Cabernet Country, But Only One Country
Creekside / I-35 Corridor · New Braunfels · Steakhouse · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 6, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Saltgrass Steak House – New Braunfels’s wine list and gave it The Lazy List — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Saltgrass New Braunfels is a corporate printout dressed up in cowboy boots — familiar names, predictable picks, zero surprises. It reads less like a curated selection and more like someone ran a Google search for 'wines people recognize' and called it a day. You're not here for the wine, and the list knows it.
Roughly 16-20 wines cover the menu, and about 90% of them are California, with Napa and Paso Robles Cabs doing the heavy lifting. You've got the expected chain steakhouse roster — Caymus, Jordan, Decoy, Quilt — with a token Hampton Water Rosé to class things up and a Calabria Moscato for the table that isn't sure they like wine. There's no real breadth here: no Malbec, no Tempranillo, no Italian reds, nothing from Oregon or Washington despite being a steak-forward menu where a Walla Walla Syrah would be an easy win. The list is frozen in amber, and that amber is Napa Cab.
The by-the-glass program runs 12-16 options at $7.50–$13.50 for a 6oz pour, which sounds reasonable until you realize Meiomi Pinot Noir is $13 a glass on a bottle that retails around $18. The lineup does cover the basics — white, rosé, sparkling, red — but nothing rotates and nothing challenges. J. Lohr Falcon's Perch Pinot Noir by the glass is probably the most interesting pour on the board, which isn't saying a whole lot but it's saying something.
J. Lohr 'Falcon's Perch' Pinot Noir, California — $11/glass (est.)
It's a clean, honest Central Coast Pinot that won't embarrass itself next to a grilled steak. In a list full of Cabs, it's the only pour that shows a shred of personality, and J. Lohr makes reliably food-friendly wines at a price point that doesn't require a calculator.
Hampton Water Rosé, Languedoc
Jon Bon Jovi's Languedoc Rosé gets eye-rolls, but it's actually a legitimate Southern French rosé made with serious partners on the ground. It sticks out like a sore thumb on this list, which makes it the most interesting thing on it. Order it before your steak and feel briefly continental.
Caymus Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley
At $135 a bottle, Caymus is being sold on name recognition alone. It retails around $75-$85, putting the markup well north of 2.5x. It's a perfectly drinkable, if overworked, Napa Cab — but at this price in a casual chain steakhouse, you're paying a lot for the label. The Jordan at $110 is a better bottle at a better relative value if you're committed to spending three digits.
Daou Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Paso Robles + Grilled Ribeye (Certified Angus Beef)
Daou Reserve is one of the few bottles on this list with actual structure and grip — the tannic backbone and dark fruit play well with the fat and char of a properly grilled ribeye. It's not the showiest bottle here, but it's doing real wine work instead of just coasting on brand equity.
The Bottom Line
Saltgrass New Braunfels serves a wine list that was assembled by a committee in Houston and hasn't been questioned since. It functions — you'll find something drinkable — but if wine matters to you tonight, manage expectations before you sit down.
· New Braunfels · Wine bar and bottle shop
A deliberately small list that earns your trust with fair prices and genuine variety — this is what a neighborhood bottle shop wine program should look like. If you're passing through New Braunfels and want a real glass of wine without paying restaurant-markup prices, this is the move.
Small but Thoughtful
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· New Braunfels · Tex-Mex
Chuy's is a genuinely great time if you surrender to the margaritas and queso — but the wine list is a placeholder, not a program. Send your friends here for the fajitas, not the Cabernet.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
MIA
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· New Braunfels · Wine bar / lounge
The Clubhouse on Castell is a legitimate wine bar doing real work in a market that doesn't demand it, and that's exactly why it deserves your attention. Send your wine-curious friends here — they'll leave having drunk better than they expected.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Creekside / IH-35 Corridor · New Braunfels · Steakhouse
Saltgrass Creekside is not a wine destination, and it doesn't pretend to be — the list exists to sell bottles alongside steaks, and it does that competently enough. If you stick to Jordan or Stag's Leap and skip the grocery-store bottles, you'll drink fine.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Creekside / IH-35 Corridor · New Braunfels · American Casual
We wouldn't send anyone to BJ's Creekside specifically for the wine list — but if you're already there for the Pizookie and a Tuesday lands on your calendar, those half-price bottles are a legitimate deal. Come for the beer, and if you must drink wine, come on a Tuesday.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
Downtown · New Braunfels · From-scratch American comfort food with Hill Country influences, brunch and brewery
The Root Cellar is a brewery first and a wine destination never — but the list earns its keep with fair prices, a Texas wine you should actually try, and the quietly baffling joy of prosecco on tap next to a craft IPA. Come for the biscuits, stay curious about the wine.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Irvine · Steakhouse
Bourbon Steak Irvine is running one of the most ambitious wine programs in Orange County — 225 labels, 31 by the glass, and a list with genuine personality beyond the expected steakhouse anchors. Markups get steep at the top end, but the by-the-glass range at the $15–$32 tier offers real drinking at fair prices. If you care about what's in your glass, this list rewards the attention.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
· Irvine · Steakhouse
The Capital Grille Costa Mesa is exactly what it is: a well-run corporate steakhouse with a Champagne list that punches above the room's ambition and a Chardonnay section that covers the safe California bases reliably. Markups are steep throughout and the list doesn't take any risks, but if you know what you want — a glass of Hartford Court or a bottle of Schramsberg before your steak — you'll be fine. Just don't come looking for discovery.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Honolulu · Steakhouse
The Capital Grille Hawaii's wine list does what the brand does everywhere — it's safe, corporate, and priced to capture resort-market margins. The Champagne selection is genuinely deep and includes some worthwhile picks like the Paul Bara and the Llopart Cava, but markups are steep and there's little here to excite anyone looking beyond the obvious. If you're here for a steak and want bubbles, you'll find something that works — just don't expect the list to dazzle you.
Plays It Safe
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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