Wine List Reviews

For a wine bar inside a shopping mall in Abilene, this clears the bar more comfortably than you'd expect. Don't come looking for anything to geek out over, but if you want a decent glass and a charcuterie board mid-errand run, it delivers.

Cattleman's Exchange isn't a wine destination, but it's not a disaster either — it's a hotel steakhouse doing hotel steakhouse things. If you're in Abilene and need a Cab with your beef, you'll find something that works; just don't expect the list to surprise you.

Skip the wine, order the biscuits — but if you have to pick something, grab the Kendall-Jackson and call it a night. Red Lobster isn't trying to be a wine destination, and this list makes absolutely no effort to pretend otherwise.

Send a friend here for the Chicken Fried Steak and a cold beer — the wine list is a checkbox, not a destination. No one choosing Cheddar's in Abilene is coming for the Burgundy, and the list doesn't pretend otherwise.

Abuelo's isn't a wine destination and it has no interest in becoming one — the margaritas are the point and the wine list exists mostly as a formality. If you're committed to wine with your enchiladas, grab the Joel Gott and move on.

Beehive is a solid steakhouse that simply doesn't care about wine — and the list proves it. Order the ribeye, get a whiskey or a beer, and save the wine enthusiasm for somewhere that returns the favor.

The Mill isn't trying to challenge you — it's trying to make you feel good on a weeknight in Abilene, and it mostly succeeds. Fair prices, a comfortable space, and a half-price bottle Wednesday make it an easy neighborhood reliable worth knowing about.

Copper Creek is doing more with wine than most places in Abilene, and the wine room is a genuine effort — but the list reads like a distributor's top sellers sheet, and the markups on brands you can grab at H-E-B for $12 are hard to defend at these entree prices. Order by the glass, stick to Austin Hope if you're going bottles, and save the serious wine spend for somewhere that earned it.

Lagarde isn't trying to be a wine destination, and the list reflects that honestly — fair prices, familiar pours, and just enough interesting picks (Nebbiolo, Riesling, Albariño) to reward a curious diner. Come for the Cajun food, let the wine support the meal rather than headline it.

Elemental Spirits Co. is doing something genuinely rare in Atlanta: a small-format bottle shop with actual conviction behind every label. If you care about drinking something interesting — Jura oddities, Columbia Gorge naturals, old-world Loire — this shelf is worth the trip.

Günter Hans is a fantastic spot for beer, waffles, and atmosphere — the wine list is an afterthought wearing a Canyon Road uniform. Order a craft beer, enjoy every minute of the pretzel, and come back when they decide wine deserves the same love as everything else on the menu.

Campus Bar & Grill is a great place to watch a Mizzou game and drink a beer — and that's exactly what you should do. The wine program is an afterthought from a restaurant that has no interest in wine, and we respect the honesty of that even as we wave you toward the tap list.

Bleu is the kind of wine list that works well if you already know what you want and want it done properly. It's not pushing any boundaries, the markups are on the steeper side, and there's no real discovery to be had — but for a night out in Columbia, it's a solid, well-stocked option that won't let you down.

Outback Springfield isn't where you go to geek out on wine, and it doesn't pretend to be — the list is honest, the prices are reasonable for a chain sit-down, and the Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling alone is worth knowing about. If you're here for a steak and you want something decent in your glass, you'll be fine.

We wouldn't send anyone to Applebee's specifically for the wine, and we won't start now. If you're here, you're here for the food, the vibe, or the company — and that's perfectly fine. Just know that the wine list is purely incidental.

The markup is shockingly fair, but you're paying near-retail for wines you could grab at Walgreens on the way home. Order a cocktail, order a beer, and save the wine night for literally anywhere else.

LongHorn Springfield isn't a wine destination — but with markups this low and pours this affordable, it's one of the better casual chain options in Illinois for a simple red with a big steak. Send a friend here for dinner; just don't tell them to geek out over the list.

Olive Garden Springfield isn't a wine destination, but it's not a wine disaster either — fair markups, a couple of genuinely decent pours, and prices that won't sting. Order the Chianti Classico, enjoy your breadsticks, and don't overthink it.

Texas Roadhouse is not a wine destination — it's a steak and ribs destination with a wine list that exists because it has to. Order a beer or a cocktail and save the wine drinking for somewhere that cares.

If you're here for the seafood, the Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling has your back and the prices won't hurt. But calling this a wine bar sets an expectation the list can't come close to meeting — order your glass, enjoy the crab cakes, and don't think too hard about what's in the bottle.

Chesapeake Seafood House is a genuinely charming Springfield institution with a kitchen that earns its regulars — but the wine list is on autopilot and has been for a while. Order the Riesling, enjoy your prime rib, and save the serious wine drinking for somewhere else.

Nick & Nino's is the kind of place where the wine list exists to serve the occasion, not the other way around — and for a 30th-floor steakhouse in Springfield, that's not a condemnation. Come for the views and the beef, order the Emmolo, and don't overthink it.

Red Lobster is not a wine destination, and the Springfield location makes no pretense of being one. Order the Riesling, enjoy your Cheddar Bay Biscuits, and save the real wine conversation for somewhere else.

Cooper's Hawk Springfield is a well-run, fairly priced winery restaurant that delivers exactly what it promises — just don't expect anything outside the family. If you're dining with a group that wants wine without drama, the pricing alone makes it worth the stop.

Sophia's is doing more with wine than almost anywhere else in Columbia, and we'd happily send a friend here — with a warning to navigate carefully around the commodity wines and go straight for the reserve list. The ambition is real; the markup discipline just hasn't caught up yet.

Sycamore is doing something genuinely unusual in Columbia: running a tight, thoughtful wine list with real producers and fair prices, backed by someone on staff who knows what they're talking about. Come on a Wednesday and it's a no-brainer.

Chris McD's is doing more with wine than almost any restaurant in Columbia — 35 by-the-glass pours and some genuinely interesting cellar selections earn it real credibility. Markups run steep and the list leans heavily on California safe bets, but as a neighborhood wine bar that also happens to serve a good steak, it punches above its weight class.

La Margarita is a perfectly good Mexican restaurant that has simply decided wine is not its problem. Order a margarita, enjoy your chips, and leave the wine list alone.

Macaroni Grill's wine list is functional in the same way a vending machine is functional — it'll get you a drink, but nobody's excited about it. If wine matters to you even a little, you're better off at almost any independent Italian spot in the area.

BJ's is a brewpub, and the wine program knows it — it doesn't try very hard and doesn't need to. Show up on a Tuesday for half-off bottles if you must, but if wine is why you're going out tonight, go somewhere else.