Aurora

Traveling Mercies is a Wild Card in the best way: an oyster bar inside a marketplace that built a wine list with actual conviction. It's not deep, but it's smart, and smart beats deep when you're eating shellfish in Aurora.

Old Hickory is a reliable, well-run resort steakhouse wine program — sommelier on staff, proper glassware, wines stored correctly — but it's built for comfort, not discovery. Send a friend here if they want a guaranteed good glass with a great steak; send someone else if they're looking to find something new.

Cody's isn't a wine destination and it has no interest in being one — but the list is priced fairly, the pours are recognizable, and there's just enough personality (Baja Tanga, we see you) to keep it from being completely forgettable. Send a friend here if they want wine with dinner, not wine as the reason for dinner.

BJ's Southlands is a perfectly fine place to drink a craft beer, and we mean that sincerely — lean into the thing they actually care about. The wine list is a national chain template on autopilot, marked up past its worth, with zero local character and no sign of anyone tending the program with any intention.

Old Chicago Aurora is a perfectly fine place to watch a game and eat pizza — just order a beer like everyone else. The wine list exists to check a box, not to enhance your meal, and no amount of J. Lohr is going to change that.

Olive Garden's wine program exists to check a box, not to enhance your dinner. Order the Chianti, eat the breadsticks, and save your wine budget for somewhere that's actually trying.

Bonefish Aurora isn't a wine destination, but it's a solid, fairly-priced list for what it is — and that daily happy hour window makes the whole program punch above its weight. Come for the seafood, order the Riesling, and don't miss the 4 PM pour.

Texas de Brazil Aurora is a fine place to drink wine as long as you accept the list for what it is: a corporate steakhouse program that gets the job done without asking anything of you. Stick to the Malbec, skip the Chardonnay, and let the meat do the talking.

Olive Garden's wine program is an afterthought dressed up in a laminated sleeve — it won't ruin your dinner, but it won't add anything to it either. Order the cocktails, drink the water, save the bottle of wine for a restaurant that cares.

Helga's doesn't have a wine program — it has a short, focused list that actually matches the restaurant it's attached to, and that's rarer than it sounds. Come for the beer, stay for the Riesling.

Helga's is a beer hall that happens to sell wine, and the list reflects exactly that level of effort. Come for the schnitzel and the steins — but if you need a glass of wine, the Dr. Loosen won't let you down.

Old Hickory is a reliable steakhouse wine program that knows its audience and doesn't try to be anything else — if you're here for a celebration dinner or a work dinner on someone's card, the California hits list will do its job. Just go in with eyes open on the pricing, and let Jordan or Duckhorn do the heavy lifting instead of reaching straight for Opus.

Annette is punching way above its zip code with a wine list that's genuinely curious and regionally adventurous — the Tuesday all-day happy hour alone might be worth rearranging your week. Markup on bottles stings a little, but the glass pours and the list's personality make this one of the more interesting wine stops in the Denver metro area.