Margaritas Are the Move Here
Riverside · Riverside · Casual Tex-Mex / Fresh-Mex · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed June 24, 2026
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Chevys Riverside is an afterthought dressed up in a laminated menu sleeve. You flip past it fast because your eyes are already on the frozen margarita section — and honestly, that's the correct instinct. This is a chain that built its identity around a bar program, and the wine list exists to satisfy exactly one guest: the one who doesn't drink anything else.
We're looking at somewhere between 10 and 20 labels, almost entirely California mass-market bottlings you'd recognize from a grocery store endcap. Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi, Sutter Home, Barefoot — these are brands that move volume at Costco, not wines that earn a second glass at dinner. There's no regional exploration, no small producer, no reason to feel like anyone curated this beyond checking a box. If you're hoping for a Baja coastal white to match the food's spirit, keep hoping.
Four to eight pours available by the glass, ranging from $7 to $11, which is about the only thing working in this list's favor — pricing is honest for what you're getting. Rotation appears nonexistent; these are permanent fixtures on a set-and-forget program with no seasonal thinking behind them.
Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi Chardonnay — $9
It's the least offensive option on the list and, at around $9 a glass, you're not overpaying for what it is. Light, inoffensive, and cold enough to survive a plate of fajitas. That's the ceiling here, and it clears the bar.
Barefoot Moscato
Nobody orders this with tacos, but the low alcohol and residual sweetness actually temper spicy salsa and the salt-forward chips-and-guac better than you'd expect. It's not a serious wine — but in this context, it quietly does a job.
Sutter Home White Zinfandel
There is no version of this dinner where White Zinfandel is the right call. It clocks in sweet, thin, and pink in a way that serves no one at a Tex-Mex table. Order the horchata instead — it's made fresh and will actually make you happy.
Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi Chardonnay + Tableside Guacamole
The Chardonnay's neutral fruit and soft acidity won't fight the avocado, lime, and cilantro. It's not a revelation — it's a détente. Sometimes that's enough.
❌ The Bottom Line
Come to Chevys Riverside for the fajitas, the tableside guac, and absolutely the margaritas — the wine list is there for completeness, not conviction. If wine is your priority tonight, this is the wrong zip code.
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