Bloomin' Onion, Wilting Wine List
Unknown · Bakersfield · Steakhouse · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed June 23, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed Outback Steakhouse – Bakersfield’s wine list and gave it The Lazy List — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
You open the laminated menu and the wine list is basically a greatest hits of grocery store endcaps. Kendall-Jackson, Josh Cellars, 19 Crimes — these aren't wines, they're brands you recognize from Super Bowl ads. No surprises here, and that's not a compliment.
The list runs 20-35 bottles deep but reads like corporate purchasing made every decision, because it did. California and Australia dominate, with nothing approaching regional character or producer integrity — this is a list built for familiarity, not discovery. You're not getting Paso Robles Syrah or a Central Valley gem; you're getting whatever Outback's national distributor locked in at the lowest negotiated rate. The gaps are everywhere: no rosé worth mentioning, no sparkling beyond token bubbles, and absolutely nothing that would make a wine-curious diner lean in.
Eight to twelve options by the glass sounds reasonable until you clock what's actually in the lineup — Beringer White Zinfandel is on there, which tells you everything you need to know about the intended audience. Glass pours run $8–$15, and at those prices for these producers, you're paying chain-restaurant tax on wines that retail for $10–$14 a bottle. There's no rotation, no seasonal thinking — what's on the list today was probably on it three years ago.
Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling — $9
It's the one wine on the list from a producer that actually has credibility. Ste. Michelle's Columbia Valley Riesling is genuinely good, food-friendly, and usually the lowest-markup option on menus like this. Order it, feel slightly better about your evening.
Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling
Nobody at a steakhouse is ordering Riesling, and that's their loss. It cuts through the richness of a ribeye better than half the Cabernets on this list, and it's priced low enough that the markup stings less.
19 Crimes Red Blend
Heavy marketing, light substance. This bottle retails for around $10 and you'll pay chain-restaurant prices for a wine whose main selling point is an augmented reality label. The juice does not justify the spend.
Josh Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon + Ribeye Steak
Josh Cab is soft, fruit-forward, and low on tannin — which actually makes it functional with a well-marbled ribeye. It's not exciting, but it's the most obvious fit on a list that isn't trying to be exciting. Sometimes you just need the wine to stay out of the food's way.
The Bottom Line
Outback's wine list is exactly what you'd expect from a national chain: safe, overpriced for what it is, and clearly an afterthought. Order a cocktail or a beer, enjoy your steak, and save the wine drinking for somewhere that gives a damn.
· Bakersfield · Wine bar + brewpub
BottleShock has a great name and a wine list that hasn't caught up to it yet. Four labels — including a Prosecco and a Chianti Classico you've seen a hundred times — isn't enough to earn the wine bar designation. Until the list grows up, come for the brew side of the menu and treat the wine as an afterthought.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown · Bakersfield · Hotel lounge
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.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· 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
· Hoschton · Steakhouse
Jacks is a genuinely fun neighborhood hang with solid food, but the wine program doesn't match the ambition of the kitchen. If wine is your thing, call ahead or bring your own if corkage is an option — otherwise, lean into the cocktails and enjoy the patio. We'd love to revisit this rating if they ever put some real thought into the list.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
East Point · Atlanta · Steakhouse
Malone's earns its loyal following on the strength of its pork chops and tenderloin, not its wine list. If wine matters to your meal, you may want to call ahead and ask what's available — or just lean into a cocktail and let the steak do the heavy lifting. This one's a food-first destination.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Acworth · Steakhouse
AG Steakhouse earns its reputation as a go-to for celebrations and big nights out on Lake Acworth — but the wine program appears to be in service of the experience rather than a destination in itself. If you're splurging on the filet or the Oscar-style halibut, budget accordingly for the bottle too, and don't expect the list to surprise you. A solid place to drink wine; not a reason to come specifically for wine.
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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