Cheddar Bay Biscuits Deserve Better Than This
Highway 50 / North Side · Pueblo · Seafood Chain · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed July 7, 2026
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Red Lobster Pueblo reads like the shelf at a gas station that also sells lottery tickets — Sutter Home, Josh Cellars, Ecco Domani. There's no ambition here, no curiosity, no sense that anyone asked what might actually taste good with a plate of shrimp scampi. This is corporate wine buying on autopilot.
Five wines. That's what we're working with. A California Cab, a California Chard, a California Merlot, an Italian Pinot Grigio, and a New Zealand Sauv Blanc — all recognizable from grocery store endcaps, none of them interesting. Sutter Home appearing twice on a list of five is a choice, and not a good one. There's no Rosé, no bubbles, nothing that would make a seafood-focused menu sing. The list hasn't evolved since roughly 2011.
Everything is by the glass, because there's essentially no bottle program worth discussing. At $5 a pour, the pricing is at least honest — these are $9 retail bottles and they're priced like it. Rotation is nonexistent; what's on the menu today was on it last year and will be on it next year.
Mark West Pinot Noir — $5
At $5 for a 6 oz pour against an $8.99 retail bottle, this is the most reasonable transaction on the list. It's not a great Pinot Noir, but it's a fair pour at a fair price, and it's the least offensive red to drink with anything on this menu.
Matua Sauvignon Blanc
It's the only wine on this list that actually makes sense with seafood. Marlborough Sauv Blanc with fried clams or fish tacos is a legitimate pairing, and Matua is a solid, clean producer. It won't blow your mind but it's the one wine here that looks like someone thought for five seconds about the menu.
Sutter Home Merlot
Sutter Home Merlot at a seafood chain is the culinary equivalent of putting ketchup on sushi. There's no scenario where this is the right call. Grab the Pinot Noir instead and don't look back.
Matua Sauvignon Blanc + Garlic Shrimp Scampi
The citrus snap and herbaceous edge of Marlborough Sauv Blanc cuts through the butter and garlic in the scampi without getting steamrolled. It's the one pairing on this list that would hold up anywhere, not just here.
❌ The Bottom Line
The wine program at Red Lobster Pueblo is not a wine program — it's a shelf of familiar labels selected by a committee in a boardroom somewhere. Drink the Matua with your shrimp, accept that this is a Cheddar Bay Biscuit establishment, and save the real wine for dinner somewhere else.
North Side / Mall Area · Pueblo · Burger Restaurant
Red Robin is a burger chain and makes no apologies for it — the wine program exists only because it has to, and it shows at every level from selection to markup. Order a craft beer from their actual solid tap list and save the wine for somewhere that cares.
Grocery Store
Gouge
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Northern Pueblo · Pueblo · Steakhouse
Chop is a perfectly decent steakhouse wine list in a city that isn't exactly drowning in options — nothing on here will blow your mind, but nothing will ruin your night either. Show up on a Wednesday and drink the Lapis Luna Zinfandel at half price while you eat your steak, and you'll leave happy.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
Pueblo Riverwalk / Downtown · Pueblo · American / Cocktail Bar
1129 is a genuinely fun riverwalk spot for burgers, green chile, and cocktails — but the wine program is essentially decorative. Order a cocktail, eat the empanadas, and save the wine nights for somewhere else.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
Pueblo Riverwalk / Downtown · Pueblo · Upscale Steakhouse
Twenty One Steak is the best wine program in Pueblo, which is a real thing worth saying out loud. The markups sting and the list plays it safe, but there are genuinely good bottles here if you know where to look — and for a special night on the riverwalk, it delivers.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Union Avenue Historic District · Pueblo · Authentic Italian
La Forchetta da Massi is exactly the kind of place the Wild Card badge was made for — a quiet, chef-driven Italian spot in a mid-sized Colorado city that's built an all-Italian wine list with genuine intention. It's not a deep cellar, but it's honest, focused, and worth seeking out if you're anywhere near Pueblo.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
East Odessa / Broughton Park Area · Odessa · Seafood Chain
This is a wine list that exists because a restaurant legally needs one, not because anyone cared about what was on it. Order the Riesling, enjoy your Cheddar Bay Biscuits, and save the real wine exploration for somewhere else.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
White Oaks / West Side · Springfield · Seafood Chain
Red Lobster is not a wine destination, and the Springfield location makes no pretense of being one. Order the Riesling, enjoy your Cheddar Bay Biscuits, and save the real wine conversation for somewhere else.
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.