Spain in the Rockies, No Passport Required
Downtown · Colorado Springs · Tapas · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 3, 2026
Wingman Metrics
Walking into a tapas spot in Colorado Springs and finding Godello, Mencía, and Pedro Ximénez on the list is not what we expected — and that's a very good thing. The list is tight at 40 bottles but reads like someone actually went to Spain, not just to a Spanish section at a big-box wine retailer. This is a focused program with a clear point of view.
The list leans hard into the Iberian Peninsula, with Galicia and Rioja doing the heavy lifting. You've got the A Telleira Godello representing the crisp, mineral whites of northwest Spain, and the Avancia Cuvée de O Mencía flying the flag for Galicia's red side — neither of which you'll find at your average steakhouse in this city. The Alto Horizonte Altitud and Villota Selvanevada Blanco fill out the depth nicely, and the inclusion of a Pedro Ximénez de Añada shows someone here understands dessert wine beyond 'port or nothing.' Rioja is well-represented but doesn't crowd out the more adventurous picks, which keeps the list feeling curated rather than corporate.
By-the-glass specifics weren't confirmed during our visit, so we can't give you a hard count — that's a gap worth asking about when you sit down. What we can say is that a list this Spain-focused should be rotating pours to match the tapas format; grazing calls for glass pours, not full bottles. If they're not already doing it, they should be.
A Telleira Godello — null
Godello from Galicia punches well above its typical price point — it's got the texture and minerality of a mid-range Burgundy but without the markup that word usually brings. Order it with anything from the sea on the menu and you'll wonder why you ever defaulted to Albariño.
Avancia Cuvée de O Mencía
Mencía is one of Spain's most underrated reds — floral, earthy, and lighter on its feet than Tempranillo, which makes it perfect for grazing through a tapas spread. Most tables will walk right past it for something they recognize. Don't be most tables.
Villota Selvanevada Blanco
Without confirmed pricing we can't call this a value trap for certain, but generic Rioja Blanco in this context is the least interesting thing on a list that has actual personality everywhere else. The Godello or the Mencía will do more for your evening.
Avancia Cuvée de O Mencía + Paella
TAPAteria is known for their paella, and a chilled-down Mencía — slightly cool, not cold — cuts through the saffron richness and complements the smoky, savory base without fighting the seafood or chorizo for attention. It's a Galician grape meeting a Spanish classic and it works.
🎲 The Bottom Line
TAPAteria is doing something genuinely uncommon in Colorado Springs: running a Spanish wine program that actually reflects Spain, not just a vague idea of it. If you want Cabernet with your tapas, you're at the wrong place — and that's exactly the point.
Broadmoor · Colorado Springs · Steakhouse and American
La Taverne is a well-run, properly staffed wine program inside one of Colorado's most storied resort properties — expect to pay for the privilege and the setting. If you stick to Jordan and Peter Michael and resist the siren call of the trophy bottles, you'll drink very well here.
Solid Range
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Broadmoor · Colorado Springs · Italian (Northern Italian, trattoria-style)
Ristorante del Lago is the rare resort restaurant where the wine program actually earns some respect — the Italian focus is real, the sommelier knows the list, and a few genuinely exciting bottles are hiding in there if you look past the marquee names. Just go in knowing you're paying Broadmoor prices, and order accordingly.
Solid Range
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Downtown Colorado Springs · Colorado Springs · Steakhouse
Famous Steakhouse is the dependable old hand — the wine list won't excite you, but it won't embarrass you either, and with a prime rib in front of you and a Stag's Leap in the glass, that's a perfectly decent Thursday night. Just don't come looking for discovery.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Manitou Springs · Colorado Springs · Mexican / Tex-Mex
Crystal Park Cantina is a genuinely fun spot for tacos and margaritas with a mountain view — lean into that and skip the wine entirely. The list is overpriced grocery store inventory with no ambition, and no amount of scenery changes that.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Manitou Springs · Colorado Springs · Upscale American, Contemporary Fine Dining
The Cliff House wine program is the dependable friend who always shows up dressed well — you know exactly what you're getting, and it's genuinely good, even if it never blows your mind. For a special occasion in the mountains, this is a comfortable, well-run room that will take care of you.
Solid Range
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Downtown / West Colorado · Colorado Springs · Fine Dining / Steak & Seafood
Pepper Tree is a reliable wine stop for what it is — a classic Colorado fine-dining room where the tableside Steak Diane is the main event and the wine list is a well-behaved supporting cast. Don't come here chasing discovery, but do come knowing you'll drink decently without drama.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Allentown · Buffalo · Tapas
Duende isn't trying to be a wine destination, and that's fine — the list is focused, the by-the-glass prices are genuinely fair, and it's all in service of a menu that actually makes you want to drink wine. Send a friend here? Yes, especially if they're willing to let the kitchen lead.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
New Hope · New Hope · Tapas
Nektar is the sleeper hit of the Delaware River Valley wine scene — a tapas spot in a tourist town that quietly stocks Clos Mogador and Biondi-Santi while everyone else is busy with the scenery. If you're driving through New Hope anyway, this is the stop that's actually worth making.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Downtown Reno · Reno · Tapas
Belleville is doing something genuinely unexpected in Reno — a thoughtful, internationally-ranging wine program with a sommelier and a house label, wrapped in a Parisian bar aesthetic that somehow doesn't feel like cosplay. Send your wine-curious friends here and tell them to ignore the casino district instinct to order a cocktail instead.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
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