Montana Bar That Forgot Wine Was a Thing
West End · Billings · Bar / Steakhouse · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 5, 2026
RagingWine reviewed The Windmill Bar at Windmill & Bar 51’s wine list and gave it The Lazy List — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list here is less a list and more a footnote. When Canyon Road — a $6 grocery store bottle — is your headline act, that tells you everything you need to know about where wine ranks in the priorities of this place. This is a bar that cares about cold beer and a good pour of whiskey, and honestly, fair enough.
There's not much to dissect. The wine program appears to top out somewhere between 10 and 25 bottles, heavily leaning on California value-tier brands with Canyon Road anchoring the house pour. There's no regional exploration, no Montana-adjacent curiosity, no nod to the Pacific Northwest wineries a few states over that could actually excite someone. What's here reads like a default order from a broadline distributor — the wine equivalent of putting the same playlist on repeat for ten years.
You're looking at somewhere between four and eight glass pours, and Canyon Road is the reference point for the program's ceiling. The happy hour price of $5 a glass is the most interesting thing happening on this side of the menu. Don't expect rotation, don't expect variety — just expect something cold and cheap.
Canyon Road House Wine — $5
At happy hour pricing, this is honestly hard to argue with. It's not good wine, but it's cold, it's cheap, and it's exactly what it is. Order it for what it costs, not for what it is.
Canyon Road House Wine
There is no hidden gem here. The only wine we can confirm exists is the house pour, and calling it a gem would be a stretch. It's the whole list in one bottle.
Canyon Road House Wine
Outside of the $5 happy hour window, paying full price for a glass of Canyon Road at a steakhouse when you could be drinking literally anything else — a local craft beer, a whiskey — is a decision you'll quietly regret by the second course.
Canyon Road House Wine + House Steak
There's a certain honesty to drinking a $5 house red alongside a no-frills Montana steakhouse cut. It won't elevate the meal, but it won't pretend to either. Sometimes the pairing is just: simple food, simple wine, no drama.
The Bottom Line
The Windmill Bar is a neighborhood bar that happens to have wine on the menu — and that's the extent of the relationship. Come for the Montana bar atmosphere and the cold drinks; leave the wine expectations at the door.
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Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Billings · Billings · American Steakhouse and Grill
Jaker's is a perfectly fine place to drink wine with a steak in Billings — it's not trying to be anything more than that, and mostly it succeeds. If you're expecting discovery or value, temper your expectations; if you just want a solid Cab with your prime rib, you'll leave satisfied.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Scottsville Road Corridor · Bowling Green · Bar / Steakhouse
Montana Grille Bar is a reliable pour in a city that isn't exactly overrun with serious wine programs — you won't find anything that surprises you, but you won't get burned either. If you're ordering a Wagyu steak, Jordan or Stag's Leap will carry the night just fine.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Riverfront / Hall of Fame · Springfield · Bar / Steakhouse
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Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Occasional
Acceptable
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