Crowd-pleasing Italian comfort, wine included
Irvine Spectrum · Irvine · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed June 22, 2026
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at BRIO reads like a greatest hits album you've heard a hundred times — Santa Margherita, Meiomi, KJ Chard. It's comfortable, familiar, and purpose-built to sell bottles to a room full of people who came here for the pasta, not the Barolo. Nothing wrong with that, as long as you know what you're walking into.
The list leans on Italian-Californian staples with zero surprises and no ambition beyond broad appeal. Tuscany shows up via Ruffino Chianti Classico, Alto Adige gets a nod with Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio, and California fills the rest of the card with the usual suspects. There's no regional depth, no small producers, and no reason to spend time studying the list — you'll find what you expect and nothing more. The Italy-California split makes sense for the concept, but a little more effort here — even one off-menu Sicilian or a Friulian white — would go a long way.
Roughly 12-18 pours by the glass, which is a solid count for a casual Italian chain. The range covers the basics — a sparkling option in La Marca Prosecco, a light white in Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio, a red in Ruffino Chianti Classico, and California crowd-pleasers rounding it out. Rotation appears minimal; this list has the feel of something that gets reviewed annually if that.
Ruffino Chianti Classico — $38
Chianti Classico from a reliable Tuscan producer that actually matches the Italian-American menu. It's a straightforward bottle but won't embarrass itself next to the Pasta Napoletana, and the price sits at the reasonable end of BRIO's range.
La Marca Prosecco
Most people at BRIO are ordering Chardonnay or Pinot Noir on autopilot. The Prosecco is genuinely fun here — light, dry, and versatile enough to carry you through flatbreads and starters without the commitment of a heavier red or white. Order a glass before dinner and you might just keep going.
Kendall-Jackson Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay
A fine supermarket bottle that retails around $14-16. Whatever BRIO charges for it by the glass or bottle, you're paying a chain markup on top of a mass-production Chardonnay. There's no story here, no sense of place, and better options exist on the same list.
Ruffino Chianti Classico + Pasta Napoletana
Tomato-forward red sauce and Sangiovese are a classic combination for a reason — the wine's natural acidity cuts through the richness and mirrors the sauce's herbal, tangy profile. It's not a complex pairing, but it's the right call at this restaurant.
✔️ The Bottom Line
BRIO's wine list is exactly what it needs to be for a polished Italian chain — safe, accessible, and unlikely to offend anyone. Don't come here chasing discovery, but if you want a glass of Chianti with your pasta in a comfortable setting, it delivers.
Irvine Spectrum · Irvine · American bar & grill
Yard House is a legitimately great spot for a cold draft beer and some bar food with a crowd, but nobody should be coming here for the wine. The list is overpriced, underdeveloped, and exactly what a national chain thinks wine drinkers want — which is to say, not much at all.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Irvine Spectrum · Irvine · Asian-inspired Chinese
P.F. Chang's Irvine Spectrum is never going to be a wine destination, but it's not trying to be — and on Wine Wednesday, with half-price bottles all day, it earns its keep. Show up with a group, order the Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling at $15, and enjoy the lettuce wraps without overthinking it.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
The Market Place · Irvine · American (Eclectic, Global-Inspired)
The Cheesecake Factory wine list does exactly what it's designed to do: give a table of eight something recognizable to order without anyone getting weird about it. Just don't come here expecting discovery — come expecting Meiomi, and you'll leave fine.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Irvine Spectrum · Irvine · American (eclectic, global-inspired)
The Cheesecake Factory does a lot of things well — wine is not one of them. Order a cocktail, split something bubbly, or save the serious bottle for a restaurant that earned it.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
South Coast Metro · Irvine · Steakhouse
Mastro's Costa Mesa does exactly what it promises — a polished, deep, Napa-forward list in a room built for expense accounts and anniversaries. If you want value or discovery, you're at the wrong restaurant; if you want the definitive Orange County steakhouse wine experience done with genuine care, this delivers.
Solid Range
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
The Market Place · Irvine · American
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.
Grocery Store
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
West Toledo / Reynolds Corner · Toledo · Italian
There's one reason to come here for wine: Thursday. Half-price bottles on a standing weekly basis is a genuinely good deal, especially on the Santa Margherita. Any other night, the markups are steep and the list doesn't justify them.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
West Toledo/Monroe Street · Toledo · Italian
Carrabba's Toledo isn't a destination for wine — but it's not an embarrassment either. The Ruffino Chianti Classico alone earns its keep, and if you stick to the Italian side of the list, you'll drink reasonably well without drama.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
La Jolla · Chula Vista · Italian
Marisi is a reliable Italian wine list with genuine ambition hiding behind a steep markup structure — the producers are right, the regions are right, but you'll pay for the privilege. Go for the Produttori Barbaresco and the Pre-Phylloxera Barbera, and you'll leave satisfied.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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