Hotel wine list that earns its keep
Old Town · Fort Collins · Modern American Brasserie · Visit Website ↗
Updated August 2026
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 1, 2026
RagingWine reviewed The Emporium: An American Brasserie’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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Wingman Metrics
The Emporium lives inside The Elizabeth Hotel, and the wine list dresses accordingly — polished, approachable, and just safe enough to keep everyone at the table happy. At 14 labels, it's not trying to be a wine destination, but it's not phoning it in either. You won't feel lost here, which is both the compliment and the caveat.
California dominates, as it does on roughly 80% of American brasserie lists — Napa Cab, Sonoma Chard, the usual suspects. France shows up with a Provence rosé and Champagne, Italy gets a seat with the Le Colture Prosecco, and Mendoza rounds out the international table with the Alta Vista Malbec. There's a nod to Colorado local producers by the glass, which is the list's most interesting move and the thing that actually makes it feel like it belongs in Fort Collins rather than any hotel lobby in the country. The gaps are real — no meaningful Burgundy depth, no Rhône reds to speak of, nothing that'll make a wine person lean forward.
All 14 labels pour by the glass, which means the BTG program is essentially the whole list — no hidden bottle-only treasures to chase down. Prices run $11–$20 a glass, which is reasonable for a hotel setting, and the daily happy hour drops everything to $8 from 3–5pm. That happy hour is legitimately good and worth timing your arrival around.
Alta Vista Malbec, Mendoza — $14/glass
Alta Vista is a reliable, well-made Mendoza producer, and $14 a glass for a structured Argentine Malbec in a hotel brasserie is genuinely fair. This is the move if you're skipping the California defaults.
Highlands 41 Cabernet Sauvignon, Paso Robles
Everyone at the table is reaching for the Caymus, and honestly, let them. The Highlands 41 Paso Cab at $15 a glass is quietly doing the same work — ripe, full, food-friendly — without the name-drop premium.
Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley
Caymus is everywhere, and it's everywhere for a reason — it's crowd-pleasing to a fault. But you're paying for the brand recognition here more than anything in the glass, and in a list this small, that's a skip.
Bieler Pere & Fils Rosé, Provence + Artisanal Flatbreads
A dry Provence rosé at $13 a glass is exactly what you want with flatbreads — enough acidity to cut through cheese and toppings, light enough not to compete. It's the easiest call on the menu.
Daily — Happy Hour wine (Red, White, Rosé) is $8/glass every day from 3pm–5pm
The Bottom Line
The Emporium isn't a wine destination, but it's a competent, fairly priced list that won't embarrass you on a date night or a business dinner. Come for the $8 happy hour pour, stay for the rotisserie chicken, and don't overthink it.
Old Town · Fort Collins · Vegetarian / Plant-Based American
Tasty Harmony is not a wine bar, and it doesn't try to be — but it charges fair prices, pours across the whole list by the glass, and assembles a short list that actually makes sense with plant-based food. If you're eating here, drink the wine; you won't regret it.
Small but Thoughtful
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Old Town · Fort Collins · Tex-Mex / Mexican
Rio Grande isn't a wine destination, and it knows it — but Wine Down Wednesdays with 50% off bottles is a legitimately good deal that earns it a second look. Bring your margarita crew, order the Malbec with your burrito, and call it a win.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
Fort Collins · Fort Collins · Steakhouse
The Still is a genuinely fun spot for whiskey and red meat, but the wine list is a clear afterthought — overpriced grocery store bottles with no story to tell. Order a pour from their whiskey program and save the wine night for somewhere that cares.
Grocery Store
Gouge
Basic Stemmed
MIA
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Fort Collins · Fort Collins · French-influenced bistro; seafood-focused
Bistro Nautile is a genuinely appealing restaurant let down by a wine list that plays it safe with familiar labels and then charges aggressively for the privilege. Drink by the glass, stick to the interesting outliers, and don't let the French bistro atmosphere talk you into a $68 bottle of Daou.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Occasional
Acceptable
Fort Collins · Fort Collins · Southwestern
Coyote's isn't a wine destination, and it doesn't pretend to be — but the pricing is fair, the Wednesday deal is genuinely excellent, and there's nothing actively wrong here. Show up on a Wednesday, order a bottle of Pinot Grigio for $19.50, and focus on the burrito.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
Fort Collins · Fort Collins · Casual Seafood Chain
Red Lobster isn't trying to be a wine destination and the list makes that abundantly clear — grab the Riesling, enjoy the biscuits, and don't come here expecting anything beyond the expected. If wine matters to your dinner, eat somewhere else.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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