Ruth's Chris Steak House - West Des Moines

The wine list at Ruth's Chris West Des Moines is exactly what you'd expect from a national steakhouse chain operating out of a 15,000-square-foot flagship — big, polished, and built to impress a certain kind of guest. Two to three hundred bottles sounds deep until you realize about half of it is Napa Cab and big-name California labels that your uncle already knows. It's a list designed to close deals, not spark curiosity.

Napa Valley dominates the conversation here, with Caymus Vineyards anchoring the California heavy-hitters — a reliable crowd-pleaser that also happens to be one of the most marked-up labels in American restaurants. There's some international presence, including an interesting outlier in the 2022 Lorenzo Mattoni Trebbiano from Umbria, which suggests someone on the purchasing side is at least glancing beyond the 101 corridor. But don't expect a deep Old World bench — the Italian and European sections feel like supporting cast, not co-stars. If you're hunting for Burgundy, Barolo, or anything remotely esoteric, this list will leave you a little cold.

Twenty to thirty by-the-glass options is genuinely solid for a steakhouse, and the range covers the basics competently — whites, reds, and likely a sparkling token or two. The problem is the pours skew toward recognizable commercial labels, which means you're paying a premium for brand familiarity rather than quality per dollar. Rotation doesn't appear to be a priority here; this is a set-it-and-forget-it glass program.