California Cab Country, Even in Anchorage
Downtown · Anchorage · Upscale American Steakhouse · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · May 30, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Sullivan's Bar at Sullivan's Steakhouse’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Take Vibe Match and we’ll tell you what to order here.
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Sullivan's reads exactly like you'd expect from a national steakhouse chain — and that's not entirely a compliment. Napa Cabs line up like soldiers, a couple of Chardonnays stand at attention, and the Champagne section is a single line item. It's polished, confident, and completely predictable.
Sullivan's leans hard into California's greatest hits: Caymus, Silver Oak, Duckhorn, Jordan, DAOU, Rombauer, Cakebread — it's the Mount Rushmore of steakhouse wine, repeated at every Sullivan's from Anchorage to Nashville. There's some Old World representation and a few French Champagne options, but don't come looking for Burgundy, Barolo, or anything that might surprise you. The list does its job — it supports the beef — but it has zero curiosity. For a city as remote and interesting as Anchorage, you'd hope for at least one local or Pacific Northwest nod, but no luck.
Twelve to eighteen options by the glass is a respectable spread for a bar program, and the $12–$22 price range keeps things from feeling punitive. What you're getting is mostly the same California Cab and Chardonnay rotation you'll find on the bottle list, just poured in smaller quantities. There's no serious rotation happening here — this is a set-and-repeat program.
Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley — $90–$110 est.
Jordan consistently sits at the friendlier end of the Sonoma Cab price spectrum and delivers a more elegant, food-friendly profile than the bigger, bolder options on this list. At a steakhouse, that restraint next to a ribeye is exactly what you want.
DAOU Cabernet Sauvignon
DAOU gets overshadowed by the Caymus and Silver Oak names at every steakhouse table, but it's punching well above its price point — structured, dark-fruited, and built for red meat. Most diners walk right past it. Don't.
Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
At $195 on the list against a $90 retail price, you're paying a 117% markup for a bottle that's become more of a brand status symbol than a quality benchmark. The wine is fine — but you're buying the name, not the experience.
Duckhorn Cabernet Sauvignon + USDA Prime Bone-In Ribeye
Duckhorn's Cab has the structure and dark fruit to stand up to the fat and char on a bone-in ribeye without steamrolling the plate. It's the kind of pairing that reminds you why steakhouses exist in the first place.
Sunday — 50% off select bottles on Sundays in the bar. Reserve and cult labels are excluded, as are by-the-glass pours. Best move on this list — plan accordingly.
✔️ The Bottom Line
Sullivan's Bar is a reliable, if uninspired, wine program that does exactly what a national steakhouse chain needs it to do — and nothing more. Come on a Sunday, grab 50% off a bottle of Silver Oak, order the ribeye, and don't ask too many questions.
Downtown · Anchorage · New American
The Marx Brothers Café is the kind of place that makes you reconsider your assumptions about where serious wine lives. In a historic Anchorage bungalow, they've built a list that would hold its own in San Francisco — and that earns every bit of the Wild Card badge.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Downtown / G Street corridor · Anchorage · Wine Bar / Bistro
Crush earns its Wild Card badge not by being perfect, but by being genuinely surprising — a 600-bottle cellar and 40+ glass pours in Anchorage is an achievement worth acknowledging out loud. If you're passing through or living here, this is where you go when you actually care what's in your glass.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
Girdwood · Anchorage · Winery Restaurant / Taproom
Bear Creek Winery Loft earns its Wild Card badge honestly — it's not trying to be a serious wine destination and doesn't need to be. If you're in Girdwood and you skip this in favor of a hotel bar pour, you've made a mistake you'll regret when you're back home explaining why you didn't try the rhubarb wine made in Alaska.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown · Anchorage · Modern Mexican / Latin Fusion
Tequila 61° is a genuinely fun downtown Anchorage spot — but the wine list is not the reason to come. Order the tequila, drink the margaritas, and if someone at the table insists on wine, steer them toward the Pinot Grigio and move on.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Midtown · Anchorage · Brazilian Steakhouse (Churrascaria)
Texas de Brazil Anchorage is a reliable enough wine stop if you calibrate expectations to match the format — this is a chain steakhouse, not a wine destination, and the list behaves accordingly. Grab the Catena, eat a lot of picanha, and don't overthink it.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Midtown / Spenard · Anchorage · Mexican / Pub / Pizza
Bear Tooth Grill is a legitimately great spot for beer, margaritas, pizza, and a movie — the wine list is just a formality. Order a craft beer, skip the wine entirely, and you'll have a fantastic time.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
MIA
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown · Appleton · Upscale American Steakhouse
Vince Lombardi's wine list won't win any awards for creativity, but it's competent, well-suited to the menu, and it won't embarrass the kitchen. If you're here for a prime steak and a reliable bottle of Jordan, you'll leave happy — just don't come looking for discovery.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
West Downtown / Maple District · Evanston · Upscale American Steakhouse
The Barn does exactly what it sets out to do — deliver a no-fuss, big-red-forward wine list in a clubby, comfortable room. It's not a destination for wine lovers, but if you're coming for a serious steak and want something reliable in the glass, you'll leave satisfied.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown / Mizner Park area · Boca Raton · Upscale American Steakhouse
Morton's Boca Raton is a thoroughly competent steakhouse wine program that exists to lubricate expense accounts and anniversary dinners, not to challenge anyone's preconceptions about wine. Send a friend here if they want a reliable, well-executed Napa-heavy list — just don't send them expecting discovery.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Proper
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.