Napa on parade, with the bill to match
Brookside · Kansas City · Steakhouse · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · March 26, 2026
RagingWine reviewed The Capital Grille’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list arrives looking like a leather-bound real estate prospectus, and flipping through it feels about as expensive. It's polished, organized, and immediately tells you that California Cabernet is the religion here — everything else is a supporting cast.
Three hundred to five hundred labels sounds impressive until you realize a good chunk of the real estate goes to Napa and Sonoma heavyweights you already know by name: Stag's Leap, Caymus Special Selection, Jordan, Opus One, Far Niente. Bordeaux and Burgundy show up with enough depth to give the list some Old World credibility, but they feel like guests rather than residents. If you're hunting for grower Champagne, natural wine, or anything from the Southern Hemisphere, keep hunting. This is a greatest-hits list designed to comfort a certain type of corporate expense account, and it does that job very well.
Twenty to thirty by-the-glass options is generous, and the Capital Grille keeps the quality level consistent with the bottle program — you're not getting poured off leftovers here. Rombauer Chardonnay almost certainly anchors the white side, which will delight half the table and bore the other half. Rotation appears minimal; this is a 'set and forget' program dressed in a sharp suit.
Bourgogne Maximum, Labour-Roi, 2009 — $30
At $30, this is the one honest deal hiding in a list that otherwise treats your wallet like a dry-aged ribeye. A village Burgundy for the price of a cocktail round is worth grabbing before someone at corporate notices.
Duckhorn Merlot
Everyone at a steakhouse table is fighting over the Cabernets, which means the Duckhorn Merlot gets ignored. That's a mistake — it's one of California's most consistent Merlots and it holds its own next to a bone-in filet without demanding the same attention or price premium.
Castello del Poggio, Piedmont, N.V.
A $15 retail bottle showing up at $44 on the menu is a 193% markup — and for a no-vintage Piedmont Moscato-style wine, that's just embarrassing. This is a filler bottle propped up by a fancy address. Skip it entirely.
Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon + Dry-aged bone-in ribeye
Stag's Leap Cab has the structure to stand up to the fat and char on a dry-aged bone-in without the raw tannin aggression of some Napa heavyweights. It's the classic steakhouse match for a reason, and here it's executed properly.
The Bottom Line
The Capital Grille delivers exactly what it promises — a deep, California-forward list served with competence and proper glassware — but it charges handsomely for that reliability, and the markups on entry-level bottles are hard to ignore. Send your friend here if they want a safe, well-run wine experience; send them somewhere else if they want a deal.
Kansas City · Kansas City · Italian
Osteria Il Centro punches well above its neighborhood bistro billing — this is a serious Italian wine list in a city that doesn't always get serious Italian wine lists. The markup stings and there's no sommelier to guide you through the depth, but if you know what you want or ask the right questions, you'll eat and drink very well here.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Proper
Crossroads / Westside border (Southwest Boulevard) · Kansas City · Spanish tapas / small plates
La Bodega is the Wild Card Kansas City didn't know it needed — a genuinely Spain-focused wine list with fair pricing and a half-price Monday that should be on everyone's weekly calendar. Send your friends here, especially on a Wednesday when the paella and a Rioja Reserva are waiting.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
Columbus Park / Downtown Fringe · Kansas City · Classic Italian-American
Garozzo's is a Kansas City institution, and the wine list knows its lane — Italian classics, middle-of-the-road pricing, and zero pretension. Send a friend here for the Spiedini and a Chianti; just don't send them expecting to discover anything new.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Brookside / East Brookside · Kansas City · Seafood-focused American / Oyster Bar
Earl's Premier is a wild card in the best possible way: a thoughtfully curated, seafood-focused wine list hiding in a Kansas City neighborhood spot. Send your oyster-loving friends here and tell them to start with bubbles.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Country Club Plaza · Kansas City · Seafood / Oyster Bar
Jax KC isn't trying to be a wine destination and doesn't need to be — but the list is smarter than the room might suggest, with a few genuine standouts that reward paying attention. Send a friend here for oysters and Sancerre, and tell them to skip the markups on anything California.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
Freight House / Crossroads · Kansas City · Italian
Lidia's is a reliable Italian wine destination with a focused list and real sommelier knowledge behind it — the markups sting on the entry-level bottles, but Wednesday half-price wine night changes the math entirely. If you're going any other night, aim high on the list where the value is better.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Seasonal Rotation
Proper
· Atlanta · Steakhouse
Il Premio is a steakhouse that took its wine list seriously enough to skip the obvious plays, and the result is one of the more interesting Italian-focused lists in Atlanta right now. It's compact, priced fairly across the board, and built for exploration — whether you're going glass by glass through the Italian regions or just need a solid bottle of Chianti Classico at $72 to make a steak dinner feel right. We'd send a friend here specifically for the wine.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Healdsburg · Steakhouse
Stark's is the rare steakhouse that treats wine as something other than an afterthought or a cash grab. The list is compact but genuinely considered, markups are fair across the board, and the full bottle-to-glass availability is a policy every restaurant should copy. If you're eating in Healdsburg and want to drink well without overpaying, this is a legitimate stop.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Albany · Albany · Steakhouse
Order by the glass and explore: the posted menu gives you Riesling, Chablis, Cahors and Rioja without a bottle commitment. Pentimento at $16 is our price-conscious red starting point. Check the current list before ordering; the complete cellar, service and storage haven't been independently verified.
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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