Great Rolls, Wrong Place for Wine
North Atherton · State College · Steakhouse / American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed July 21, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed Texas Roadhouse’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 Texas Roadhouse State College is exactly what you'd expect from a chain built around buckets of beer and a waiting area that doubles as a bar. It's an afterthought dressed up as an option. The moment you see Sutter Home White Zinfandel anchoring the list, you know where you stand.
We're talking 10 to 20 bottles, all California, all recognizable from the bottom shelf of your local grocery store. Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi handles both the Chardonnay and Cabernet duties, Meiomi shows up as the token 'nice' Pinot Noir, and Barefoot Moscato rounds things out for the table that treats wine like dessert. There are no interesting regions, no independent producers, no surprises — this list was selected by a corporate committee and hasn't been reconsidered since. If you were hoping for something from Oregon, Burgundy, or literally anywhere outside California's mass-production corridor, keep hoping.
The by-the-glass program runs six to ten pours in the $6–$12 range, which at least keeps the damage low. The Meiomi Pinot Noir is the ceiling here — everything else is poured straight from bottles you can grab at a gas station. There's no rotation, no seasonal thinking, no sense that anyone checked in on this list recently.
Meiomi Pinot Noir — $10
It's the only wine on this list that clears the bar. Broadly appealing, fruit-forward, and drinkable alongside a ribeye when your other options are Woodbridge Cab or a White Zin. Low bar, but Meiomi clears it.
Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi Chardonnay
Nobody's coming to Texas Roadhouse for Chardonnay, but if you're splitting a bottle at the table and someone needs something white, this is the least offensive call on the list. It's not interesting, but it's clean and cold and it works with the honey cinnamon butter rolls in a way that's hard to argue with.
Sutter Home White Zinfandel
Just order a lemonade. It'll scratch the same itch and cost less. White Zinfandel at a steakhouse in 2024 is a choice, and not a good one.
Meiomi Pinot Noir + Baby Back Ribs
Meiomi's jammy strawberry and dark fruit character actually holds up to the sweet, smoky BBQ glaze on the ribs without fighting it. It's the one combination on this menu where the wine doesn't feel like it wandered in from the wrong restaurant.
The Bottom Line
Texas Roadhouse is not a wine destination and makes no pretense of being one — the food is the point, and the wine list is a legal obligation. Order a beer, enjoy the rolls, and save your wine curiosity for somewhere that earned it.
· State College · American / Gastropub
American Ale House isn't a wine destination, but it's a fair and functional wine list for what it is — a well-run gastropub in a college town. The Graham's Port lineup alone earns it a pass, and the glass prices won't leave you feeling taken.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· State College · Italian-inspired Fine Dining
Grace at Carnegie House is doing more than the average Happy Valley fine dining room bothers to do with wine — the Karthäuserhof, the Cahors, and the Tua Rita prove that — but the list is still too short and too safe to be a destination for wine lovers. Come for the food; order carefully and you'll drink well enough.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· State College · New American / Distillery Restaurant
Barrel 21 is a distillery restaurant and the wine list knows its place — which is firmly in the backseat. Come here for the spirits, stay if you must for a J Lohr or the Trapiche Malbec, but don't expect anyone behind the bar to have an opinion about any of it.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
North Atherton · State College · Italian Chain
Olive Garden's wine list exists to check a box, not to enhance a meal — it's corporate, static, and marked up past the point of good value. Order the Chianti Classico if you must, but honestly, grab the cocktail menu instead.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Boalsburg · State College · American
The Butter Churn is doing something genuinely surprising for central Pennsylvania — a thoughtful, well-sourced wine list that goes beyond the expected and rewards the curious drinker. If you're anywhere near State College and care about what's in your glass, this deserves a visit.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown · State College · Brewpub / American Comfort Food
Happy Valley Brewing Company is a beer destination with a wine list that exists out of obligation, not passion. If your table skips the beer, order the Whitehaven and move on — don't go chasing depth that isn't here.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Casper · Steakhouse / American
Texas Roadhouse is not here to compete on wine, and the six-bottle list makes that abundantly clear. If you're sitting down for a ribeye in Casper, order a beer or a cocktail and skip the wine entirely — this list exists to check a box, not to enhance your meal.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
MIA
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· La Crosse · Steakhouse / American
Freight House is a dependable steakhouse wine list — fair prices, familiar names, no nasty surprises. If you're looking for discovery, look elsewhere; if you're looking for a solid bottle to go with a good cut of meat in La Crosse, you'll leave satisfied.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Casper · Steakhouse / American
Wyoming's Rib & Chop House isn't trying to win any wine awards, and it doesn't need to — the list does exactly what it's supposed to do for a steakhouse in Casper. Grab the Gascon, order your cut medium-rare, and don't overthink it.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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