Malbec and Meat, Mostly in That Order
International Drive · Orlando · Brazilian Churrascaria
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 12, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Texas de Brazil’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Take Vibe Match and we’ll tell you what to order here.
Wingman Metrics
Walking into Texas de Brazil on International Drive, you half-expect a mediocre tourist-trap list propped up by Kendall-Jackson and a few Malbecs. What you actually get is a 150-plus bottle list anchored in California, Argentina, and Italy — with enough name recognition to hold its own at a proper steakhouse. It's not subtle, but it's not embarrassing either.
The list leans hard into the California-Argentina-Italy triangle, which happens to be exactly the right axis for a meat-forward churrascaria. Argentina shows up well with Catena Zapata and Achaval Ferrer flying the Malbec flag, while California brings Caymus, Jordan, Stag's Leap, and Silver Oak — the greatest hits of the Cabernet-loving crowd. Italy earns its keep with Antinori Super Tuscans and a Gaja Barbaresco that will catch you off guard given the setting. The gaps are real — don't come hunting for Burgundy, Rhône, or anything remotely esoteric — but within its lane, the list is coherent and well-curated enough to have held a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence since 2006.
The by-the-glass program runs 12 to 20 options and covers enough ground to get you through a meal without feeling trapped. Expect the usual suspects — a Malbec, a California Cab, maybe a Chardonnay — at prices that reflect the room. Rotation appears limited, so don't expect surprises, but there's enough here to drink well while the gaucho keeps coming.
Santa Rita 120 Malbec 2021 — $45
At $45 this is a workhorse bottle that doesn't pretend to be anything other than what it is — approachable, fruit-forward, and genuinely good with a plate of picanha. It's the lowest-effort, highest-return call on this list.
Achaval Ferrer Malbec
Most tables here reach for Caymus or Silver Oak out of habit, which means Achaval Ferrer gets overlooked. That's a mistake — this is serious Mendoza Malbec from a producer who actually cares, and it's one of the more honest pours on the list.
Opus One 2018
At $595 in a churrascaria on International Drive, Opus One is more ego purchase than smart order. The wine is fine; the markup in this context is not. Save that bottle for somewhere it'll get the attention it deserves.
Antinori Tignanello 2019 + Picanha (sirloin cap)
Tignanello's Sangiovese-Cabernet blend has the acid and structure to cut through picanha's fat cap without overwhelming the beef's natural sweetness. It's the one moment on this menu where the wine and the food genuinely elevate each other.
Wednesday — Half-price wine night every Wednesday — the single best reason to game-plan your visit around the middle of the week.
🎲 The Bottom Line
Texas de Brazil isn't a wine destination, but it's a smarter wine program than the I-Drive zip code would suggest, and Wednesday's half-price bottles make it a legitimate value play. Come for the meat, stay for the Achaval Ferrer.
Winter Park · Orlando · Greek, Mediterranean
AVA MediterrAegean earns its Wine Spectator recognition by doing something genuinely rare in Florida: building a Greek-forward wine program with real depth and the staff to back it up. If you're eating here and not exploring the Greek section, you're missing the whole point.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Downtown Orlando · Orlando · French, Regional
The Boheme is the best wine list in the kind of restaurant Downtown Orlando needs more of — it's not groundbreaking, but it's honest, properly focused, and worthy of its Wine Spectator recognition. Send your friends here for a date night, order the Chablis to start, and resist the urge to default to Caymus.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Grande Lakes · Orlando · Italian, Mediterranean
Primo is a resort restaurant that takes its wine list seriously enough to back it up with a real sommelier and a WS credential — which puts it well ahead of most hotel dining rooms. Pricing is what it is in this zip code, but the Italian backbone and capable staff make it a genuinely good wine dinner if you pick smart.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Lake Nona · Orlando · Japanese
Nami is the kind of surprise that earns its Wine Spectator badge — a Japanese restaurant in Lake Nona that treats French wine with genuine seriousness, backed by a knowledgeable staff member who can actually guide you through it. Markups keep it from being a steal, but if you're eating omakase anyway, ordering from this list is the right call.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Orlando · Orlando · Brazilian Churrascaria
Chima's wine list does its job: it gives a celebratory crowd recognizable bottles that hold up to a carnivore's parade. If you're after discovery or value-hunting, look elsewhere — but if you want a solid Cab with your carved meats in a room that feels like a party, this delivers.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
International Drive · Orlando · Seafood, Steakhouse
Charley's is a dependable, well-stocked steakhouse list that earns its Wine Spectator badge without doing anything surprising — come on a Wednesday, avoid the Caymus, and aim for the Italian section. We'd send a friend here for a celebration dinner without hesitation, as long as they know to skip the obvious picks.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Proper
El Segundo · El Segundo · Brazilian Churrascaria
For a chain steakhouse, Fogo de Chão El Segundo takes wine seriously enough to earn its Wine Spectator credential — fair prices, genuine producers, and a Wednesday half-price night that makes it a legitimate value play. Don't come here looking for a Burgundy deep-dive, but for South American red fans eating a lot of meat, this list genuinely delivers.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
Downtown · Madison · Brazilian Churrascaria
Fogo de Chão Madison won't win any awards for wine adventurousness, but the South American focus is coherent, and a few serious bottles give you something to work with if you know where to look. Come for the meat; treat the wine list as a competent accomplice, not the main event.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Scottsdale · Phoenix · Brazilian Churrascaria
Fogo de Chão shouldn't have a wine list this interesting, and yet here we are. The half-price South American bottle deal is one of the better recurring wine values in the Phoenix metro — lean into it.
Solid Range
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
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