The Bloomin' Onion Deserves Better Wine
Miller Hill · Duluth · Casual American steakhouse with Australian-themed branding · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 12, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Outback Steakhouse – Duluth’s wine list and gave it The Lazy List — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list here reads like a grocery store shelf curated by someone who browses the end-cap at Total Wine. You'll recognize every name — Kendall-Jackson, 19 Crimes, La Marca — which is either reassuring or a little sad, depending on how you feel about chain restaurants. There's nothing wrong with any of it, exactly, but there's nothing interesting either.
Thirty to fifty labels sounds like a real list until you realize it's essentially the same California-and-international-value-brand roster you'd find at every other Outback in the country. Alamos Malbec represents Argentina, Clos du Bois covers Sonoma, and Mark West holds down the Pinot Noir slot — these aren't bad wines, but they're all boardroom picks chosen for volume contracts, not quality. There's no regional character, no small producers, nothing that reflects any curiosity about wine. The list exists to move product alongside the Bloomin' Onion, and it knows it.
Ten to fifteen pours by the glass sounds generous until you realize the selections are essentially the same wines from the bottle list, just smaller. Rotation doesn't appear to be a thing here — the same crowd-pleasers are on pour regardless of season. If you're drinking by the glass, you're paying chain-restaurant markup on wines that retail for $10–$15 a bottle.
Alamos Malbec — $9
It's the most honest wine on the menu — a solid everyday Argentine Malbec that actually makes sense next to a steak. Retail is around $10–$12 a bottle, so the glass pour isn't highway robbery by chain standards.
La Marca Prosecco
Nobody comes to Outback thinking about bubbles, but ordering a glass of La Marca before your food arrives is genuinely a good move — it's light, slightly sweet, and actually cuts through the richness of the Bloomin' Onion better than any Chardonnay will.
Kendall-Jackson Chardonnay
A $14 bottle wine served at chain markup pricing in a place with no temperature control emphasis. You're paying for the name recognition, not the experience. There are better uses of your dinner budget.
Alamos Malbec + Outback Special sirloin steak
Malbec and a sirloin is about as close to a sure thing as wine pairing gets — the fruit-forward, medium-bodied Alamos doesn't fight the beef, it just gets out of the way and lets the steak do the work.
❌ The Bottom Line
Outback Duluth is a perfectly fine place to eat a steak; it is not a place to think about wine. Order the Alamos Malbec, enjoy your sirloin, and save the wine exploration for somewhere that's doing the work.
Downtown · Duluth · Italian-American and Pizza
Sammy's is a Duluth institution and the pizza earns its reputation — the wine list is just not the point, and the restaurant isn't pretending otherwise. Order a beer or grab the cheapest glass pour, eat the pizza, and be happy.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Canal Park · Duluth · American, Bar, Pizza
Old Chicago Duluth isn't a wine destination and doesn't pretend to be — it's a reliable fallback for the table member who wants a glass of something decent while everyone else works through the tap list. If you stick to the Ste. Michelle Riesling, you'll leave satisfied; just don't come here expecting anything that will make you put down your pizza.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
West Duluth · Duluth · American, bar & grill
Grandma's Saloon is a genuinely fun West Duluth institution, but the wine list is an afterthought and everyone involved knows it. Order a local beer, enjoy the ribs, and save your wine curiosity for somewhere that shares it.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Miller Hill · Duluth · American, bar & grill
Grandma's Miller Hill is a beloved Duluth institution, but the wine list has never been the reason to show up — and with the location closing in May 2026, it's not getting better. Order a beer, enjoy the nostalgia, and save the wine for somewhere else.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Fitger's / Waterfront · Duluth · Upscale American
Boat Club is a reliable wine room for Duluth — a sommelier on staff, a genuinely broad glass pour program, and a Monday half-price bottle deal that should be on every local's calendar. The markups keep it from being a Rager, but if you play the specials and lean into the European selections, you'll drink well with a great view.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Seasonal Rotation
Proper
College Area / Mount Royal · Duluth · American Gastropub
Tavern on the Hill is not a destination wine spot, but it's a fair, unpretentious list that earns its keep in a fun room. If you're in the neighborhood and want a decent glass with your pizza, you won't leave disappointed — just don't come in expecting anything beyond the basics.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
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