The Steak's The Star, Not The Wine
North Lakeland · Lakeland · Steakhouse
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 6, 2026
RagingWine reviewed LongHorn Steakhouse’s wine list and gave it The Lazy List — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Take Vibe Match and we’ll tell you what to order here.
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at LongHorn reads like a grocery store endcap that got laminated and handed to you between the bread basket and the blooming onion. Nothing surprises you, nothing offends you, and nothing makes you think anyone spent more than twenty minutes curating it. It's functional the same way a plastic fork is functional.
Thirty to forty bottles, almost entirely California mass-market brands — Woodbridge, Canyon Road, Apothic, Turning Leaf — with a lone Italian showing up in the form of Ecco Domani Pinot Grigio and a single Pacific Northwest rep in Michelle Riesling. There's no real regional story being told here, no small producers, no interesting grapes, and no sense that anyone considered what actually drinks well with a ribeye beyond 'red wine, probably.' The Beringer White Zinfandel is still on this list in the year of our lord, and that tells you everything you need to know about who's steering the ship.
Fifteen options by the glass is genuinely decent coverage for a casual chain, and the price ceiling of around $10.79 keeps it accessible. The problem is the range spans Apothic Red to Mirassou Moscato, which is less a curated selection and more a greatest-hits album from 2009. Rotation appears nonexistent — this list has the energy of something updated once a fiscal year.
Michelle Riesling — $8
Michelle is a legitimately solid Washington State producer, and Riesling is wildly underordered at steakhouses — which means you're getting something that actually has craft behind it at the same price point as everything else on the list. Off-dry, bright acidity, and it holds its own.
Michelle Riesling
Most people walk into a steakhouse and auto-pilot toward a Cab. That's a mistake when the Cab is Woodbridge. Michelle's Riesling from Washington is the sleeper on this list — a real winery making a real wine that nobody at this table is ordering.
Beringer White Zinfandel
It's 2024. There is no version of this that ends well for you. Move on.
Red Rock Malbec + Outlaw Ribeye
Malbec's dark fruit and soft tannins are one of the more forgiving matches for a well-marbled ribeye, and Red Rock is inoffensive enough to stay out of the steak's way. It's not an inspired pairing, but at this price point it's the move.
The Bottom Line
Come for the steak, order whatever beer they have on draft, and save the wine conversation for somewhere else. LongHorn isn't pretending to be a wine destination, and at least the prices reflect that — but the list has the ambition of a footnote.
South Lakeland · Lakeland · Italian Chef's Table
Scarpa's is doing more with wine than most of Lakeland, and the Italian selections show genuine care. Markups on the prestige bottles get steep fast, but lean toward the house Brunello and the overlooked Italian producers and you'll eat and drink well.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
South Lakeland · Lakeland · Italian Bar
Scarpa's is doing something genuinely unusual for its market — a curated, Italy-forward list with real producers that you'd be happy to find in a major city wine bar. The markups on the top shelf are steep, but the depth of the by-the-glass program and the presence of names like Produttori and Ridge mean there's value hiding in this list if you know where to look.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
North Lakeland · Lakeland · Seafood
Red Lobster's wine list does its job in the narrowest possible sense — it gives people something to drink. But there's no value play here, no curiosity, no effort. Order the cocktail or a beer and spend your wine money somewhere that earned it.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
South Lakeland · Lakeland · Italian
Carrabba's isn't where you go to discover wine, but it's where you go to drink something decent without getting ripped off. Send a friend here if they want a familiar Italian night with a glass that makes sense — just steer them toward the Italian side of the list.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
North Lakeland · Lakeland · Italian-American
Olive Garden is not a wine destination and never claimed to be — the wine list exists to generate margin, not to inspire. Order the Chianti, enjoy the breadsticks, and save the serious bottle for another night.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
North Lakeland · Lakeland · Steakhouse
Outback Lakeland's wine program exists to check a box, not to enhance a meal. Prices are fair for what you're getting, but what you're getting is a grocery store list at a sit-down restaurant — order the Malbec, enjoy your steak, and don't expect more than that.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Plano · Steakhouse
Steve Fields clearly puts its energy into the kitchen, not the cellar — and at these price points, that imbalance is hard to ignore. Order the Evesham Wood if it's still there, and otherwise come for the steak, not the wine list.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· San Diego · Steakhouse
Greystone is a reliable, if predictable, steakhouse wine list — the kind where you can always find something decent but you'll rarely be surprised. Skip the Opus splurge, order the Paradigm, and you'll walk out satisfied.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· San Diego · Steakhouse
Morton's San Diego is spending more energy on the wedge salad than the wine list, and it shows. Come for the steak, order carefully, and don't expect much beyond the obvious.
Crowd Pleasers
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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