Convention Center Crowd Pleaser, Nothing More
Downtown · Bakersfield · Hotel lounge · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · October 2, 2026
RagingWine reviewed MI Greatroom Lounge & Bar’s wine list and gave it The Lazy List — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Ten wines, all by the glass, all names you've seen on a grocery store shelf in the last decade. This is a hotel lounge wine list designed to move product after a trade show, not to inspire anyone.
The list is a greatest hits of accessible, mass-market labels — Canyon Road, Meiomi, Kendall Jackson, La Marca — with no real regional focus or curiosity. Gascon Malbec and Maso Canali Pinot Grigio are the closest things to a left-field pick, which tells you how low the bar is set. There's a token nod to California with Justin Cabernet, but at $17 a glass, it's the most expensive pour on a list where nothing is particularly interesting. If you're hoping for a local Kern County producer or something from the Central Coast that you haven't had at a chain restaurant, keep walking.
All ten wines are available by the glass, ranging from $7 to $17, which sounds generous until you realize the entire list IS the by-the-glass program — there are no bottles-only options to speak of. The price spread is wide but the quality ceiling is low.
The Bottom Line
MI Greatroom is doing exactly what a Marriott convention hotel bar is designed to do — serve recognizable, inoffensive wines to people who aren't thinking about wine. There's no shame in that, but there's no reason to come here specifically for what's in the glass. Order the Maso Canali, catch up with whoever you're meeting, and don't overthink it.
· Bakersfield · American
Yard House Bakersfield is a beer hall that happens to sell wine, and the list makes no effort to hide that. Markups are aggressive, selections are safe to the point of being anonymous, and the only reason to open a bottle here is if your table voted against another round of IPAs. If you're wine-focused, redirect your budget to the Jean-Luc Colombo Rosé by the glass and call it a night.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Bakersfield · Steakhouse and Seafood
This is a wine program that exists only because restaurants are expected to have one. If you're at Sizzler Bakersfield, order a beer, a lemonade, or whatever they're mixing at the bar — the wine list is not the reason to be here, and it's not trying to be.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
MIA
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Bakersfield · Hotel bar and small plates
Brimstone Bar isn't trying to be a wine destination — but whoever put Terre Rouge on the menu made a real choice, and that's more than most hotel bars can say. If you're in Bakersfield and you want something other than a mass-market Cab, this is the move. Just don't come expecting options.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
Downtown Bakersfield · Bakersfield · Latin American / Mexican / Spanish / American
Zama is a fun room with a wine list that plays it safe — the markups are real, the picks are predictable, but Wine Wednesday changes the math considerably if you time your visit right. Show up on a Wednesday, order the Riesling or the Bonanza, and enjoy the patio.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
Bakersfield · Bakersfield · Steakhouse
Ruth's Chris Bakersfield is a reliable wine stop if your expectations are calibrated to 'corporate steakhouse': proper storage, competent service, and a list that will not embarrass you or excite you. Send a friend here for the steak; the wine is a supporting actor that knows its role.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
Bakersfield · Bakersfield · American diner, breakfast and comfort food
Black Bear Diner is a genuinely good diner doing genuinely good diner things — the wine list just isn't one of them. Order the pancakes, drink the coffee, and save your wine curiosity for somewhere that returns the favor.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
MIA
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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