The Beer's the Point — Wine's an Afterthought
Evansville · Evansville · American / Brewpub · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed July 6, 2026
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at BJ's Evansville reads exactly like you'd expect from a national brewpub chain — a laminated insert of greatest hits that could have been assembled by a grocery store buyer on a Tuesday afternoon. Meiomi, Kim Crawford, Kendall-Jackson: it's the Mount Rushmore of mass-market wine, and nobody here is pretending otherwise. If you came for the craft beer, you made the right call.
The list runs somewhere between 20 and 35 bottles, almost entirely California and New Zealand, with no real attempt to venture beyond the familiar. You've got Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Chardonnay as the lone nod toward prestige, sitting awkwardly next to Dark Horse and Apothic Red like a country club member who took a wrong turn. There are no natural wines, no old-world producers, no regional surprises — just the same bottles you'll find at every chain restaurant between here and Albuquerque. It gets the job done if your bar is set to 'wine exists on this menu.'
Eight to twelve pours are available, covering the usual suspects in red, white, and a rosé or two. The selection rotates very little, if at all — this is a 'set it and forget it' glass program that leans entirely on brand recognition over quality. Thursday's half-price wine night is genuinely the best reason to drink wine here, cutting already-moderate prices in half and making the math a lot more forgiving.
Meiomi Pinot Noir — $10.25/glass
At full price it's the priciest glass on the list, but on Thursday half-price night you're paying around $5 for a soft, fruit-forward Pinot that actually has some personality compared to the rest of the lineup. It's still a supermarket wine, but it's the best supermarket wine here.
Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Chardonnay
It's buried on a list full of grocery-store staples, but Stag's Leap is a Napa name with actual pedigree — if it's priced anywhere near the rest of the list, it represents a real step up in quality that most tables ordering Kendall-Jackson will never notice is sitting right next to it.
Kendall-Jackson Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay
At $9.25 a glass you're paying a 331% markup on a bottle that retails for $11.99. It's fine wine — inoffensive, oakey, mass-produced — but there is zero reason to order it here at full price when the Thursday half-off deal exists, and even then, there are better options on this short list.
Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc + Avocado Egg Rolls
Kim Crawford's zippy Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc — all grapefruit and cut grass — has enough acidity to slice through the creamy avocado filling and the tamarind dipping sauce without making everything taste flat. It's a genuinely functional pairing on an otherwise forgettable list.
Thursday — BJ's runs a system-wide half-off wine promotion on Thursdays, applying to both wine by the glass and bottles. Applies to the Evansville location barring any local opt-out.
❌ The Bottom Line
BJ's Evansville is a brewpub, full stop — the wine list is a courtesy offering for the table members who don't drink beer, not a destination in itself. If you're going, go on a Thursday, order the Meiomi or the Kim Crawford at half price, and let everyone else worry about the craft tap list.
West Side · Evansville · Italian-American / Pizza
Turoni's is a great neighborhood pizza spot that happens to have wine on the menu, not a wine destination that also serves pizza. Come for the food and the house-brewed beer; treat the $4.99 Lambrusco as a pleasant bonus, not the reason you're here.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Newburgh Road · Evansville · Italian-American / Pizza
Turoni's is a great pizza spot and a solid craft beer destination — the wine list is neither of those things. Order the Lambrusco if you're committed to the bit, then let the beer menu do the real work.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown · Evansville · Italian-American, Pizza, Brewpub
Turoni's is a great neighborhood pizza spot with a legitimate craft beer program — come for the pies and the pints, not the wine. If you need a glass of something, the $4.99 price tag makes it painless, but don't expect anything beyond the basics.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Eagle Crest · Evansville · American gastrobar
Bar Louie Evansville is a fine place to grab a beer or a cocktail — the wine list is an afterthought dressed up in a laminated menu. Come on a Thursday, order the rosé, and call it a win.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Occasional
Acceptable
East Side · Evansville · Casual steakhouse; American steak, ribs, chicken, and seafood
LongHorn's wine list is the dining equivalent of a screensaver — it's technically there, it moves occasionally, but nobody's really watching it. Come for the steak, order the La Crema if you want wine, and keep your expectations where the decor suggests they should be.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Evansville · Evansville · Japanese sushi and hibachi
Miyako is a perfectly good neighborhood Japanese spot that happens to have a wine list that peaked in 2004. Stick to sake, beer, or whatever cocktail they're mixing — the wine program is here in body only.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Lindale Mall area · Cedar Rapids · American / Brewpub
Granite City is a perfectly fine place to drink a pint brewed on-site — that's genuinely the move here. The wine list exists as a formality, not an invitation, and the markups on grocery-store bottles aren't doing anyone any favors.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Oyster Point / Jefferson Avenue · Newport News · American / Brewpub
BJ's is a craft beer destination that happens to sell wine, and the wine list reflects exactly that level of effort. Show up on a Tuesday, grab a half-price bottle of K-J Chardonnay or 14 Hands, and spend the rest of your energy on the deep dish pizza — that's the move here.
Grocery Store
Fair
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.