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 →
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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.
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
Creekside / I-35 Corridor · New Braunfels · Asian Bistro
P.F. Chang's New Braunfels isn't a wine destination, but if you know what to order, you won't be stuck drinking something bad. Stick to the by-the-glass whites, avoid the trophy-label markups, and you'll have a fine night.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
West New Braunfels · New Braunfels · Seafood
The Reel isn't a wine destination, but it earns serious respect for sneaking Dutton Goldfield onto a po'boy menu and running Wine Wednesday like it means it. Come on a Wednesday, order the Pinot, and be pleasantly confused about where you are.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
Downtown · New Braunfels · European-inspired tapas, bistro and wine bar
Favorite Neighbor is the Wild Card that New Braunfels didn't know it needed — a genuinely curious wine program in a town where 'wine bar' usually means a Malbec and a Pinot Grigio. If you're passing through Hill Country and want to drink something that actually required a decision to stock, stop here.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Plano · Steakhouse
Steve Fields clearly puts its energy into the kitchen, not the cellar — and at these price points, that imbalance is hard to ignore. Order the Evesham Wood if it's still there, and otherwise come for the steak, not the wine list.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· San Diego · Steakhouse
Greystone is a reliable, if predictable, steakhouse wine list — the kind where you can always find something decent but you'll rarely be surprised. Skip the Opus splurge, order the Paradigm, and you'll walk out satisfied.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· San Diego · Steakhouse
Morton's San Diego is spending more energy on the wedge salad than the wine list, and it shows. Come for the steak, order carefully, and don't expect much beyond the obvious.
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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