The New Northwestern Cocktail & Wine Bar
Historic bones, California pours, solid night out
Historic East Village · Des Moines · Fusion · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 13, 2026
Wingman Metrics
First Impression
Walking into a restored 1916 landmark in Des Moines' East Village, you expect a wine list with some personality — and The New Northwestern delivers just enough to keep things interesting without swinging for the fences. The list skews heavily California, which isn't a crime, but don't show up hunting for Burgundy or anything remotely left-field. Think of it as a solid cocktail bar that also takes wine seriously enough to offer flights.
Selection Deep Dive
The list is built around California and Paso Robles, anchored by names like Calcareous and Etude — recognizable, reliable, not exactly adventurous. The flight format is the smart move here: three-wine pours organized by varietal (Cabernet, Pinot Noir, and White Wine) let you taste across the range without committing to a full bottle. Gaps are obvious — no real European presence, nothing from the Pacific Northwest despite the name, and zero natural wine energy. What's here is competent and crowd-pleasing, but anyone looking for discovery will come up short.
By the Glass
The standard glass menu runs the basics — Cabernet, Chardonnay, Moscato — at $12 a pour, which is reasonable for Des Moines without being a steal. The real play is the flights, which give you access to wines like Etude Pinot Noir and Calcareous Syrah in small-format pours. Rotation doesn't appear to be a priority, so don't expect the list to look different next month.
Etude Pinot Noir (Pinot Flight) — $12
Etude is a serious Carneros producer that regularly retails above $30 a bottle. Getting it in a flight pour at this price point is the clearest value on the menu — drink this one first while your palate is fresh.
Calcareous Syrah (Cabernet Flight)
Most people ordering the Cabernet Flight sleep on the Syrah. Calcareous makes a genuinely good Paso Robles Syrah — darker, earthier, and more interesting than the Cab it's sandwiched between. Don't ignore it.
Moscato (by the glass)
At $12 a glass, Moscato is the weakest value proposition on the menu. It's low-alcohol, sweet, and not the kind of thing a wine-forward bar should be leading with. The flight options will serve you better at a similar price.
La Crema Sauvignon Blanc (White Wine Flight) + Charcuterie Board
La Crema's Sauvignon Blanc brings enough acidity and citrus snap to cut through cured meats and aged cheeses without overwhelming them. It's the kind of pairing that doesn't require explanation — it just works.
✔️ The Bottom Line
The New Northwestern is a genuinely pleasant place to drink wine in Des Moines, especially if you let the flights do the heavy lifting. It's not pushing any boundaries, but the setting is great, the pricing is fair, and Etude in a flight pour is hard to argue with.
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