Great ribs, wine list phoning it in
Downtown Peoria · Peoria · Barbecue
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 7, 2026
RagingWine reviewed The Blue Duck Barbecue Tavern’s wine list and gave it The Lazy List — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The Blue Duck is a riverfront smoke-and-whiskey joint, and the wine list makes absolutely no attempt to pretend otherwise. You flip past it looking for the bourbon section and land on eight or so familiar names that could have been pulled from a gas station end-cap. That's fine — this place knows what it is.
The list leans on Italy and California for cover, which is about as adventurous as it gets here. You've got a Moscato and a Pinot Grigio from Italian producers d'Altieri and Tiziano respectively, alongside a Decoy Chardonnay repping the California contingent. There's no real narrative to the selection — no through-line of region, style, or even food-friendliness to the menu. Gaps are everywhere: no red wine producers we can name, no rosé, nothing remotely funky or interesting. It's a list assembled to have a wine list.
Somewhere between six and ten pours are available by the glass in the $8–$9 range, which is genuinely accessible pricing for a sit-down spot. The problem isn't what you pay — it's what you get. When your glass options max out at Decoy Chardonnay, the ceiling is firmly in view.
Decoy Chardonnay — $9/glass
At $9 a glass, Decoy is a known commodity — Duckhorn's approachable California Chard line. It's not exciting, but it's consistent and priced fairly for a casual BBQ tavern. You know exactly what you're getting.
d'Altieri Moscato
Nobody orders Moscato at a BBQ joint, which is exactly why you should consider it. Sweet, low-alcohol, and ice cold? It actually cuts through smoky fat in a way a warm, oaky Chardonnay doesn't. Don't sleep on the weird match.
Tiziano Pinot Grigio
Tiziano is a volume-production brand built for grocery shelves, not wine lists. At a BBQ tavern with brisket on the menu, a neutral, watery Pinot Grigio is the least useful wine you could order. Grab a craft beer instead — this is their house.
Decoy Chardonnay + Pulled Pork
The buttery oak on Decoy Chardonnay softens the vinegar bite in pulled pork and plays off the natural sweetness of the smoke. It's not a sommelier's pairing — it's a practical one, and it works better than you'd expect from a $9 glass.
The Bottom Line
Come to The Blue Duck for the ribs, the whiskey, and the riverfront view — not the wine list. If wine is your thing, order the Decoy and move on; if it's not, you're in the right place anyway.
Peoria Heights · Peoria · New American
Fusion 45 is doing something genuinely ambitious for Peoria — a creative kitchen with Old World wine ambitions is not nothing — but until we can get eyes on the actual list with prices, we're cautiously optimistic rather than fully sold. Worth a visit, worth asking your server what's good to drink.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Peoria · Steakhouse
Bourbon & Bones has put real effort into building a Champagne list that would hold its own in a major city, but outside the bubbles section the list plays it safe and the markups are steep enough to sting. Come here for the occasion, not the exploration.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Peoria · Italian Steakhouse
Johnny's wine list is exactly what it is: a well-curated collection of American crowd-pleasers with markups to match the steakhouse zip code. You won't be wowed, but you won't be stuck either — and 28 glasses by the pour means you have options.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown · Peoria · Hotel Steakhouse
Oak & Prime is a reliable pour for a classic steakhouse night — safe, familiar, and priced accordingly steep. Don't come hunting for discovery, but know that the bones are solid if you stick to the right bottles.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
East Peoria · Peoria · Seafood
Red Lobster's wine list does exactly what corporate intended: give guests something recognizable to order without scaring anyone off. If you calibrate expectations accordingly — and let the Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling do the heavy lifting — you won't be miserable. But you won't be talking about the wine on the drive home either.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
North Peoria · Peoria · Steakhouse
LongHorn Peoria is a fine place to eat a steak; it is not a fine place to drink wine. Order a cocktail or a beer, enjoy your ribeye, and save the wine night for somewhere that actually cares.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Branson · Barbecue
Come to Gettin' Basted for the barbecue — not the wine. The $5 house pour is a service item, not a program, and there's no evidence anyone is minding the cellar (or even has one). Order a beer, enjoy the smoke, and don't think about wine until you're somewhere else.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
MIA
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Newberg · Barbecue
Storrs Smokehouse is a Wild Card in the truest sense: a no-frills BBQ joint sitting in one of the best wine regions in the country, doing something quietly interesting with a local-leaning list. We'd send a wine-curious friend here without hesitation — just go in knowing you're choosing adventure over depth, and let the smoked meat do the heavy lifting.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Overland Park · Overland Park · Barbecue
Jack Stack isn't a wine destination, but it's not trying to be one — and within those limits, it does a respectable job. Stick to the lower half of the price range, order the Pinot or the Rosé, and let the smoked meat do the real work.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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