Montana's Sweetest Wine List Swings Big
Downtown Billings · Bozeman · Upscale American and European-inspired fine dining · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 18, 2026
RagingWine reviewed TEN at the Northern Hotel’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Take Vibe Match and we’ll tell you what to order here.
Wingman Metrics
Walk into TEN and the white tablecloths and historic hotel bones tell you this place takes itself seriously — and the wine list follows suit, at least in one very specific direction. What we find is not a broad, sprawling cellar but a carefully curated dessert and fortified wine program that feels genuinely unusual for downtown Billings. It's a narrow lane, but TEN drives in it with conviction.
The list we can confirm leans almost entirely into the sweet and fortified category, and that's not a knock — it's actually a bold editorial choice for a steakhouse in Montana. You've got Château d'Yquem sitting at the top of the pyramid, Chateau Hallet as the more accessible Sauternes entry point, Anselmi's Garganega from Veneto, and Marenco's Brachetto from Piedmont rounding out the Italian side. Port lovers get Graham's and Sandeman Tawny options, and the Canadian Icewine from Jackson Triggs adds a curveball. What's missing — and conspicuously so — is visibility into the dry table wine program: no confirmed reds, whites, or sparklers with producers and prices to evaluate, which limits how far we can take this.
By-the-glass options are unconfirmed from available data, so we can't tell you what's on the pour list tonight or how often it rotates. For a fine dining room at this price point, we'd expect a proper glass program — but without specifics, we're not going to guess. Ask your server directly; that conversation alone will tell you a lot about where the staff's head is at.
Marenco Pineto Brachetto 2021 375ml — $48
At $48 for a half-bottle of Brachetto d'Acqui, this is the most accessible and fun pour on a list that otherwise skews expensive. It's lightly fizzy, low-alcohol, strawberry-forward, and practically made for dessert. A table-closer that won't break the bank.
Anselmi I Capitelli Garganega 2020 375ml
Most people at a Montana steakhouse aren't reaching for late-harvest Garganega from Veneto — and that's exactly why you should. Roberto Anselmi's I Capitelli is a genuinely serious dessert wine that flies under the radar outside of Italy-obsessed circles. Honeyed, with real acidity keeping it from going cloying. Worth the $120 ask if you share it.
Château d'Yquem Premier Cru Superieur Sauternes 2019
Look, d'Yquem is d'Yquem — it's one of the greatest dessert wines ever made. But at $898 with no retail baseline to check the markup against, you're paying a premium on top of a premium in a room where provenance and storage history are impossible to verify. Save this splurge for somewhere you can confirm the cellar conditions and the vintage has been properly cared for.
Chateau Hallet Sauternes 2020 375ml + Chef's seasonal small plates (foie gras or rich charcuterie)
Sauternes and foie gras is one of the few classic pairings that actually earns its cliché status. The Hallet is TEN's value-tier Sauternes at $60 for a half-bottle — a reasonable way to do the pairing right without committing to the d'Yquem price tag. If the seasonal menu leans into any fatty, rich small plate, this is your move.
🎲 The Bottom Line
TEN has the bones of a destination wine program — a historic room, fine dining ambition, and a genuinely interesting sweet wine selection — but the gaps in data around their dry table wine and glass pour program hold it back from a full endorsement. Come for the steaks, ask questions about the wine list, and consider letting dessert be your vinous highlight of the evening.
Unknown · Bozeman · Wine Bar
Blackbird Barside is doing something genuinely rare in Montana — a focused, knowledgeable wine program that respects Old World producers and doesn't gouge you for it. The daily 4:30–5:30 PM half-price window on select bottles is reason enough to rearrange your afternoon.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Active Program
Proper
Oak Street · Bozeman · American steakhouse with emphasis on bison and classic comfort food
Ted's Montana Grill isn't a wine destination, but it's not trying to be. The list is fair, the prices are reasonable, and the picks line up sensibly with what's coming out of the kitchen. Send a friend here for the bison — and tell them to order the Riesling.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
West Main · Bozeman · American Bar & Grill
Bay Bar & Grille isn't a wine destination — it's a neighborhood spot where the wine list quietly does its job better than expected. If you're in Bozeman and need a reliably solid glass with your burger or steak, you won't leave disappointed.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Bozeman · Bozeman · American steakhouse with bison specialties
Ted's Montana Grill is a reliable place to eat well and drink adequately — the wine list won't inspire you, but it won't embarrass you either. If you're here for the bison and want a bottle of Jordan to go with it, you're in good hands; if you're here for the wine program, you're in the wrong building.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown · Bozeman · Upscale French-influenced American, farm-to-table
Brigade is the kind of wine program that makes you reconsider your assumptions about what a Montana restaurant can pull off — a sommelier-driven list with real range and a few genuinely weird bottles worth seeking out. Prices run high, and there's no wine night to soften the blow, but if you're eating upstairs on Main Street, drink something interesting and expense the Napa Cab to someone else.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Greater Bozeman Area / West Yellowstone · Bozeman · Modern American, Gastropub-Style
Madison Crossing Lounge is exactly what a wine list in West Yellowstone should be — functional, inoffensive, and capable of keeping a table happy after a long day in the park. Don't come for the wine, but don't skip it either; a glass of Whispering Angel by the fire is a perfectly decent way to end the night.
Crowd Pleasers
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.