & American
Club Car is a reliable steakhouse wine list doing exactly what it was built to do: keep Cab drinkers happy and nobody walking out complaining. Don't come here for discovery, but don't leave without ordering the Jordan.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Waukee · Des Moines · Japanese / Asian Fusion / Sushi
Wasabi Waukee is a genuinely good sushi restaurant that treats its wine list like an afterthought — familiar names, steep markups, and zero curiosity about what wines might actually sing alongside the food. Order the cocktails or sake instead, and save the wine discussion for somewhere that cares.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
Ingersoll / Grand · Des Moines · Contemporary American
Louie's Wine Dive is the kind of place Des Moines needs more of — a real wine program in a no-pretense room, with Tuesday half-price deals that make experimenting genuinely low-stakes. It's not a destination list, but it's absolutely a destination night.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
Clive · Des Moines · American, Brewpub
Granite City is a brewery that tolerates wine, and the list reflects that perfectly. Drink the beer — it's the whole point of being here.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Lake Geneva · New American
Turf. Kitchen + Tap looks like a solid resort wine program — broad enough geographically to suggest some genuine effort, casual enough in setting that nobody's going to quiz you on your order. We'd feel comfortable sending a friend here for a relaxed dinner with a decent glass of wine, but we'd stop short of calling it a destination for the list itself. Come for the views and the Choriqueso; the wine will take care of itself.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Sonoma · New American
El Dorado Kitchen isn't trying to be a wine destination, but it's set up squarely in one, and the list reflects that self-awareness. Fair pricing, smart local representation, a few genuinely interesting outliers, and the full list available by the glass make this a reliable stop for a well-poured evening in Sonoma. If you're after a deep cellar or something truly adventurous, look elsewhere — but if you want to drink well without stress, this delivers.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Atlanta · New American
Siren has a wine list that punches above its weight in a few key areas — particularly the by-the-glass whites and the Champagne bottle program — but the markup structure means you're spending real money to access it. If you're the kind of diner who wants to order Furmint on a Tuesday night in Atlanta, this is one of the few places that makes that possible, and that alone earns it a spot on the shortlist.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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