Chain Wine At Chain Prices, Chain Expectations
North Avenue · Grand Junction · American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 17, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Applebee's Grill + Bar – Grand Junction’s wine list and gave it The Lazy List — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Take Vibe Match and we’ll tell you what to order here.
Wingman Metrics
The wine list here is essentially a shelf pull from your nearest supermarket — Barefoot, Ecco Domani, Clos du Bois, Robert Mondavi Private Select. There's no mystery, no surprise, and no ambition. What you see is exactly what you get, and what you get is a chain doing chain things.
The list is purely domestic and built for frictionless ordering — the kind of wines people already know from grocery runs, not from actual exploration. Cabernet, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Merlot — the four horsemen of the casual dining apocalypse. There's no regional Colorado representation, no Old World anchor, and no variety beyond the broadest possible crowd-pleasing categories. If you showed up hoping for something interesting, you took a wrong turn.
Glass pours run $6.99 to $8.49, which is honestly the most defensible thing about this wine program. The selection rotates exactly never — the same familiar names are always on the board. Count on four to six options max, all of them safe, none of them exciting.
Robert Mondavi Private Select Cabernet Sauvignon — $8.49
It's not exciting, but Mondavi Private Select is a competently made wine and the price is hard to argue with if you're splitting a pitcher and need something red in your glass.
Ecco Domani Pinot Grigio
Nobody orders Pinot Grigio at Applebee's on purpose, but on a warm Grand Junction patio with a basket of boneless wings, it's light, cold, and unoffensive in all the right ways. Low bar, cleared.
Barefoot Chardonnay
This is a $7 bottle at Walmart. Even at $6.99 a glass it feels like a bad deal. There's no world in which Barefoot Chard is the move.
Clos du Bois Chardonnay + Riblets
Clos du Bois Chardonnay has enough residual sweetness and oak to stand up to sticky barbecue sauce without completely falling apart. It's not a pairing worth writing home about, but it works better than anything else on this list with the riblets.
❌ The Bottom Line
We're not here to pile on a chain restaurant — Applebee's knows exactly what it is. But if wine matters to you even a little, order a cocktail and save your wine night for somewhere that's actually trying.
Mesa Mall / Rimrock Avenue · Grand Junction · Italian Chain
The wine list at Olive Garden Grand Junction is a corporate afterthought dressed up in Italian branding — fair prices save it from being a total disaster, but there's no ambition, no discovery, and no reason to think hard about what you order. Stick with the Chianti, enjoy the breadsticks, and save your wine curiosity for somewhere that earned it.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
North Avenue / Highway 6 & 50 Junction · Grand Junction · Steakhouse
Outback Grand Junction isn't a wine destination — it was never trying to be — but the list is priced fairly, built around dependable producers, and broad enough that you won't be stuck ordering blind. Send a friend here for dinner? Yes. Send them specifically for the wine list? No, but they won't suffer.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Mesa Mall / Rimrock Avenue · Grand Junction · Steakhouse
The wine program at Texas Roadhouse Grand Junction exists to check a box, not to enhance your dinner. Order the steak, eat the bread, and if you need wine, grab the Cab — but don't come here expecting anyone to care about what's in your glass.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
MIA
Set & Forget
Acceptable
North Avenue Corridor · Grand Junction · Steakhouse / American
Wendy's GJ Chop House cooks a solid steak, but the wine list is an afterthought dressed up with a 300% markup. Order your bourbon neat and save the wine budget for somewhere that cares.
Grocery Store
Gouge
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Patterson Road / Medical Center Area · Grand Junction · Gastropub / American
Come for the beer — seriously, come for the beer. The wine list is eight grocery-store bottles propped up by a Wednesday half-price deal that's the only real argument for ordering wine here at all.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
North Avenue Corridor · Grand Junction · Mexican
Tequila's is a solid neighborhood Mexican spot that simply doesn't care about wine, and that's fine — the margaritas are probably doing heavy lifting anyway. Come for the tacos, skip the wine list, and don't let the four Sutter Home options talk you out of a good time.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
MIA
Set & Forget
Acceptable
River Parkway / downtown riverfront · Idaho Falls · American
Copper Rill isn't going to blow anyone's mind, but for a riverfront dinner in Idaho Falls, the wine list is honest, fairly priced, and has at least two or three bottles worth caring about. Send a friend here for the Lan Crianza and the river view — just don't expect anyone behind the bar to geek out with you about it.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Bethesda · Bethesda · American
This is a wine list for people who aren't really thinking about wine, and there's no shame in ordering a cocktail instead. If you're staying at the hotel, grab a glass at the bar and call it a night — just don't expect the list to reward any real attention.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Friendship Heights / Chevy Chase · Bethesda · American
Clyde's isn't a wine destination, but it's not trying to be — and the Monday half-price bottle deal genuinely redeems a list that would otherwise be hard to recommend at full price. Come for the vibe, come back on a Monday.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.