Great Brisket, Forget the Wine List
Entertainment District · Arlington · Barbecue · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed June 13, 2026
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Lockhart Smokehouse Arlington is exactly what you'd expect from a counter-service barbecue joint parked next to AT&T Stadium — an afterthought. Five bottles, all of them names you've seen at the grocery store checkout line, printed somewhere between the margarita specials and the beer list.
There's no regions strategy here, no producer with a story, no vintage worth mentioning. What you get is a parade of mass-market California brands — Meiomi, Josh Cellars, Kendall-Jackson, Ménage à Trois, Apothic, Coppola Diamond — the kind of lineup assembled by someone who called a distributor once and never called back. To be fair, Lockhart is a barbecue temple first, and the pit masters are not here to talk terroir. But if you're going to offer wine at all, you could at least not insult the customer with a 220% markup on an $10 grocery store red blend.
By-the-glass options exist but the specifics are murky — likely a pour or two pulled from whichever bottles are already open. There's no rotation, no program, no thought behind it. If you're ordering wine by the glass here, just know you're paying full restaurant markup on something that retails for under $15.
Meiomi Pinot Noir NV — $42
It's the least offensive value on a list of bad values. At 133% markup it's still overpriced for what it is, but at least Meiomi has enough fruit and softness to handle smoky brisket without embarrassing anyone. Everything else on this list is marked up even harder.
Coppola Diamond Collection Cabernet Sauvignon NV
Nobody's ordering the Coppola at a Texas barbecue spot, and that's fine — but at $40 it's marginally more interesting than the Josh Cellars Cab sitting right next to it, and the Diamond Collection actually has some structure that can stand up to ribs. Still overpriced. Still not exciting. But it's the dark horse on a very short track.
Apothic Red Blend NV
A $10 bottle marked up to $32 — that's a 220% markup on one of the sweetest, most generic red blends in mass production. Apothic Red is built for people who don't really like wine, and charging $32 for it at a barbecue counter is a boldness that deserves to be called out directly.
Meiomi Pinot Noir NV + Brisket
The smoke and fat in the brisket need something that won't compete — Meiomi's soft, low-tannin fruit profile is loose enough to get along with it. It's not a great pairing. It's the best pairing available on this list, and that's a different thing entirely.
❌ The Bottom Line
Order the brisket, order the ribs, order a Lone Star — and leave the wine list alone. This is not a wine destination and it doesn't pretend to be, except that it's still charging you like one.
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.