Prime steaks, predictable pours, one great Wednesday
Northern Pueblo · Pueblo · Steakhouse · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 7, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Chop’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The list at Chop reads exactly like you'd expect from an upscale steakhouse inside a college — California-heavy, brand-forward, and built around names people recognize from the grocery store wine aisle. It's not trying to surprise you, and it doesn't. What it does do is give you a clear, no-fuss road map to drinking something halfway decent with your prime ribeye.
Twenty-one labels isn't much to work with, and Chop leans hard into the California greatest hits: Caymus, The Prisoner, Meiomi, Rodney Strong. There's no old-world representation worth mentioning and zero adventurousness — this is a domestic-centric list built for the 'I'll have the cab' crowd, which is honestly fine for the context. The pricing is where things get frustrating; markups are aggressive even before you account for the fact that most of these bottles are widely available at your local Total Beverage. The good news is that if you time it right, Wednesday changes the math entirely.
Six by-the-glass options is tight but workable for a room that's mostly here to eat a steak. At $9 a glass, the entry price is fair, though don't expect anything that'll make you put down your fork. The glass program feels like a supporting cast rather than a headliner — functional, not inspired.
Lapis Luna Zinfandel — $25
The lowest-priced bottle on the list and a solid, fruit-forward pour that actually fits the red-meat-heavy menu. On a Wednesday at half price, it's a $12.50 bottle of wine with a steak — you'd be silly to order anything else.
Rodney Strong Merlot
Everyone's reaching for the Caymus or The Prisoner, but the Rodney Strong Merlot at $31 is a sleeper. Soft tannins, approachable, and half the fanfare — it's the move if you want something that drinks above its sticker price without the markups the trophy bottles carry.
Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon 2022
At $80, you're paying steakhouse tax on one of the most recognizable — and widely available — California cabs on the market. And it's excluded from Wednesday's half-price deal, which tells you everything. Skip it, put that money toward your entree.
The Prisoner Red Blend + Sous vide top cut steak
The Prisoner's bold, jammy profile — Zinfandel-driven with Cabernet structure — holds up against the richness of a sous vide preparation without steamrolling it. It's an indulgent wine for an indulgent dish, and at $69 it still stings, but the combo works.
Wednesday — Half-price wine every Wednesday — 'Come uncork your Wednesday the Chop way.' Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon and The Prisoner Red Blend are excluded from the offer.
The Bottom Line
Chop is a perfectly decent steakhouse wine list in a city that isn't exactly drowning in options — nothing on here will blow your mind, but nothing will ruin your night either. Show up on a Wednesday and drink the Lapis Luna Zinfandel at half price while you eat your steak, and you'll leave happy.
North Side / Mall Area · Pueblo · Burger Restaurant
Red Robin is a burger chain and makes no apologies for it — the wine program exists only because it has to, and it shows at every level from selection to markup. Order a craft beer from their actual solid tap list and save the wine for somewhere that cares.
Grocery Store
Gouge
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Highway 50 / North Side · Pueblo · Seafood Chain
The wine program at Red Lobster Pueblo is not a wine program — it's a shelf of familiar labels selected by a committee in a boardroom somewhere. Drink the Matua with your shrimp, accept that this is a Cheddar Bay Biscuit establishment, and save the real wine for dinner somewhere else.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Pueblo Riverwalk / Downtown · Pueblo · American / Cocktail Bar
1129 is a genuinely fun riverwalk spot for burgers, green chile, and cocktails — but the wine program is essentially decorative. Order a cocktail, eat the empanadas, and save the wine nights for somewhere else.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
Pueblo Riverwalk / Downtown · Pueblo · Upscale Steakhouse
Twenty One Steak is the best wine program in Pueblo, which is a real thing worth saying out loud. The markups sting and the list plays it safe, but there are genuinely good bottles here if you know where to look — and for a special night on the riverwalk, it delivers.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Union Avenue Historic District · Pueblo · Authentic Italian
La Forchetta da Massi is exactly the kind of place the Wild Card badge was made for — a quiet, chef-driven Italian spot in a mid-sized Colorado city that's built an all-Italian wine list with genuine intention. It's not a deep cellar, but it's honest, focused, and worth seeking out if you're anywhere near Pueblo.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Greensboro · Steakhouse
Fleming's Greensboro is doing more than most chain steakhouses bother to do with wine — 42 by-the-glass options and actual Alsatian whites on a Greensboro wine list deserves acknowledgment. The markups are real and the list isn't going to surprise anyone who's been to a Fleming's before, but if you're eating a bone-in ribeye and want a proper glass without guesswork, this delivers.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Irvine · Steakhouse
Bourbon Steak Irvine is running one of the most ambitious wine programs in Orange County — 225 labels, 31 by the glass, and a list with genuine personality beyond the expected steakhouse anchors. Markups get steep at the top end, but the by-the-glass range at the $15–$32 tier offers real drinking at fair prices. If you care about what's in your glass, this list rewards the attention.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
· Irvine · Steakhouse
The Capital Grille Costa Mesa is exactly what it is: a well-run corporate steakhouse with a Champagne list that punches above the room's ambition and a Chardonnay section that covers the safe California bases reliably. Markups are steep throughout and the list doesn't take any risks, but if you know what you want — a glass of Hartford Court or a bottle of Schramsberg before your steak — you'll be fine. Just don't come looking for discovery.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
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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