Five Bottles Does Not a Wine List Make
Park Place · Irvine · Modern Mexican · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed September 9, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed Puesto Park Place’s wine list and gave it The Lazy List — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
You open the menu expecting something — anything — to get excited about, and instead you get five wines. Five. At a polished modern Mexican spot in Irvine, this is the kind of wine list that feels like an afterthought added during a staff meeting about something else entirely. The whole program leans on a single Baja producer and calls it a day.
The entire wine list is built around Bruma and Vin Sur, two Baja California labels — which is actually an interesting angle, but five total bottles is not a wine program, it's a mood board. You get a Sauvignon Blanc, a Chardonnay, and a Rosé from Bruma's Plan B and Ocho lines, a Cabernet from Viñedos Llano Colorado, and a Petit Verdot-Syrah-Cab blend from Vin Sur. No bubbles beyond what might be rotating through a house glass slot, no exploration of Mexican wine beyond a narrow slice, and zero representation of anything outside Baja. The Baja focus could have been a genuine Wild Card move — there's real terroir and interesting work happening down there — but five bottles doesn't tell that story.
The menu references a house glass category for red, white, rosé, and bubbles, suggesting these Baja bottles are likely poured by the glass — which is probably the only way to approach this list anyway. Rotation, counts, and pricing are unclear from what's published, so manage expectations accordingly. If you're lucky, the pours are generous; if you're not, you're paying restaurant markup on a $15 retail bottle.
The Bottom Line
Puesto is a fun spot, but the wine list is essentially decorative — five Baja bottles isn't a program, it's a placeholder. Order a mezcal cocktail and revisit this decision when they decide to take wine seriously.
· Irvine · Brazilian churrasco (rodizio steakhouse)
The real headline here is the Monday–Thursday deal: half-price South American bottles under $150, available in both the dining room and bar. That's a legitimately good incentive to plan your Fogo visit mid-week. The wine list isn't pushing any boundaries, but at half-price it doesn't need to — grab something from Argentina, let the gaucho do his thing at the table, and call it a win.
Plays It Safe
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
· Irvine · Steakhouse
Fleming's Irvine delivers exactly what it promises: a wide, competent, California-forward wine list that covers all the bases for a steakhouse crowd. The markup is real — this is not a list for value hunters — but the by-the-glass depth is genuinely good and the Loosen Bros. Riesling at $11 is the rare honest deal hiding in plain sight. If you want adventure, look elsewhere; if you want a reliable glass with your ribeye in Irvine, this gets the job done.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Irvine · New American
Benchmark is a genuinely pleasant surprise for Irvine — a short, owner-driven list that punches above its modest size by leaning hard into Paso Robles producers who actually deserve your attention. If you're a Cab-or-nothing drinker, you might feel constrained; if you're willing to follow the owner's enthusiasm toward Law Estate Grenache or a Bodega de Edgar Tempranillo, this list rewards the curious.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Irvine · New American
Reunion Kitchen isn't trying to be a wine destination, and the list proves it. Three by-the-glass pours from mass-market California producers, priced at a premium — this is a wine program on autopilot. Order a cocktail or a beer and save the wine for somewhere that actually thought about it.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Corona del Mar · Irvine · New American and Seafood
CdM is genuinely worth your Wednesday. Half-price wine on an already polished dinner menu is a real offer, and the room alone justifies a reservation. We just can't tell you which bottle to order yet — the wine program is opaque enough that you'd be flying blind without a server who actually knows the list. Come for the Dirty Pasta and the vibe; if the wine follows, consider it a bonus.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
Irvine Business Complex · Irvine · Northern Italian Steakhouse
Davio's Irvine is the wine list equivalent of a reliable business-class seat — comfortable, well-organized, and priced at a premium you'll notice. The by-the-glass program is the real strength here; thirty options with some genuinely good producers mixed in means you can eat well and drink reasonably well in the same visit. If you're hoping to geek out on the bottle list or find anything that'll make you lean forward in your chair, keep looking — but for a weeknight dinner or a client meal, this gets the job done without embarrassing anyone.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Laredo · Modern Mexican
Casa Azul's wine list has no business being this interesting for a modern Mexican spot in Laredo, and that's exactly why it earns a Wild Card. The list is small and the by-the-glass program is thin, but the bones are good — Patient Cottat Sancerre and Drouhin Pinot Noir don't end up on a 22-bottle list by accident. If you're eating here, skip the safe plays and lean into the whites.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Winston Salem · Modern Mexican
Alma Mexicana is a genuine wild card — a modern Mexican restaurant in Winston-Salem with a wine program that's quietly pointing at Old World Europe instead of the expected California house pour. We need the full list to give you the real numbers, but the instinct here is good enough to warrant ordering something other than a margarita.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
· Naperville · Modern Mexican
Quiubo's wine list is short, safe, and priced reasonably enough that it won't ruin your night — but it won't add anything to it either. Stick to the Juan Gil or the Cava, enjoy your tacos, and don't come here expecting the wine to be part of the experience.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
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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