WineInk: What makes a great wine list?

If I have written it in this column once, I’ve written it a hundred times: Aspen is one of the great wine towns in America.

From a core group of devoted wine pros to a diverse collection of wine shops to a solid community of collectors, this town has it all. But perhaps most importantly, Aspen has a plethora of fine restaurants featuring outstanding wine lists that have been curated over the years by caring and dedicated sommeliers who procure and preserve wines that meet the desires of their discerning customers. There are a large city’s worth of fine wine lists in just a few blocks of this tiny town.  

But what makes a great wine list?

I was prompted to consider that question once again when I came across an article on the VinePair.com website that was cited by Alder Yarrow in the “What I’m reading this week” section of his Vinography.com blog. The well-written and well-researched story was by Rich Manning, who asked a geographically diverse group of 14 sommeliers, “What bottle is a ‘Green Flag’ when you see it on a wine list?” In other words, what is it that wine professionals are looking for when they peruse a wine list that will give them a warm and fuzzy feeling? What bottles or inclusions signal to them that the restaurant and the people who are in charge of the wine programs are paying attention to the details of their lists?

It is an interesting question, and one that has as much to do with the personality and character of the restaurant as anything else. Perfection is in the eye of the beholder, and some lists are very different but are equally special.

The undisputed “grandaddy-of-them-all” wine list here in Aspen is the “book” at Element 47 in The Little Nell hotel. It features over 20,000 bottles from 2,000+ selections from around the globe. This is a statement list with over 100 pages of fine wines. One could eat lunch and dinner at the Nell and order a different bottle of wine with each course, every day for more than two years, and still not exhaust their options. The list has been honored to receive Wine Spectator’s Grand Award each year since 1997 and is a two-time winner of The World of Fine Wine magazine’s “Best Hotel Wine List in The World.” There are four sommeliers whose sole (soul?) goal is to do nothing but keep the wine program in tip-top condition.

And yet, it’s not for everyone.

Recently, the French bistro, Petit Trois, opened in the Mollie Aspen with a wine list that featured right around a hundred selections chosen with input from partners and Master Sommeliers Dustin Wilson and Sabato Sagaria. The two-page list has wines that pair perfectly with the food and the casual, conversation-friendly vibe at Petit Trois. Bosq, the celebrated fine dining destination, features a rotating wine list under the supervision of Nick Heileman, general manager and wine director, the 2025 MICHELIN Guide Colorado Sommelier of the Year. With an ever-evolving list of just over 350 selections, their focus is on offering bottles that reflect the cuisine. Neither of these lists requires a degree in oenology or half an hour of concentration to navigate, and yet both meet the criteria of the restaurants they serve.

That holds for the Italian restaurants in Aspen, including Casa Tua, Ellina Aspen, Aosta, and Campo d’ Fiore, which boast lists with wines that are hand-selected from the Boot of Italy by experts in the region. If a celebration of the good life is on your agenda, then the Champagne list at Cache-Cache will provide you with many bottles of bubbles with refined elegance. The wine lists at Steakhouse No. 316 and Catch Steak are fat with the finest California cabernets and bottles from Bordeaux. And Matsuhisa not only has the best Sake and Shochu on their list, they also feature the world’s premier white Burgundy wines.

And that just scratches the surface of the diverse wine offerings available in the downtown core. But it makes the case that a great wine list is fully integrated with the character and cuisine of the restaurant it serves. Sure, selection and value play a role in making a list great. But it is the care and attention that the wine team puts into the program that defines excellence.

Which brings me back to Rich Manning’s Vinepair.com article about the “Green Flag” wines that the somms he surveyed were most excited by. Most were on the same page as I am that a great list requires attention to detail to be successful, but almost all went deeper, citing more obscure wines as their touchstones  

For example, Cassondra Bird, co-founder and beverage director, The Scout Wine Bar & Bottle Shop, Gresham, Oregon, said, “I’m looking to see bottles like a white Rioja, a Jura Savagnin, a nice Catarratto, or a choice Chasselas. Then I know they’ve taken the whole list seriously. I don’t want to see 11 Chardonnays.”

Houston-based sommelier Brittany Taylor from Rosie Cannonball picked a producer who is popular here on Aspen lists.

“For a high-end wine, my green flag is Domaine Dujac. It’s made by a solid and consistent winemaker whose wine truly showcases the terroir’s range throughout Grand Cru sites,” she shared.

Further afield, wine director Olivia Moran at New York’s Same Same Wine Bar went all the way to Mexico for her choice. “When I see Bichi, I know whoever is selecting is prioritizing integrity and character rather than geography. They’re selecting based on the wine itself, not how recognizable the region is. Always a good sign.”

And my favorite line in the article came from Orazio Campoli, Italian wine buyer, K&L Wine Merchants, Redwood City, CA, who said, “My specific green flag wine pick is Casa d’Ambra’s ‘Frassitelli,’ but any white wine from Ischia immediately signals a massive green flag. It points to a buyer willing to prioritize heroic viticulture and distinct terroir over commercial safety or familiarity.” Well said.

Yes, a great wine list is in the eye of the beholder. But we have many great lists to behold here.

You can find Rich Manning’s Vinepair story and other somm comments at:

 “We Asked 14 Sommeliers: What Bottle Is a Green Flag When You See It on a Wine List?”

vinepair.com/articles/wa-sommeliers-green-flag-bottles-on-wine-lists-2026