Indy's Old Guard Still Swings Big
Downtown Indianapolis · Indianapolis · American Steakhouse · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 7, 2026
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at St. Elmo lands like the restaurant itself — heavyweight, unapologetic, and dressed for the occasion. White tablecloths, tuxedoed servers, and a list pushing close to 1,000 bottles send a clear message: this place takes wine seriously. It's the kind of list you want to sit with for a few minutes before anyone brings bread.
California, France, and Italy are the three pillars here, and each one is built with intention. Napa is the star — Caymus, Silver Oak, Far Niente, Stag's Leap, Chateau Montelena, and Jordan all show up with serious depth across vintages. France punches in with Bordeaux royalty: Château Margaux, Château Latour, and Pétrus if your credit card can handle the weight. Italy holds its own with Sassicaia, Tignanello, and Barolo from Gaja and Giacomo Conterno — names that belong in any credible cellar program. The gaps are real though: if you're hunting Burgundy, Rhône, or anything from the Southern Hemisphere, you're going to feel the list's Old World-meets-Napa tunnel vision.
Twenty to thirty-five pours by the glass is a strong program for a steakhouse of this format, and the selection skews toward the crowd-pleasing Cabs and bold reds that make sense next to a strip steak. Rotation isn't aggressive — this feels more like a curated standing roster than a weekly-changing board. Still, the depth means you can drink well by the glass without committing to a full bottle.
Dominus Estate 2021 — $280
In a list where bottles routinely climb past $500, Dominus at $280 is the move. It's a Napa Cabernet-dominant blend from one of the valley's most consistent producers, and it belongs in the same conversation as bottles priced $150 higher on this very list.
Giacomo Conterno Barolo
Most tables here are locked onto Napa Cabs, which means the Conterno Barolo gets overlooked. That's a mistake. Conterno is one of Barolo's defining producers — traditional, age-worthy, complex — and it's a genuinely different experience from the California-heavy default mode of this list.
Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon 2022
At $225, you're paying a steep premium for a wine that retails widely and drinks more like a crowd-pleaser than a special-occasion bottle. With Dominus and Far Niente both on the list, there's no reason to land here.
Sassicaia 2020 + New York Strip
Sassicaia's Cabernet Sauvignon-forward Tuscan structure — grippy tannins, dark fruit, cedar — is built for red meat. The New York Strip's fat and char cut right through it. This is the kind of pairing that makes a $450 bottle feel earned.
Monday — Half-price wine bottles on Mondays — one of the better recurring wine deals in the city, and a legitimate reason to plan your week around a steakhouse dinner.
🔥 The Bottom Line
St. Elmo is the rare steakhouse that earns its Best of Award of Excellence without feeling like it's trying to impress anyone — the list is deep, the wines are real, and Monday half-price night is genuinely one of the best deals in Indianapolis. The markups can sting, but the bones of this program are excellent.
Downtown Indianapolis · Indianapolis · American Steakhouse
Prime 47 is a dependable, California-forward steakhouse list that earns its Wine Spectator Award of Excellence — not because it takes risks, but because it executes the classics reliably and keeps the Cabs flowing. Send a friend here if they want a good bottle with a great steak; just don't send them expecting to discover anything new.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
Indianapolis · Indianapolis · French, Japanese
Vida is the kind of wine program that makes you wish more mid-sized American cities had a Jared May running their lists — deep Burgundy, serious California, and a dining concept that actually justifies both. Yes, you'll pay for it, but this is a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence winner for real reasons.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Herron-Morton Place · Indianapolis · Fine-Casual American
Tinker Street is the wine list that Indianapolis shouldn't have yet somehow does — globally curious, genuinely deep in spots, and anchored by a few pours that would feel at home at a serious wine bar in any major city. The markups on entry-level bottles keep it from being a full Rager, but the ambition earns a trip.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
Mass Ave · Indianapolis · Southern, American, Brew Pub
The Eagle is a genuinely great place to eat fried chicken — the wine list, however, is an afterthought dressed up in a menu. Drink the beer, order the bubbles if you must, and save your wine curiosity for somewhere that reciprocates.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown · Indianapolis · New American
Cerulean is exactly what a serious restaurant in a mid-sized American city should be doing with wine — real producers, fair pours, a sommelier who actually knows the list. Send your friends here, especially if they're doing the tasting menu.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Downtown Indianapolis · Indianapolis · American Tavern
Pippin's Tavern is the rare Indianapolis neighborhood spot where the wine list actually makes you stop and look twice. It's not deep, it won't impress a collector, but it's curated with a point of view — and that counts for a lot in a tavern setting.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Hanes Mall / Strickland Rd · Winston Salem · American Steakhouse
Firebirds isn't trying to reinvent anything, and the wine list reflects that — it's a dependable, California-forward selection that does its job without embarrassing itself. If you want adventure, look elsewhere; if you want a solid bottle with a good steak in a comfortable room, this gets you there.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Jersey City Waterfront · Jersey City · American Steakhouse
Fire & Oak is a hotel steakhouse wine list that does exactly what it's supposed to do: make business travelers feel at home and move bottles that everyone recognizes. If you're expecting something beyond that, you're in the wrong restaurant.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Nob Hill / Van Ness Corridor · San Francisco · American Steakhouse
House of Prime Rib is one of San Francisco's great dining institutions and the wine list knows its assignment — California Cabs to drink with California beef, no fuss. It won't thrill anyone looking for adventure, but it won't embarrass anyone either, and for a night built around tableside carving and Yorkshire pudding, that's probably enough.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.