The Wine List Nobody Asked For
South Georgia / Soncy · Amarillo · American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · June 19, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Applebee's Grill + Bar’s wine list and gave it The Lazy List — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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Wingman Metrics
The wine list here is basically the bottom shelf of your local grocery store, laminated and handed to you with a basket of chips. When Sutter Home and Barefoot are your headliners, you already know what kind of night this is going to be. To Applebee's credit, at least nobody's pretending this is something it's not.
Ten to fifteen wines deep, entirely California-focused, and hitting every mass-production greatest hit: Sutter Home White Zinfandel, Barefoot Cabernet Sauvignon, Woodbridge Chardonnay. There's no regional exploration, no interesting producers, no attempt to surprise you. The list exists to check a box, not to make you think. If you're hoping for a hidden Napa gem or even a halfway interesting Central Coast Syrah, look elsewhere — this list stopped caring before it started.
Six to ten pours available by the glass, which sounds generous until you realize it's essentially the entire list. The upside is you're never cornered into a full bottle of something you're not sure about. The downside is that the ceiling here is Woodbridge Chardonnay, and that's also the floor.
Woodbridge Chardonnay — $7
At chain-restaurant prices, this is the least offensive pick on the list — cold, simple, and honestly fine if your main goal is washing down Bourbon Street Chicken without thinking too hard about what's in your glass.
Barefoot Cabernet Sauvignon
Not a gem in any traditional sense, but if you're eating riblets and want something red with a little body, this is your most functional option on the list. Low expectations, occasionally met.
Sutter Home White Zinfandel
It's 2024. Pink, sweet, and about as sophisticated as a wine cooler. Order the cocktail menu instead — you'll have more fun and fewer regrets.
Barefoot Cabernet Sauvignon + Riblets
Big, saucy, sticky riblets need something with enough sugar and fruit to hang with the BBQ glaze, and Barefoot Cab — soft tannins, jammy fruit, zero pretension — is exactly the right level of unpretentious for the job.
The Bottom Line
Send a friend here for wine? Only if they lost a bet. Order a margarita, enjoy the riblets, and save the wine night for somewhere that's actually trying.
Downtown Amarillo · Amarillo · Italian Steakhouse
Toscana is doing the most with wine in a city that doesn't ask much of its restaurants on that front. The markups sting and the list plays it relatively safe, but if you're eating in Downtown Amarillo and want a real wine experience, this is your spot.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
I-40 West · Amarillo · Southern / Country
Cracker Barrel is doing exactly what it set out to do — serve comfort food at highway speed — and wine is an afterthought by design. Come for the biscuits, skip the wine list entirely, and nobody gets hurt.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
MIA
Set & Forget
Acceptable
I-40 East · Amarillo · Southern / Country
Would we send a friend here for wine? Only if that friend had wronged us. Order the sweet tea, enjoy the rocking chairs, and revisit the wine question at your next stop.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
MIA
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown · Amarillo · New American / Fine Dining
OHMS is doing real cooking, and the wine list hasn't kept up — steep markups on grocery-store names don't match the ambition on the plate. Go for the duck confit, order a cocktail, and save the wine night for somewhere that's actually trying.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown · Amarillo · Cajun & Creole, Seafood
The Drunken Oyster is a genuinely fun place to drink wine with oysters in a city that doesn't offer a ton of alternatives — just go in knowing the markup is working against you on the bubbles. Stick to the still wines, order something from California, and let the French Quarter vibes do the rest.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown · Amarillo · American, Bar, Pizza, Pub
Georgia Street Taphouse isn't a wine destination, and it doesn't pretend to be — but for a pub in Amarillo, it gives you enough options at fair prices to have a genuinely good glass while you're there. Send a friend here if they want pizza and something drinkable; don't send them if wine is the main event.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Eagle Ranch · Vail · American
The Wild Sage is your dependable neighborhood spot in Eagle Ranch — the wine list won't blow your mind, but it won't embarrass you at dinner either. Watch the markups on the top-shelf Napa bottles and stick to the mid-range, and you'll be fine.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Waterfront · Traverse City · American
Warehouse Kitchen + Cork won't win any awards for depth or ambition, but it plays its hand honestly — fair prices, solid local representation, and a full by-the-glass program that respects your wallet. If you're in Traverse City and want a glass of something local with a water view, this works.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
West Truckee · Truckee · American
Sunnyside is a casual lodge restaurant wearing a serious wine list under its flannel — the markup is steep and it won't win any awards for staff expertise, but the producer lineup is legitimately impressive for where you're sitting. If you're already at the lake, this is absolutely worth ordering a real bottle.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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