Beer Town, Wine's Just Along for the Ride
Downtown Telluride / Pine Street · Telluride · American / Brewpub
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 26, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Smugglers Union Restaurant & Brewery’s wine list and gave it The Lazy List — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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Wingman Metrics
You walk into Smugglers Union and the whole place screams beer — taps, pints, brewery merch. The wine list feels like an afterthought someone typed up between keg changes. Four wines, maybe five, and none of them are here to challenge you.
The list hits the obvious American marks: a Willamette Valley Pinot, a Sierra Foothills Cab, a Sonoma Coast Chard, and one Loire Sauvignon Blanc that suggests someone googled 'French wine' once. To their credit, the producers aren't embarrassing — Maison Noir's O.P.P. and Bloodroot are legitimate labels that show some taste. But four wines does not a wine program make, and there's nothing here for anyone who wants to explore beyond the predictable American-plus-one-France formula.
Everything on the list appears to pour by the glass in the $15–$17 range, which in Telluride's resort-town economy is standard — but at these prices you'd want more than four options. There's no rotation happening here, no seasonal swap, no sense that anyone's thinking about this beyond restocking the same bottles.
Maison Noir O.P.P. Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley — $68
O.P.P. (Other People's Pinot) is Anthony Bourdain's go-to of the Pinot world — bright, approachable, and actually fun to drink. At $68 it's the least painful bottle on the list and the one most likely to survive the evening without regret.
Les Chais Saint Laurent Sauvignon Blanc, Touraine, France
Nobody orders Touraine in a Colorado brewpub — which means this bottle sits quietly while everyone else grabs the Cab. Touraine Sauvignon Blanc is classic Loire: crisp, grassy, and built for exactly the kind of casual pub food they're serving here. Worth the reach.
Omen Cabernet Sauvignon, Sierra Foothills
At $77 a bottle in a brewpub, this is where the Telluride tourist markup really shows up. Omen is a fine, serviceable Cab — but it's widely available retail for well under $20. The math doesn't work in your favor.
Maison Noir O.P.P. Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley + Burger
A juicy pub burger needs something with enough fruit to keep up but enough acidity to cut through the fat. O.P.P. does both without overwhelming the food — it's the kind of Pinot that actually works at a picnic table, which is exactly the energy here.
❌ The Bottom Line
This is a brewery first, a restaurant second, and a wine destination never. If you want wine in Telluride, there are better places to spend $15 a glass — come here for the beer, order the burger, and let someone else handle the Pinot.
Mountain Village · Telluride · Contemporary American Mountain Cuisine
The Peak is a reliable, if unambitious, wine program that does its job — nobody leaves thirsty and the bottles are stored properly. Just don't come here expecting discovery; come expecting a decent glass of something familiar with a genuinely spectacular mountain backdrop.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
Downtown Telluride · Telluride · Cocktail bar with light bites
Liberty is a cocktail bar that accidentally has a wine list worth paying attention to — especially on Mondays when half-price bottles make even the steep markups forgive themselves. It's not a wine destination, but it's a wildly better option than you'd ever expect at 8,750 feet.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
Gondola Base / Downtown · Telluride · Barbecue and American Comfort Food
Oak isn't a wine destination — it's a BBQ and bourbon bar that happens to have a decent wine list and one of the best midweek wine deals in Telluride. If you're here on a Wednesday, order a bottle and consider yourself lucky.
Plays It Safe
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
On-Mountain (Top of Polar Queen Express) · Telluride · French-inspired alpine dining
Bon Vivant has no business being this interesting for a ski mountain lunch spot, and the all-French, all-by-the-glass format is a genuine swing. Markups are resort-level steep, but the curatorial effort earns it a pass — just order something you couldn't find at the hotel bar.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
On-Mountain (Lift 4 area) · Telluride · Mountain lodge / ski resort dining
Nobody expects a French-focused wine list at an on-mountain ski lodge, which is exactly why Gorrono Ranch earns a second look. The markups are real and there's no sommelier in sight, but the selection itself punches way above its surroundings — order the Cab Franc, skip the Champagne, and enjoy the view.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Mountain Village · Telluride · Contemporary American with Rocky Mountain influences
Altezza is a reliable resort wine list — not exciting, not gouging you into oblivion, just a dependable slate of familiar names with a killer alpine backdrop. If you're here for the views and the trout, the wine will hold its own.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Francis Scott Key Mall / Route 355 · Frederick · American / Brewpub
BJ's Frederick is a great spot if you're here for a craft pint and a Pizookie — and you should be. But the wine list exists purely as a formality, and we'd feel bad sending anyone here specifically for a glass of something interesting. Order the beer.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Loop 323 / South Tyler · Tyler · American / Brewpub
BJ's is a perfectly fine brewhouse with decent food and great beer — the wine program just has no business being the reason you show up. Order a craft pour, enjoy your Pizookie, and come back to wine somewhere that tried.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Evansville · Evansville · American / Brewpub
BJ's Evansville is a brewpub, full stop — the wine list is a courtesy offering for the table members who don't drink beer, not a destination in itself. If you're going, go on a Thursday, order the Meiomi or the Kim Crawford at half price, and let everyone else worry about the craft tap list.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
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