Beer Country. The Wine Didn't Get the Memo.
Oyster Point / Jefferson Avenue · Newport News · American / Brewpub · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed June 30, 2026
Wingman Metrics
You open the menu at BJ's and the wine list reads like the shelf talker section of a mid-range grocery store — Apothic, Dark Horse, Ecco Domani, all present and accounted for. This is a beer restaurant, full stop, and the wine program makes absolutely no effort to pretend otherwise. That said, the prices are shockingly close to retail, which at least keeps the insult light.
Twenty to thirty-five bottles deep and every single one of them is a brand you've seen at Costco or Total Wine. The California value tier is fully represented — Robert Mondavi Private Selection, Kendall-Jackson Vintner's Reserve, Josh Cellars, 14 Hands — but there's nothing from outside the U.S., nothing with any age on it, and zero indication that anyone with wine knowledge touched this list. It's a corporate wine menu built for volume and brand recognition, not discovery. Gaps? Everywhere — no rosé worth mentioning, no sparkling, no old world presence whatsoever.
Eight to fourteen pours available, all pulling from the same grocery-brand roster on the bottle list. Don't expect rotation or anything seasonal — what's on the menu is what's on the menu, and it's been that way for a while. The Tuesday half-price bottle deal is the only real reason to engage with this wine program at all.
Kendall-Jackson Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay — $10.25
On a Tuesday, this comes down to around five bucks a glass poured from a half-price bottle. K-J Vintner's Reserve is a workhorse Chardonnay that retails for under $14 — reliable, clean, and actually pleasant with the creamy pastas on the menu. At that price, it's hard to argue.
14 Hands Hot To Trot Red Blend
Nobody orders this because the name sounds like a novelty, but 14 Hands makes an approachable, fruit-forward red blend that holds its own next to BJ's heavier BBQ dishes. At $9.25, it's flying completely under the radar on a list full of more recognizable names.
Dark Horse Cabernet Sauvignon
At $8.75 a glass, you're paying nearly the same as the retail bottle price — which is $8.99. The per-glass markup is effectively 97% before you've even ordered a second round. Dark Horse Cab is a fine $9 bottle at home; it's not a fine $9 glass at a restaurant.
Apothic Red Winemaker's Blend + BBQ Ribs
Apothic Red is sweet, jammy, and low on tannin — which makes it one of the few wines on this list that actually plays well with sticky, sauce-heavy BBQ ribs rather than fighting them. It's not a sophisticated pairing, but it works in exactly the context you're in.
Tuesday — Half off select bottles of wine every Tuesday as part of BJ's national daily specials program. Applies to bottled wine only — glass pours not explicitly included. Best deal on the list by a wide margin.
❌ The Bottom Line
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.
Oyster Point / Jefferson Avenue · Newport News · Asian-American, Chinese
P.F. Chang's Newport News is not a wine destination — it's a chain restaurant with a corporate wine list designed to sell recognizable labels at comfortable margins. Come for the Lettuce Wraps and the Wednesday half-price bottles if you must, but don't come expecting anything interesting in the glass.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
Oyster Point / Jefferson Avenue · Newport News · Steakhouse / Roadhouse
Logan's Roadhouse is a beer-and-bourbon operation that happens to list six wines as an afterthought — and it shows. Order the steak, order the ribs, order a cold draft; just don't come here expecting the wine list to do any heavy lifting.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Oyster Point / Jefferson Avenue · Newport News · American Steakhouse
LongHorn Newport News isn't a wine destination — it's a steakhouse where wine is an afterthought, priced to extract margin rather than reward curiosity. Order the ribeye, pick the least-bad bottle, and don't expect anyone at the table to talk about what's in the glass.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Oyster Point / Jefferson Avenue · Newport News · American, gourmet burgers
Red Robin is here to sell you bottomless fries and a good time, not wine — and the list reflects exactly that level of effort. Grab a craft beer or a soda, save your wine spend for literally anywhere else.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
MIA
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Oyster Point / Jefferson Avenue · Newport News · Tex-Mex and American Casual Dining
There is no wine program here, just wine-shaped options on a chain restaurant menu with markups that would make your eyes water if you checked the retail shelf. Order the margarita — it's what Chili's actually does well.
Grocery Store
Gouge
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Oyster Point / Jefferson Avenue · Newport News · American / Casual Dining
Ruby Tuesday's wine program is an afterthought dressed up as a menu section — two Canyon Road pours do not a wine experience make. Order a cocktail, grab a beer, or just accept that wine was never the point here.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.