Corporate Wine List, Nothing to See Here
South Campus / Near State Farm Center · Champaign · Casual American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 11, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Houlihan's Champaign’s wine list and gave it The Lazy List — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Houlihan's Champaign reads like the shelf at a gas station that got ambitious. You'll recognize every name here — Cupcake, Barefoot, Mirassou — because you've seen them all at your local Kroger. This is a corporate chain doing corporate chain things, and the wine program is no exception.
The list clocks in somewhere between 20 and 35 wines, which sounds reasonable until you realize the range spans from Barefoot Moscato to Kendall-Jackson and basically stops there. California and Washington dominate, with zero curiosity about anything beyond the most recognizable mass-market labels. There are no small producers, no interesting regions, and no sense that anyone curated this list with any intention beyond hitting the broadest possible audience. It's not offensive — it's just completely uninspired.
Eight to twelve pours by the glass, ranging from $7 to $14, which is actually where the story gets mildly interesting. The prices are low enough that the markups are almost reasonable, which is a backhanded compliment if there ever was one. Rotation appears nonexistent — this list feels like it was set once and hasn't been touched since.
Mirassou Pinot Noir — $9
At $9 a glass with a retail price around $12, the markup is slim by restaurant standards. It's not a great Pinot Noir, but it's a fair deal on a drinkable one, and that's about as good as it gets here.
Kendall-Jackson Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay
Nobody walks into Houlihan's looking for KJ, but at $9 a glass it's one of the more polished wines on the list. By the standards of this menu, it's practically a sleeper pick.
Ménage à Trois Red Blend
At $8 a glass, it feels cheap enough — but Ménage à Trois is sweet, soft, and designed for people who don't really want to taste wine. You can do better even within this limited lineup.
Blackstone Merlot + Stuffed Chicken Breast
Blackstone Merlot is round and low-friction, which makes it an easy match for a creamy stuffed chicken. Neither will challenge the other, and after a long game day near State Farm, sometimes that's exactly the point.
❌ The Bottom Line
Houlihan's wine list is the printed definition of 'set and forget' — fair prices on wines nobody should be excited about. Order a beer or a cocktail and call it a night.
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One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.