Wine Down Tuesday Can't Save This List
The Market Place · Irvine · American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · June 22, 2026
RagingWine reviewed BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse – The Market Place’s wine list and gave it The Lazy List — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Pull up the wine list at BJ's and you'll feel like you're scrolling the end cap at a Total Wine. The usual suspects are all here — Dark Horse, Apothic, Ecco Domani — and nothing is going to surprise you. This is a beer chain that sells wine because it has to, not because anyone in this building is particularly excited about it.
The list leans hard on California value brands and a handful of international crowd-pleasers, which is exactly what you'd expect from a corporate program built to offend no one. There's no regional depth, no interesting producers, and no sign that anyone curated this with anything more than a distributor's sales sheet. Italy shows up via Ecco Domani Pinot Grigio, which is about as adventurous as the list gets. If you came here hoping to find something from Paso Robles, the Rhône, or really anywhere with a story worth telling, you're going to be disappointed.
The by-the-glass program runs roughly 15–20 options, which sounds generous until you realize it's essentially the same labels in different formats. Pricing sits in the $7–$15 range on a normal night, which is reasonable for what you're getting. The real move is Wine Down Tuesday, when glass pours go half-price — at that point, a $7–$8 pour becomes genuinely hard to argue with.
Hess Select Chardonnay — $10
This one actually retails for more than BJ's charges on their takeout/delivery program, which means you're technically getting it below cost. It's a step above the Dark Horse tier — real fruit, a little structure — and at this price point it's the most honest pour on the list.
Hess Select Chardonnay
Most people reaching for white wine here are going to default to the Ecco Domani Pinot Grigio out of habit, but the Hess Select is the better bottle. Hess has actual estate vineyards in Napa and Monterey, and the Select tier punches above the grocery-store competition it's sitting next to on this list.
Apothic Red Winemaker's Blend
Apothic Red is built for people who want their wine to taste like a dessert — it's sweet, soft, and engineered for mass appeal. At $10 the markup is nearly nothing, so at least you're not getting ripped off, but life is short and there's a Hess Select on the same list.
Dark Horse Cabernet Sauvignon + Deep dish pizza
Dark Horse Cab is ripe, fruit-forward, and has enough body to hold up against the cheese and tomato weight of BJ's deep dish. It's not a sophisticated pairing — but neither is the setting, and that's fine. Sometimes you just want pizza and red wine and a big TV.
Tuesday — Wine Down Tuesday offers half-price wines by the glass and discounts on select bottles. Offers can vary by location and are subject to change; BJ's does not publish a specific list of included wines for this location.
The Bottom Line
BJ's wine program exists to check a box, and it does that adequately — especially on Tuesday when the prices get cut in half. Come here for the Pizookie and the craft beers; treat the wine list as a backup option, not a destination.
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Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
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Set & Forget
Acceptable
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The Winery is a reliable date-night pick for wine drinkers who want something beyond generic and don't mind paying for the atmosphere. We'd want more pricing transparency before calling it a destination, but as a polished local option in Irvine, it's doing the work.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Occasional
Proper
Irvine Spectrum · Irvine · Steakhouse / New American
Del Frisco's Grille is a reliable wine stop if you know what you're doing and keep expectations tuned to 'comfortable chain steakhouse' rather than 'serious wine destination.' The sommelier presence is real, the list is competent, and a few smart picks — particularly in the whites — reward guests who look past the Rombauer and Whispering Angel.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
· Irvine · New American / Gastropub
Bosscat is a solid spot for craft cocktails and a good time — the wine list just isn't the reason to come. If you're committed to wine, go Emmolo or Austin Hope and call it a night; everything else is paying a premium for the familiar.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Irvine · California / Casual
Tender Greens puts real care into its food, and that makes the wine list feel like an even bigger letdown — six bottles, no pricing transparency, and zero curiosity. Order the food, drink the water, and come back when they decide the wine program deserves the same attention as the salad.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Irvine · Burger / New American
Eureka built a genuinely solid burger-and-beer concept, and the wine list confirms they know exactly where their priorities lie. Come for the burgers, come for the beer — but if wine matters to you tonight, eat somewhere else.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Baltimore · American
Give the international and local sections a look before defaulting to Burgundy. Sula at $70 and Old Westminster at $90 offer different budget options. These are posted bottle prices, not guaranteed stock; confirm availability. This menu guide doesn't rate service or cellar conditions.
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Caroline's Café is not a wine destination, and it's not trying to be — the identical pricing across all five house labels makes that abundantly clear. If you're in Key West looking for something interesting in your glass, keep walking; if you just need a cold pour of Chardonnay with your lunch and aren't asking questions, $8 gets you there without drama.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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Noble Rot is the rare restaurant wine program that would hold up as a standalone wine bar — deep list, sharp staff, fair prices, and a view that makes the whole experience feel earned. Send your friends here. Send yourself here.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Seasonal Rotation
Proper
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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