Tequila town with a Livermore wine surprise
Downtown Livermore · Livermore · Mexican · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 11, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Blue Agave Club’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
You're walking into a tequila bar that happens to care about where it lives. The wine list is short — 13 labels — but it leans hard into Livermore Valley producers, which is exactly the right call for a restaurant sitting in the middle of wine country. It's not trying to be a wine destination, and that honesty earns some respect.
The list is tight but coherent: Concannon, Wente, Murrieta's Well, and Hess all show up, giving you a genuine Livermore Valley tour alongside the enchiladas. There's a nod to broader California with Sonoma Cutrer and Bonterra, and the Due Terre Wines Rosé di Frappato is a genuinely unexpected choice that signals someone paid attention when building this list. Gaps are obvious — no bubbles worth getting excited about (Korbel is table wine territory), no depth in reds beyond the basics — but for a Mexican spot, the local-first approach is more than most competitors bother with. Don't come here expecting a deep cellar; do come expecting something honest.
Every single wine on the list is available by the glass, which means all 13 pours are accessible without committing to a bottle. That's a smart move for a tequila-forward room where most people are splitting flights, not bottles. Rotation appears minimal — this looks like a set list rather than a dynamic program — but the quality-per-dollar at the glass level is solid.
Murrieta's Well The Spur Merlot-Syrah — null
Murrieta's Well punches well above its restaurant price point — this Livermore blend is a legit wine from a serious estate, and ordering it here feels like getting insider access in your own backyard. Skip the Cab and go for this instead.
Due Terre Wines Rosé di Frappato
A Frappato-based rosé on a Mexican restaurant wine list in Livermore is the last thing you'd expect, and it's the most interesting bottle on the menu. It's light, slightly savory, and built for food — exactly what you want next to a plate of mole enchiladas.
Korbel Sparkling
Korbel is grocery store fizz dressed up in a restaurant setting. At any markup above $12 a glass, you're paying for convenience, not quality. Save the bubbles budget for somewhere that means it.
Due Terre Wines Rosé di Frappato + Mole Enchiladas
The Frappato rosé's earthy, slightly tart character stands up to the complexity of mole without competing with it — red fruit and savory undertones running parallel to the chile depth in the sauce. This is the pairing that justifies the whole list.
The Bottom Line
Blue Agave Club is first and foremost a tequila destination, but the wine list earns its place by betting on local Livermore producers and sneaking in a wild card or two. If you're eating here and skipping the wine entirely, you're missing a cheap way to drink well in wine country.
· Livermore · Wine lounge / live music
Almost Famous is a genuinely local wine lounge with a genuinely short list, and that's not a criticism — it's a commitment. If you live in the Livermore Valley and want to drink local without a lot of fuss, this is your spot. The pricing is honest, the wines are real, and the Cab Franc alone is worth a visit.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Livermore · Italian
Pasta's Trattoria won't blow any wine nerds away, but it's a genuinely solid neighborhood Italian spot that takes its wine seriously enough to make dinner feel complete. If you're in Pleasanton and want a reliable glass with your risotto, you won't be disappointed.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
· Livermore · Italian / Sports Bar
Range Cafe isn't destination wine drinking, but it's a better list than a bocce club has any business running — just don't come looking for adventure outside the California Cabernet universe. Order the Zin, skip the trophy bottles, and focus on the game.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Livermore · Cocktail Bar / Small Plates
Le Nocturne is a genuinely fun room with a French menu that deserves a better wine list than what the concept seems to prioritize — the atmosphere earns it Wild Card status because the potential is real, but until the wine program matches the culinary ambition, order a cocktail and come back when they figure it out. If you're going for wine, go informed and go with a bottle.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Livermore · New American / Gastropub
Rebel Kitchen's wine list doesn't rebel against anything — it's eleven safe bottles with steep markups in a region that's literally surrounded by wineries. Order a cocktail, which is clearly what they actually care about.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Livermore · Cocktail Bar / New American
Black Cat is a Wild Card in the best way: it's a buzzy cocktail bar that actually thought about its wine program, sits in genuine wine country, and throws in a no-corkage Thursday deal that most full wine bars would never offer. We'd send a friend here — and we'd tell them to bring a bottle from down the road.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
Oakhurst · Atlanta · Mexican
A short, easygoing list of eleven wines and a $7 house pour, with ten of the eleven at $8 or $9 a glass. Order the Anciano No5 Crianza Rioja at $9, or the Viña Brujanda Tempranillo at $8 if you want to spend less, and confirm current prices since the list is undated. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Bell Tower Shops / South Fort Myers · Fort Myers · Mexican
A compact 13-wine list for a Mexican restaurant, with half-off wine by the glass at the bar on posted days. Start with the Marqués de Cáceres Rosé at 8 | 28, or the Catena Malbec at 10 | 37 if you want a red, and ask which number is the glass. Wine prices are posted without units and the menu is undated, so confirm what the Fort Myers bar is pouring. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
River North · Chicago · Mexican
Start with the $12 Kesseler 'R' Riesling Kabinett next to the ceviche, then move to a Valle de Guadalupe red like the $14 Aborigen 'Incógnito' if you want something you won't find on the next table. Confirm current prices, because the wine list's pages are dated from October 2025 to April 2026. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list and glass menu, not service, storage or markups.
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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