Beer Town, Wine's an Afterthought Here
Southlands · Aurora · American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · June 20, 2026
RagingWine reviewed BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse – Southlands’s wine list and gave it The Lazy List — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at BJ's Southlands reads exactly like what it is: a corporate beverage menu printed somewhere in a California headquarters and shipped to every location from Aurora to Albuquerque. There's nothing wrong with it in a catastrophic sense, but there's nothing right with it either. This place is a brewhouse, and the wine program knows it.
The list leans almost entirely on California mass-market staples — Kendall-Jackson, Josh Cellars, Apothic, Meiomi — with token Italian representation via Ecco Domani and La Marca Prosecco. There's a Washington State nod with 14 Hands, which is at least geographically interesting for Colorado, but these are all grocery-aisle names built for brand recognition, not discovery. Don't come looking for anything from Colorado's own wine country, anything old world with actual character, or a single producer who doesn't spend more on marketing than farming. The list exists to check a box, and it checks exactly that box.
By-the-glass options run somewhere in the 10–16 range based on BJ's national menu, which sounds decent until you realize they're all pulling from the same shallow pool of recognizable labels. Rotation appears nonexistent — this is a set-and-forget program with no seasonal adjustment. If you're here and committed to wine, you'll find something drinkable, but you won't find anything interesting.
J. Lohr Seven Oaks Cabernet Sauvignon — null
J. Lohr Seven Oaks is the one wine on this list that actually earns its place. It's a consistently well-made Paso Robles Cab with real structure and dark fruit backbone — genuinely better than most of its label-mates here. Pricing is unknown, but it's the pick if you're ordering red.
14 Hands Merlot
Nobody orders Merlot at a brewhouse, which is exactly why it might be sitting in better condition than anything else. Washington State Merlot gets written off constantly, and 14 Hands is approachable enough that it won't scare anyone off — a quiet upgrade over the Apothic crowd-pleaser sitting right next to it.
Apothic Red Blend
Apothic is engineered in a lab to be inoffensive to the maximum number of people, which means it's interesting to approximately zero of them. At chain restaurant markup, you're overpaying for a bottle that retails for under $10 at every grocery store in America. Hard pass.
Meiomi Pinot Noir + Avocado Egg Rolls
Meiomi is soft, slightly sweet, and fruit-forward enough to play well with the creamy avocado filling and the tamarind-cashew dipping sauce without fighting the dish. It's not a pairing that'll make you call your friends — but it works, and that's about as high as the bar gets here.
The Bottom Line
BJ's Southlands is a perfectly fine place to drink a craft beer, and we mean that sincerely — lean into the thing they actually care about. The wine list is a national chain template on autopilot, marked up past its worth, with zero local character and no sign of anyone tending the program with any intention.
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PH1315 is doing something genuinely interesting for Aurora — a tight, Italian-accented glass-only list at prices that don't insult you. It's not a destination wine bar, but it's the kind of neighborhood spot that makes you glad it exists.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Southlands · Aurora · New American / Wine Bar
Wine Experience Cafe is the kind of place that earns its name in a neighborhood where most restaurants don't try at all. It's not a destination list, but it's an honest one — and in a shopping center in Aurora, that's worth celebrating.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Aurora · Meadery Tasting Room
Dragon Meadery isn't a wine destination — it's something more interesting. If you send a friend here expecting Burgundy, they'll be lost; if you send them open-minded and curious, they'll probably come home with a bottle of something they've never tried before and can't stop talking about.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Occasional
Proper
· Aurora · Sinaloan / Mexican Seafood
Nobody walks into a Sinaloan seafood restaurant expecting Billecart-Salmon and Pieropan on the glass list, and that surprise is exactly what earns this place a Wild Card. If you're ordering from the sea side of the menu, the wine list here will actually help you — which is more than you can say for most restaurants twice the price point.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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Pita Central is here for the food, full stop — the wine list is an afterthought and everyone involved seems fine with that. Order a beer or a soft drink and save the wine for somewhere that cares.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Greenwood Village · Aurora · Urban Winery
InVINtions is a genuine neighborhood wine spot in a market that doesn't have enough of them — the staff enthusiasm and approachable format make it worth a visit even if we can't pin down every bottle. Go with an open mind and a friend who likes to try things; you'll leave happy.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Occasional
Acceptable
· Bellevue · American
13 Coins Bellevue earns its Wild Card badge by being a late-night diner that actually cares enough about wine to stock a geographically diverse list — not groundbreaking, but genuinely unexpected for the format. If Sunday happy hour is your move, this place becomes a legitimately fun spot to drink Washington wine over a Caesar salad at 11pm, which is a sentence we didn't think we'd be writing.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
· Newport News · American
Cheddar's is a casual comfort-food chain, and the wine list reflects exactly that level of ambition — none. Order a beer or a cocktail and save the wine conversation for somewhere that wants to have it.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Union Square · San Francisco · American
The Rotunda is a lunch experience first and a wine destination a distant second — the list is safe, the markup is real, and you're largely paying for the address and the atmosphere. Come for the crab salad and the occasion, order something bubbly, and don't go in expecting a serious wine program.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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