Classic cuts, classic pours, no surprises
Downtown Colorado Springs · Colorado Springs · Steakhouse · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed June 14, 2026
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Famous Steakhouse reads exactly like you'd expect from a Colorado Springs institution that's been doing this for decades — heavy on California heavyweights, light on adventure. It's comfortable, familiar, and built to move bottles without raising eyebrows. Nothing here is going to surprise you, and that's clearly the point.
With somewhere between 75 and 150 selections, the list skews hard toward California Cabernet and Chardonnay, with Napa Valley names doing most of the heavy lifting. Stag's Leap, Duckhorn, and Cakebread anchor the program — all respectable producers, but also the kind of names that show up on every steakhouse list from Denver to Dallas. There's a nod to Colorado producers, which we genuinely appreciate and wish they leaned into more, but it feels more like a footnote than a commitment. If you're hoping for Burgundy, Barolo, or anything from the Southern Hemisphere, manage your expectations now.
The by-the-glass program runs 10 to 20 options, which is a reasonable spread for a steakhouse of this size. Expect the usual suspects — a Cab, a Merlot, a Chardonnay — without much rotation or excitement. It gets the job done for a glass while you study the bottle list, but don't expect anything that'll make you put down the menu.
Duckhorn Merlot — null
Duckhorn Merlot is one of the most consistently over-delivered wines in its price bracket, and at a steakhouse it belongs alongside a New York strip without apology. It's the rare bottle on this list where the quality justifies reaching for it even at a restaurant markup.
Colorado Local Selection
Whatever Colorado producer makes the cut on this list is almost certainly getting overlooked by tables ordering the Napa staples — and that's a mistake. Colorado wine country has quietly gotten good, and a local bottle here is both the more interesting story and often the better value.
Cakebread Chardonnay
Cakebread is fine wine, but it is one of the most marked-up labels in the American steakhouse industrial complex. You're paying a serious premium for a name that's become shorthand for 'safe Chardonnay,' and this list almost certainly charges accordingly. There are better ways to spend that money here.
Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon + Prime Rib
Stag's Leap Cab has the structure and dark fruit to stand up to a thick prime rib without bullying it — the wine's tannins cut through the fat and the fruit holds its own against the beef. It's a classic combination executed at a place built specifically for it.
✔️ The Bottom Line
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.
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.