Downtown Colorado Springs Goes Full Wine Nerd
Downtown · Colorado Springs · Wine Bar · Visit Website ↗
Updated August 2026
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 3, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Vine & Wheel’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
A wine and cheese bar in downtown Colorado Springs sounds like a pleasant surprise, and Vine & Wheel mostly delivers on that premise. The list skews Italian with a curated, intentional feel — this isn't a place throwing 80 bottles at the wall and hoping something sticks. It's modest in size but shows actual taste, which counts for a lot in a market that usually just wants a Malbec and a charcuterie board.
The Italian focus here is real — you're seeing producers like Vietti on the list, which is a name that earns respect anywhere, not just in a downtown wine bar. The Montepoloso A Quo Red Blend signals some willingness to go beyond the obvious Tuscan checklist, and the Summer Wolf Gio Gio Freida Piccolo adds a playful, offbeat edge that suggests someone behind this list has actual opinions. Gaps exist — we don't have full visibility into depth across regions — but what surfaces is considered rather than lazy. For Colorado Springs, this is quietly ambitious.
We don't have full by-the-glass count data, but the wine bar format strongly implies a rotating glass program rather than a static printed list. If the bottle selection reflects any editorial point of view, the pours should too — though we'd push them to be more transparent about what's open on any given night.
Montepoloso A Quo Red Blend — Price unknown
Montepoloso makes wines from the Maremma coast of Tuscany that consistently punch above their price point — structured, earthy, and food-friendly. If it's hitting at a fair markup, it's the bottle to order, especially on a Wednesday or Thursday during the 4–6pm half-price window.
Summer Wolf Gio Gio Freida Piccolo
This isn't a label most people walk in knowing, and that's exactly the point. It's the kind of quirky, small-production selection that signals a list with a personality. Most tables will walk past it for something familiar — don't.
Vietti Barolo
Vietti is a legitimate, well-regarded Barolo producer — no complaints there. But Barolo at a wine bar without confirmed proper storage conditions, and without knowing the vintage or markup, is a gamble. Great wine, wrong context to roll the dice on a bottle that needs everything to go right.
Montepoloso A Quo Red Blend + Charcuterie Board
A Maremma-style red blend with a charcuterie board is almost too easy, but it works because it works — the savory, cured meat fat softens the wine's tannins and the wine cuts right back through the salt. Classic for a reason.
Wednesday–Thursday — 50% off wine bottles from 4pm–6pm
The Bottom Line
Vine & Wheel is doing something genuinely interesting for Colorado Springs — a focused, Italy-leaning list in a cheese-and-charcuterie setting, with a half-price bottle deal mid-week that makes it hard to argue with. It's not a deep cellar, but it's a place where someone clearly cared, and that's worth your time.
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
· Los Angeles · Wine Bar
Buvons is for people who already know what natural wine is and want nine well-chosen pours without a 50-page list getting in the way. If that's you, you'll feel right at home.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· San Jose · Wine Bar
Little Wine House is doing something genuinely rare: a small list that actually required thought, priced like someone who wants you to come back. If you're in San Jose and want a glass of something interesting without a lecture attached, this is your spot.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
John Wayne Airport – Terminal B · Santa Ana · Wine Bar
Vino Volo clears the airport bar bar by a comfortable margin — better-than-expected service, a list that at least tries, and a seat that makes a delay feel like less of a punishment. Just don't look too hard at the markup and you'll be fine.
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.
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